Seniors, Labor Day, and the Emergency
Top labor leaders Rick Levy and Leonard Aguilar came to the Retiree Caucus at the Texas AFL-CIO convention in San Antonio on June 26. According to organizer Judy Bryant, they were “very complimentary” toward the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans for taking action in every political arena, including the streets.
As America ages and the birth rate declines, seniors are becoming more central than ever. While the youngest voters tend to vote at the 30% level, seniors vote at 70% and up!
At every protest nowadays, gray and bald heads are prominent. Retirees stand up for union rights as well as immediate retiree issues because they know that unions won retirement rights. Currently, there is no lack of pressing retiree issues on pensions, health care, and Social Security.
In 2001, the AFL-CIO wisely established the Alliance for Retired Americans and put no restrictions on joining. The Texas Alliance was chartered in 2006 and works closely with existing union organizations such as Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR). Texas Alliance for Retired Americans formed chapters in every major metropolitan area, including Dallas and Fort Worth. They will be evident at multiple tables during the Dallas AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast.
TARA welcomes retirees and wannabe-retirees of all ages to write judy4tara@aol.com.
Emergency Now!
On June 27, national AFL-CIO held an “all hands” webinar to energize efforts to stop the Trump “Big bad ugly” Reconciliation Bill in Congress. In addition to the well-known cuts hitting children and retirees, unionists note a special threat to everyone who works for a living: the bill intends to end all regulation of artificial intelligence for the next ten years! Without regulation, employers will be able to use AI in every way possible to undermine workers!
Phone banks, teach-ins, and town hall meetings are being set up across the country.
The AFL-CIO also intends to make 2025’s Labor Day the biggest and most important ever. President Liz Shuler said, “We want the biggest Labor Day we have ever seen and we want to see it be action oriented.” To help in all critical local areas, they will be launching national bus tours in July. Contact jtomlinson.dallasaflcio@gmail.com to reserve seats, tables, ads, and sponsorships for the prestigious Dallas Labor Day Breakfast.
Need More Information?
- Political Committee Earnest Tilley keeps track of all Dallas labor activities: etilley2006@yahoo.com
- Texas Alliance for Retired Americans: Judy Bryant judy4tara@aol.com
- Young Active Labor Leaders: Stu Becker stubecker89@gmail.com
- Donnie Jolly of ATU: donniejolly@yahoo.com
- Katina Range of APWU: katinarange@dallasapwu.org
- Rena Honea of Alliance/AFT: rena@alliance-aft.org
- Dallas AFL-CIO web site: http://texasaflcio.org/dallas
Join Our Solidarity Brigade
Click here to get updates whenever activists are needed. For text alerts, send the word "action" to the phone number 235246. Paste Bit.ly/DallasCLC?r=qr into your browser and join our Dallas political program. Everyone is encouraged to join the national Department of People Who Work for a Living. Please also subscribe to the Texas AFL-CIO weekly newsletter by writing to labor@texasaflcio.org. We are fighting for working families in every available arena.
MORE ACTIONS COMING UP
Jun 27-28: Texas AFL-CIO convention in San Antonio
Jun 27, 6:30P: Anti-war rally at Main Street Garden in Dallas
Jun 28, 2P: Democratic Socialists of America will explain the importance of the labor movement at 334 Centre
Jul 2nd Thursday, 11A: Retiree on-line update. Contact Genelantz19@gmail.com. If you haven't registered already, register here
Jul 17, 7:30P: Dallas Central Labor Council meeting for all affiliated union members.
Jul 25-27: YALL state convention in Dallas Convention Center
August 6, 12:30P: Dallas Chapter of Texas Alliance for Retired Americans meets at 334 Centre in Dallas. Contact Judy4tara@aol.com or 214-729-0063