Lone Star Labor: Dust Yourself Off and Keep Fighting
As the 89th legislative session comes to an end, it’s time to reflect and plan for what’s next.
This session was an uphill battle. Workers scored some wins, were dealt some losses, and learned hard lessons. That’s life. Progress ebbs and flows, but if we stop, we lose momentum.
Our fight doesn’t end with the session.
What happens at the Texas Capitol matters. The legislature touches everything — our schools, jobs, healthcare, infrastructure, rights. Whether we’re paying attention or not, the laws that are passed will help or harm our daily lives.
Some of our wins this session included:
- Protecting utility workers (SB 482)
- Expanding ERS retirement (SB 1737)
- Increasing rail safety (SB 2129)
- PLUS, killing lots of bad bills!
Those wins don’t happen without our movement — and you’re a huge part of that.
No one is coming to save us, but we can rely on each other. It’s on us to come together and continue the work that will pay off in 2026 and beyond.
AS GOES TEXAS LABOR…
Cactus: JBS Cactus meatpacking workers win pensions, raises in historic union deal — Amarillo Globe-News featuring Mark Lauritsen, director of UFCW’s Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division and an international vice president
Houston: About 60 HISD custodial, maintenance staff members being cut, union leader says — Houston Chronicle ($) featuring Texas Support Personnel Employees Local 1 President Hector Mireles
Austin: Living wager: Laborers’ International makes union push in Austin — Austin Free Press featuring Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) President Brent Booker and Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy
Austin: CapMetro bus drivers scared to go to work after recent deadly stabbing; call for change — FOX 7 Austin featuring Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1091 President Brent Payne
Austin: Protesters fill Capitol ahead of vote on bill to require ICE cooperation from Texas sheriffs — KVUE featuring Workers Defense Project, Texas AFL-CIO, Grassroots Leadership, and the Texas Civil Rights Project
NEWS TO USE
United Airlines and its flight attendants reach tentative contract agreement, union says — Reuters
Trump’s safety research cuts heighten workplace risks, federal workers warn — The Guardian
OPINION: We must rally and stand up for the working class, clearly Trump isn't doing that — San Antonio Express-News ($)
TEXAS LABOR FAMILY NEWS
🏃 Labor on the Move
Congratulations to International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 520 who just secured a new three-year contract with National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)! Workers will have wage increases and additional paid holidays. ✊
Congratulations to IBEW Local 60 for their historic contract negotiation wins! Business Manager Gary Aiken and the negotiating committee secured the largest percentage raise in the history of IBEW Local 60! ✊
Congratulations to United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), UFCW Local 540 and all the other local unions who came together to create the largest nationally coordinated bargaining effort for meatpacking workers in UFCW history! Workers at the JBS meatpacking plant in Cactus, TX will have higher wages, paid sick leave, and a pension under a newly ratified contract! ✊
Congratulations to Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation (SMART) Local 67’s Jorge Jimenez, who recently received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW). Fun fact: his wife, Erica, and their son, Ricardo, also earned degrees at the same UIW spring commencement ceremony!
💐 In Memory
The Texas AFL-CIO mourns the passing of Ronnie Dugger, 95. Mr. Dugger was the founding editor of the Texas Observer and a friend to the Texas labor movement. Our hearts go out to his friends and family.
📜 This Week in Labor History…
The A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) was founded on May 26, 1965, by A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin. The founders merged the twin struggles of civil rights and workers’ rights to achieve wins in social, political, and economic justice for all working Americans. The APRI is an Organization of Black Trade Unionists who fight for racial equality and economic justice. Learn more.
SOLIDARITY CORNER: EVENTS & ACTIONS
🚨 Take Action
Send a letter to your U.S. Representative urging them to enforce labor and transportation laws! Right now, freight rail companies are beginning to outsource American railway jobs, hurting union members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET). Send a letter HERE.
Donate to support legal representation for a member of International Rescue Committee Workers Unite Texas, OPEIU Local 277 who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and abruptly ripped away from their home, family, livelihood, and community.
Donate to the AFGE Federal Employee Defense Fund to fund legal action and other strategies to defend American public employees.
📆 Events
Friday, May 30 in Houston: Working Families Awards Celebration
Join the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation to celebrate the labor movement's strength, resilience, and accomplishments by recognizing the unions that have made significant contributions to workers' rights, safety, and community empowerment. Get tickets HERE.
💪 Trainings & Conferences
Texas AFL-CIO 2025 Constitutional Convention: A Labor Movement as Big as Texas!
June 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk.
- Register HERE!
- Sponsorship opportunities are available! Details HERE.
🇺🇸 Federal Workers: Stay Informed
Trump’s attacks on federal workers are moving at a breakneck speed. If you’re an AFGE member or federal worker, you can stay up to date and get critical questions answered at AFGE’s new one stop shop: afge.org/AFGEStrong
📸 Photo of the Week
Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 6 members, officers, retirees, and constituents from U.S. Congressional District 15 organized an office visit to ask Rep. Monica De La Cruz why she continues to vote against the interests of constituents.
In a healthy democracy, holding our elected officials to account is essential. When they turn their backs on working folks, we have a responsibility to speak out and make sure they hear us loud and clear.
Photo courtesy CWA District 6.
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