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Lone Star Labor: What are you waiting for?

Texas AFL-CIO
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Tomorrow is the last day of early voting, and Primary Election Day is Tuesday. If you haven’t made it to the polls yet, what are you waiting for?

Visit govotetexas.org to find your polling place, preview your ballot, and know which ID you’ll need to have when you vote. Then review our Texas AFL-CIO COPE 2026 Primary Election Pro-Worker Endorsements to learn which candidates stand with Texas workers.

If you’ve already voted, have you talked to your friends and family about their plan to vote? Even with a higher-than-usual voting turnout, fewer than 8% of registered voters have cast a ballot so far. With numbers that low, a solid union vote can decide elections.

Here’s the real question: What more can we do to elect pro-worker candidates?

Join us as we knock doors for our pro-worker candidates THIS SATURDAY, Feb. 28:

Then, join us on Monday as we text bank union members statewide to get out the vote! 

Every vote matters. Let’s go out there and win! 

AS GOES TEXAS LABOR...

Austin: Texas Democrat who shocked Republican establishment sworn in as senator Thursday — The Dallas Morning News featuring Taylor Rehmet and Texas AFL-CIO President Leonard Aguilar

Austin: Behind the Scenes: IAM Union Member Taylor Rehmet Takes Oath of Office as Texas State Senator — IAM UNION

Corpus Christi: 25th Annual Cesar Chavez March set for March 28 in Corpus Christi with civil rights icons as grand marshal — KRIS TV featuring American Federation of Teachers Local 3456 (Corpus Christi AFT) President Nancy Vera

⭐ Statewide: Unhappy with Democrats' performance, a wave of union members is running for office in Texas — Houston Chronicle featuring State Senator Taylor Rehmet (SD 9), United Steelworkers District 13 Assistant Director Marcos Vélez, Texas State Employees Union (CWA Local 6186) member Kyle Rable, featuring Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation (TGCALF) Executive Director Hany Khalil, and USW District 13 Staff Representative Jose Loya

Statewide: Academic freedom concerns spark a surge of professors joining AAUP teacher union — Houston Chronicle featuring Texas American Association of University Professors - AFT (Texas AAUP-AFT) Texas A&M Chapter Vice President Ira Dworkin, AAUP-AFT Texas State Chapter President Aimee Villarreal, AAUP-AFT Texas Conference President Brian Evans, and AAUP-AFT members Melissa McCoul, Tom Alter, Paul Gratz, and Richard Gosselin

NEWS TO USE

WNBA CBA updates: League reportedly sets key deadline, WNBPA says revenue sharing was triggered in 2025 — CBS Sports

Five Things the New BLS Union Membership Statistics Don’t Tell You — In These Times

OPM clarifies that agencies should not violate court orders to terminate union contracts — Government Executive

Supreme Court won’t hear Boeing’s bid to end pilot union’s 737 Max suit — The Hill

AI & TECH NEWS BITE

The rapid adoption of AI in the workplace is evaluating how workers work. In the service industry, employers are moving to intrusive AI "coaches" that record and grade human interactions. In fast-food settings, platforms like Hoptix rank workers on their ability to upsell products in real-time. These ranking metrics create a high-pressure environment where workers are treated as data points, often ignoring real world conditions.

The AFL-CIO’s worker-centered AI agenda would guard against these types of menacing tools by ensuring technology is used to make jobs safer, rather than to automate discipline or punish workers. This starts with a firm ban on invasive monitoring tools, such as the use of biometric data and sentiment analysis to manage performance, which effectively punishes workers for natural human traits like fatigue, caution, or even a lack of a smile.

TEXAS LABOR FAMILY NEWS

🏃 LABOR ON THE MOVE

Thank you to everyone who helped celebrate retired Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy at our inaugural Bigger Broader Bolder Bash! It was a bittersweet night we won’t soon forget. If you weren’t able to attend, click to view photos and videos of the night. 

Congratulations to the UNITE HERE! Local 23 workers of the San Antonio Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency Hotels for being recognized for setting a new standard in hotel staff wages for San Antonio.

Congratulations to the UA Local 142 (San Antonio) members who just reached membership milestones: Thomas Tabor (30 years), Robert Bautista (35 years), Robert Bautista Jr. (25 years), and Marco Carreon (30 years). 

Congratulations to Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International Secretary-Treasurer Ken Kirk, who was honored with the John Lewis Labor Leader Award by the Dallas, Texas, NAACP!

Congratulations to Texas YALL State Chair Stu Becker, who received the John Robert Lewis Laborers Award from the NAACP Dallas Branch!

Solidarity with IBEW Local 716 and IBEW Local 66, who teamed up to pack meals at a Feed My Starving Children MobilePack. They packed 131 boxes — totaling 28,296 meals for children and families in need around the world!

Watch CWA District 6’s Black History Month Celebration hosted by CWA Local 6215 Executive Vice President David Marshall. 

SOLIDARITY CORNER: EVENTS & ACTIONS

🚨 TAKE ACTION

DONATE TO SUPPORT UNION BROTHER BRIAN ROMERO: Help raise funds so he can secure legal representation! Romero, a legal refugee from Colombia and proud member of IBEW Local 520 (Austin) was detained during a routine, mandatory check-in, despite having complied fully with all legal requirements and having no criminal record. Donate here.

ADD YOUR NAME: Tell Hearst: Keep Texas news written by Texans! Hearst Media has bought up dozens of local newspapers across the state and now owns the four largest newspapers in Texas. We need to make sure that our local news and journalists’ jobs are protected! Take action here.

DELETE THE STARBUCKS APP: Stand with Starbucks Workers United! Union baristas are calling on Starbucks customers to #DeleteTheApp to show Starbucks that you stand with baristas, not billion-dollar companies. Take action here.

DONATE TO SUPPORT UNION BROTHER OLUFEMI OLADEJO: Help with the legal costs to get him released from ICE detention! Olufemi, a member of TSEU with a valid work permit, has been in ICE custody since November 2025. Let’s reunite him with his family. Donate here.

📆 EVENTS THIS WEEK

TOMORROW, Feb. 27 statewide: Last Day of Early Voting
This is your last chance to beat the crowds and vote early. Click for details.

Saturday, Feb. 21: Block Walks for Labor-Endorsed Candidates
Join us as we knock doors for our pro-worker candidates.

  • AUSTIN: Block walk with the Texas AFL-CIO, CWA District 6, LIUNA, Central Texas Building Trades, Austin Central Labor Council, and allies. Details here.
  • BEAUMONT: Block walk with the Texas AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers (USW), the Sabine Area Central Labor Council, and allies. Details here.
  • DALLAS: Block walk with the Texas AFL-CIO, CWA District 6, the North Texas Area Labor Federation, and allies. Details here.
  • HOUSTON Block walk with the Texas AFL-CIO, Aldine AFT, Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, and allies. Details here.
  • PASADENA: Join the Texas AFL-CIO, USW, Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, and allies. Details here.

Monday, March 2 virtually: Virtual Union Text Bank for Labor-Endorsed Candidates
Join the Texas AFL-CIO for a virtual text bank for our labor-endorsed candidates: Gina Hinojosa for Governor, Marcos Vélez for Lieutenant Governor, and Jose Loya for Commissioner of General Land Office! Details here.

Tuesday, March 3 statewide: Primary Election Day
If you didn’t make it to early voting, this day is your last chance to vote in the Primary Election. Click for details.

Tuesday, March 3 virtually: Information Session 2 for Houston Citizenship Clinic
Attend ONE of four information sessions to learn more about the requirements to apply for U.S. citizenship and prepare for the Mar. 28 Houston Citizenship Clinic. Details here.

Wednesday, March 4 in Houston: Houston: Working Families Rally with Special Guest Gina Hinojosa
Join the Texas AFT, UNITE HERE! Local 23, CWA District 6, SEIU Texas, Texas AFL-CIO and Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation for a Working Families Rally with special guest Gina Hinojosa! Details here.

See all upcoming Texas labor events here.

📝 APPLICATIONS, PROGRAMS & TRAININGS

Monday, March 2: 2026 Texas AFL-CIO Career-Building Scholarship applications open! Each year, the Texas AFL-CIO awards $1,500 scholarships to affiliated union members who have gone back to school to build their careers. Applications are due May 1. Learn more and apply here.

AFL-CIO Upcoming Trainings:

📸 PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Solidarity with the North Texas Area Labor Federation, which just had its first delegate meeting! ✊🏾

The North Texas Area Labor Federation just had its first delegate meeting!

Photo via SEIU Texas

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