A Weekend of Public Service, Education, and Activism in Houston

Amid wild political gyrations over the weekend, the Texas AFL-CIO found time to engage in outstanding public service work in Houston, in conjunction with the American Federation of Teachers national convention, the Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, and union volunteers from across our spectrum.

 The events included:

—A well-attended volunteer brush and debris cleanup operation overseen by the Gulf Coast ALF on Saturday.

 Dozens of union members, joined by Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy, helped make life a little easier for working people who suffered major damage from Hurricane Beryl. As always, when disaster strikes, the ALF rises to the occasion, and the Texas AFL-CIO disaster response, under the aegis of Texas AFL-CIO Director of Operations and Special Projects Lee Forbes, aims to help.

 Photos of an impressive union group that put in serious sweat equity to make a difference may be found at https://x.com/gcaflcio/status/1814779985158082786, https://x.com/gcaflcio/status/1815477966329041251, and https://tinyurl.com/35ythv2j.

—The Texas AFL-CIO, AFT, Texas AFT, Houston AFT and other affiliates and allies conducted a successful “Together We Rise” Citizenship Clinic on Sunday, helping dozens of eligible immigrants complete applications for naturalization.

It served as a crucial countervailing voice to the bigotry at the Republican National Convention, where delegates chanted "Mass Deportation Now" and proudly waved signs bearing the same slogan. Let's be clear: immigrant workers are welcomed members of our movement and our community. We must all reject the GOP’s hateful rhetoric and cynical attempts to divide us. Workers don’t face low wages, brutal working conditions, and exploitation because of immigrant workers. The real culprits are the billionaires and CEOs who run these companies – and bankroll their Republican puppets so they can keep getting away with it.

Huge hat tip to Texas AFL-CIO Citizenship Clinic coordinator Fabiola Barreto for her long hours of work toward making the clinic go. Barreto’s first clinic as a member of the state labor federation’s staff was a triumph.

Photos here: https://tinyurl.com/5n7yhtbe, video here: https://x.com/TexasAFLCIO/status/1815059838226903127 and, from AFT, more photos here: https://x.com/AFTunion/status/1815113291011887220

—The third session of the current edition of the Ruth Ellinger Labor Leaders School saw fellows focused on race, defining historical and current issues and mapping out how the labor movement must always orient itself toward racial justice. 

 Giant hat tip to Texas AFL-CIO Training and Leadership Development Coordinator Lorraine Montemayor for her work in developing the curriculum and delivering and coordinating top-notch training. The Ellinger fellows are not rookies. With help from Texas AFL-CIO officers and staff and the union community, Montemayor has updated and delivered a program that builds on leadership attributes that already exist. Bank on this: True to the program’s name, you will soon see Ellinger graduates in important positions of leadership in our movement.

 Photos here: https://x.com/TexasAFLCIO/status/1814781461389848809 and here: https://x.com/TexasAFLCIO/status/1815427988193726971

Keep an eye on our Events page to join us next time.