Here is your weekly news from the Texas labor movement.
One Job Should Be Enough
The large amazing protests by UNITE HERE catering workers at American Airlines headquarters and the DFW Airport displayed organized labor in Texas at its best - standing and fighting together against poverty wages and benefits and applying the principle that an injury to one is an injury to all.
That "fighting" part is dramatic. Of the couple thousand who rallied, marched and shouted "One Job Should Be Enough!" a few hundred times in bake-your-brains-out heat and humidity, 58 were arrested by Fort Worth police and fined for acts of civil disobedience - in this case a peaceful sit-down across the road leading into the airline's nearly 300-acre facility. Among those arrested: Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy and Secretary-Treasurer Montserrat Garibay. This may well be the first time the two top Texas AFL-CIO officers have ever been arrested at one protest.
"It's long overdue that the catering workers at Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet be treated with respect and paid a living wage and have decent, affordable health care," said Willy Gonzalez, UNITE HERE Local 23 Chapter President, referring to the catering subcontractors at the airline that employ the workers. Moments after uttering those words, Gonzalez led one of the sit-downs and was arrested.
The actions by UNITE HERE extend well beyond Texas and are a sign of things to come. Members of the union have authorized strikes at 33 airports. Yesterday's large-scale action wasn't even the end of the DFW protest, with two more days of informational picketing scheduled this week. Yesterday's crowd included local UNITE HERE unions, activists from other unions that work at the airports and union allies who traveled from as far away as both U.S. coasts to participate. UNITE HERE local unions in Charlotte, Miami, New York, Phoenix and Oakland were among those represented.
The solidarity within UNITE HERE and within the labor movement at large was matched by that of the Texas labor movement. Besides the officers and staff of the Texas AFL-CIO, busloads of activists left Houston and Austin in the middle of the night to represent the Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation and the Austin Central Labor Council. Activists from other far-flung venues - special hat tip to Texas AFL-CIO Executive Board member Abel Bosquez of Amarillo - made long treks to join hundreds of Brothers and Sisters from the Dallas AFL-CIO and Tarrant County Central Labor Council, whose leaders, Mark York and Brian Golden, gave stirring speeches during a pre-march rally in a nearby park.
The union members spoke eloquently of their situation. UNITE HERE featured one of the arrested caterers, Preston Strickland, who works for Sky Chefs at DFW:
"I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this work, and for what? I've been working this job for five years; I haven't even gotten $2 in raises. I make $11.35 per hour and it's impossible to pay for all my bills. I've been homeless in the past because I couldn't afford rent, and I don't have health insurance because it's too expensive. These are the reasons that I was arrested today in this civil disobedience action. I hope this gets the ear of American Airlines, because they can and must step up and take action."
In a new report, the union's summary of the lowballing of its workers is stark:
The day's events coincided with the release of a new UNITE HERE report this week which revealed that one in four workers who provide food and drinks to American Airlines at its hubs and who work for subcontractors LSG Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet earn less than $12 per hour, and on average earn less than employees for the same contractors serving airlines at Delta and United hubs. Meanwhile, American reported a 2018 annual profit of $1.9 billion, and is preparing to move into the gleaming new Ft. Worth headquarters later this month. At its home airport, DFW, one of the airline's most profitable and busiest hubs with up to 900 flights operating daily at peak travel times, airline catering workers earn as little as $9.85 per hour.
News coverage was broad.
The Dallas Morning News reported details of the arrests:
Led by a police escort, protesters marched and chanted, then briefly blocked the Trinity and Post Oak boulevards intersection before marching on nearby sidewalks. The group also blocked the entrance to American Airlines' headquarters, and that's where the arrests took place.
The arrests were coordinated with the Fort Worth Police Department in advance, said spokesman Jimmy Pollozani. Protesters briefly blocked the street and were met by Fort Worth bike officers. The protesters then stood up and were escorted to a police van.
The arrested protesters were taken to a local fire hall, arraigned by a magistrate and given civil citations of $369 for obstructing traffic, he said.
The CBS affiliate in Dallas posted a strong video, reporting that the protests drew notice from some presidential candidates: https://tinyurl.com/y5kc89zh
WFAA posted a helicopter's-eye view of the proceedings. Scroll to the bottom of the article: https://tinyurl.com/y6nz69bg
Photos taken by the Texas AFL-CIO at the event, including the sit-downs, the arrests of Texas AFL-CIO officers (at the top), and a cross-section of other union activists in protest glory: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmG6KXJq
Labor Joins Large Protest Against American Legislative Exchange Council, Meeting in Downtown Austin to Develop Bad Legislation
The Texas AFL-CIO and our affiliates took part in a progressive coalition's protest of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a right-wing "bill mill" holding its national meeting this week in downtown Austin.
Again, activists braved 100-degree weather to deliver the message that the rigging of rules by right-wing corporate forces and billionaires needs to be stopped.
You may not know much about ALEC, which guards its processes from outside scrutiny. But you have probably seen its handiwork in the form of some of the worst anti-worker bills that members of the Legislature propose.
Also, hats off to the IBEW Local 520 for inflating the giant "Fat Cat" on the corner of 2nd & Congress - pointed at the ALEC attendees. Watch the video here.
Southwest Pipe Trades Associations Nears Signature Count Goal at Port of Brownsville
A labor union movement is one step closer to becoming a reality for one of the Port of Brownsville’s largest tenants. Members from the Southwest Pipe Trades Association continue to collect signatures in hopes of forming a union at Keppel AmFELS.
This week the Southwest Pipe Trades Association say they’re looking to represent local workers. Specifically, in negotiating better working conditions, higher wages, a retirement plan, among other benefits.
Watch the Video of Organizing Efforts on the Frontlines
Chad Tomlin, Southwest Pipe Trade, lead organizer, “I believe in the middle class, I believe in the working guy, and there is a lot of talent that goes into building these ships. There’s the welders and the pipe fitters, the electricians, Sheet metal workers and I think that they’re underpaid.
The Ringer, a Sports Website, Recognizes Newly Formed Union
Congratulations to workers at The Ringer, an online sports site, on recognition of the union by management three days after a public announcement that workers wanted to speak up together.
Via "The Big Lead":
While Bill Simmons has still yet to say anything publicly about the announcement from earlier this week that editorial staffers for The Ringer were unionizing, the union has announced in a tweet thread that management has recognized it and negotiations are forthcoming:
We're excited to announce that, three days after our public announcement, management has chosen to voluntarily recognize our union. We decided to organize because we want a more equitable, accountable, and transparent workplace, and we're glad the company recognizes our goals. We love working at The Ringer. Across the realms of sports, pop culture, and technology, our reporting and analysis has always championed the rights of talented athletes and creators. A union allows us to embody those values in-house.
We want to thank @WGAEast for their support, and the talented weirdo members of our unit for all of their hard work leading up to our public announcement. Y'all are an absolute unit by all definitions of the term.... Read More.
Yet another jaunty tune with super-depressing lyrics, this ’82 Huey hit is all about how busboys and bartenders, etc. all essentially have the same job. In Reagan’s America, people were struggling, and in another couple of years, Springsteen would explore the topic with greater depth -- and about 10 times more bar-band muscle -- on “Born in the U.S.A.”
According to Huey Lewis, the song was a semi-autobiographical one about past jobs he had before he became a musician. Lewis had wrote it during his time as a truck driver. "I wrote it when I was actually working," Lewis said. "I thought about all of the jobs which just sort of popped out." Some of the jobs listed in the song (busboy and bartender) were also jobs Lewis had before becoming a musician.
Have a great weekend! After all, we fought for it!
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We want to thank @WGAEast for their support, and the talented weirdo members of our unit for all of their hard work leading up to our public announcement. Y'all are an absolute unit by all definitions of the term.... 
