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Here is your weekly news from the Texas Labor Movement.

Deadline for High School Students to Apply for Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Program Is Extended to Feb. 16

The deadline for eligible high school seniors to apply for the 2021 Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Program has been postponed to Feb. 16, 2021.

The postmark deadline is normally Jan. 31 or the next business day, but the state labor federation reset the timeline this year because of circumstances related to the pandemic.

Everything else is expected to proceed as it did last year. Students compete for one-time grants of $1,500, based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities, financial need, a a test on basic labor union concepts and history, and interviews with local scholarship committees. Local scholarship panels are set up by Central Labor Councils and Labor Assemblies across the state. Awards based on the CLC/Assembly recommendations, along with a limited number of continuing scholarships for past winners who apply in a separate process, are finalized by the Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Committee.

To be eligible to apply, a student’s parent or legal guardian (or the student himself or herself) must be a member of a union that is affiliated with both the Central Labor Council and Texas AFL-CIO.

The spread of COVID-19 earlier this year required CLCs to drop in-person meetings and set up online or phone interviews with applicants, a process that is expected to continue in 2021. As always, the local scholarship committees made certain the program’s educational goal of introducing students to the labor movement went forward.

Funding for the scholarship program comes from the Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions to the charitable organization are tax-deductible to the full extent of federal law.

Union Teachers Win Big in Consultation Election in Houston

Congratulations to the Houston Federation of Teachers and Houston Educational Support Personnel on overwhelming victories in a consultation election in the Houston Independent School District.

The landslide means teachers and public school support staff will combine for a strong voice in many decisions related to their work. While Texas does not permit collective bargaining for contracts in public schools, such consultation goes a long way on matters like safety in the schools during the pandemic.

The Texas American Federation of Teachers posted this statement:

Houston educators and school support personnel have overwhelmingly elected the Houston Federation of Teachers and the Houston Educational Support Personnel as their elected consultation organizations for Houston ISD. Over 93% of teachers and in-school support staff voted for HFT and 80% of school support personnel (school bus drivers, bus attendants, custodians, and foodservice professionals) voted for HESP. Both unions are affiliates of the American Federation of Teachers.

Consultation is the monthly meeting with district administrators that allows teachers and school support personnel to have a voice in decisions about workplace safety, safe school reopening, class sizes, compensation, and classroom learning conditions.

“Collaboration works,” said Zeph Capo, HFT president. “Teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff know that when they give input about new district policies it improves student learning and helps retain HISD’s amazing teachers and staff. Through the consultation process, we’ve worked with Interim Superintendent Lathan and the school board to improve workplace safety during the pandemic and support Houston students during this difficult time. Today’s election result is a win for all HISD students and employees who are putting their health and safety at risk for the good of our Houston community.” 

HESP President Wretha Thomas stated, “Blue collars workers have fought for 25 years for decent pay, good health insurance and have fought for better working conditions. Support personnel have stood up to upper administration/principals who have shown us no respect and treated us like second-class citizens. As a former HISD custodian, I experienced this treatment firsthand. Today blue-collar workers and HESP members stand in unity with a strong voice in HISD and in Texas. We are proud to announce that all HESP blue-collar workers will have a voice at HISD Consultation. No more injustice.” -Read More

Texas AFL-CIO To Host Solidarity Phone for Georgia Senate Run-Off

On Wednesday, Dec. 9th at 6PM - Join us making calls into Georgia in support of labor endorsed candidates, Reverend Warnock and John Ossoff. Help labor get the word out to voters across Georgia about the upcoming election.

Let's help carry Georgia across this finish line in this important run-off election. Millions of workers are depending on us.

Texas Waitress Gets $2K Tip But Restaurant Refuses to Give Her a Cent

A San Antonio restaurant denied a 21-year-old restaurant server payment of a $2,000 tip, again calling attention to the absence of legal protections when a customer wants to reward tipped employees for good service.

The New York Post reports the Red Hook Seafood and Bar declined to process the tip and said the server would not receive it.

It's a bad example of reports we hear on a regular basis. Businesses in Texas often require employees to split tips, and some confiscate a portion of tips to cover credit card processing costs or, in some cases, add to the take for salaried employees.

In Texas, tipped employees are legally entitled to receive base pay of just $2.13 an hour, with tips expected to make up the remainder of the $7.25 an hour minimum wage. Some servers earn much more, but there are no guarantees of cash flow.

Customers by and large expect tips to go to the people who serve them. A possible solution to meet that expectation lies with the Texas Legislature.

State Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, has again pre-filed HB 344, which would declare tips are the property of a tipped employee who receives them. The Legislature returns to action Tuesday, Jan. 12. - Read More

Poll: More Americans on Both Sides of the Political Spectrum Want a Higher Minimum Wage

The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the challenges facing essential workers, who at times have struggled to make ends meet on minimum wage salaries.

But a new survey shows more Americans support raising the federal minimum wage than they did before the pandemic took hold.

Seven out of 10 people said they’d support that, and that support has grown since the pandemic began, mostly among Republicans.

Before COVID-19 hit, 48 percent of people who identify as Republicans said they wanted a higher minimum wage. Now nearly 62 percent of GOP supporters said that’s a good idea.
- Read More

Song of the Week - "Working Man Blues" by Merle Haggard

Stay safe. Have a good weekend...after all, we fought for it.