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Here is your weekly news from the Texas Labor Movement.

Trump Impeachment Places Him in No Company

AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Jr. Conference Available to All Via Zoom; Here’s Registration Link. Starts TODAY at 11AM EST.

To build a strong labor movement that protects all working people right now and in the future, we must unite against systemic racism and economic injustice.

And the first step is to listen.

Every year, the AFL-CIO brings together leaders to honor their work and learn how labor, racial justice and economic justice intersect. We will do the same this year at the 2021 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference.

The event will be held virtually on Jan. 15–16. Over the course of two days, you will hear from a diverse set of speakers representing the civil rights and labor movements.

Also, it's FREE. There’s no registration fee this year, but you must register to attend.

With Democrats in Full Control, It's Time to Pass the PRO Act

In this special episode from In These Times, they talk with three representatives of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades — Jim Williams (General Vice President), Kellie Morgan (Political Director & Community Organizer, District Council 77), and Texas Organizer - Salvador Herrera (Director of Organizing, District Council 88) — about labor’s fight to pass the PRO Act.

They break down what the PRO Act is, why passing it would institute a monumental shift in worker power, and how it would impact the daily realities of workers and organizers. The time is now - PASS the PRO Act.

Texas Legislature Returned This Week; Help Us Refine the Fair Shot Agenda by Filling Out Questionnaire on Issues

Take the Texas AFL-CIO survey to tell us your views on the top issues the 87th Texas Legislature faces,

Your responses will help the state labor federation refine a Fair Shot Agenda to help working people get ahead. The pandemic has played havoc with our lives, and our agenda faces a new environment as a result. You can help us gauge the changes.

Bonus: Take the survey and the Texas AFL-CIO will mail you a FREE UNION STICKER designed by our outstanding digital strategy team.

Multi-Craft Core Curriculum, a Path to Superb Union Apprenticeships, to Be Offered Next Month in Austin

Leonard Aguilar of the Southwest Pipe Trades Association passes along another golden opportunity for people interested in entering a union apprenticeship program to learn basic skills that can get them toward that goal.

The Multi-Craft Core Curriculum will be offered Feb. 15-26 in Austin. Past graduates have made it to the ground floor of a paid apprenticeship that can evolve into a solid middle-class career. The curriculum teaches important basic skills that apply to most any of the Building Trades, including basic safety. Some applicants to the program may be eligible for a stipend; union apprenticeships, of course, are an earn-while-you-learn proposition.

If you know of someone who may be interested in this program, go or get them to this link for more information and an application.

 Questions? Email: [email protected]

 Deadline for applying is Friday, Jan. 29.

Reminder: Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Application Deadline Extended, But It’s Wise for Eligible High School Seniors to Act Now

The postmark deadline for high school seniors from affiliated union families to apply to the Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Program has been extended this year to Tuesday, Feb. 16. Still, it would be wise for eligible students to get to it sooner rather than later.

The program awards one-time grants of $1,500 to students chosen in a selection process overseen by Central Labor Councils and then by the Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Committee. Students take a test on basic labor union concepts and submit to interviews by local Scholarship Committees as part of the application.

To be eligible, a high school senior must have a parent or legal guardian who is a member of a labor union that is affiliated both with the Texas AFL-CIO and, if applicable, a Central Labor Council. The student can, of course, fulfill that requirement with union membership.

Stand!, a New Movie in Union Setting, Worth Considering

The canon of movies that delve deeply into union issues is not large, so when a film comes along in that category, union members take notice.

Here’s a chance to see one such movie in the comfort of your home:

Stand! Is a union production, made in partnership with union across North America. It tells a riveting story (the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike) with a diverse cast of working-class heroes and an inspiring ode on solidarity.In its Canadian debut the movie was the #1 Canadian movie at the box office.

In response to the unprecedented COVID pandemic, we pivoted from in-theatre distribution to an exclusively online model. Now union members and their families can watch the move from the comfort of their own home — while still supporting a bricks & mortar independent movie theater of their choice.

For as little as $10/household, we ask union members across the U.S. to watch the movie on the virtual cinema before Jan. 28th, 2021

Song of the Week - "All You Fascists Bound to Lose" sung by Billy Bragg & Wilco

When Nora Guthrie discovered a box of her father’s lyrics that had never been recorded, she couldn’t have found a more kindred spirit to finish them out and record them than political punk-folk troubadour Billy Bragg. He then contacted the a relatively unknown Wilco to help him with the project and the devoted Guthrie-ites ended up releasing three albums under the Mermaid Avenue moniker between 1998 and 2012.

“All You Fascists” is a rollicking rave-up from 2000’s Mermaid Avenue Vol. II that serves as a unifying anti-fascist rally cry. The lyrics seem to become more relevant by the day: “I’m going to tell all you fascists, you may be surprised. / People all over this world are getting organized. / You’re bound to lose. / You fascists are bound to lose.”

Have a great weekend...After all, we fought for it.