john,
Here is your weekly news from the Texas labor movement.
Under Pressure From Broad Support of UAW, GM Restores Health Coverage for Its Working Families
The good news is that General Motors has restored health care funding for striking United Auto Workers members. It's about damned time.
The better news stems from signals that collective bargaining talks have made progress.
The UAW's tenacity in the strike and the solidarity of the labor movement around UAW actions may be bringing GM to its senses as the strike continues.
- Read More
GOP Senators Unanimously Confirm Anti-Worker Scalia For Labor Secretary
Via Labor 411 - The Senate yesterday confirmed Eugene Scalia to succeed Alex Acosta, the labor secretary who resigned in July amid an outcry over his role in a plea deal for the multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Scalia is a partner at the Washington law firm Gibson Dunn, where he has represented companies such as Walmart, Ford and UPS in workers rights claims. He is also the son of the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia.
Scalia was confirmed Thursday on a 53-to-44 vote.
Democrats have argued that Scalia’s record as a corporate lawyer has shown him to be ‘anti-worker.’ In remarks on the Senate floor Thursday morning, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) contended that Scalia fought to protect the interests of chief executives and the wealthy elite and opposed worker protections throughout his career, describing his nomination by President Trump as a ‘disgrace.’
‘This guy shouldn’t even make it for secretary of commerce, let alone secretary of labor, which is supposed to protect and defend the working people of America,’ Schumer said.
Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, the country’s largest federation of labor unions, called Scalia a ‘lifelong union-buster’ and said his nomination goes against Trump’s campaign pledge to stand on the side of workers.
‘It’s insulting, it’s dangerous, and workers are not going to forget it,’ Trumka said on a call with reporters Thursday morning.” - Read More
2.8 Million 'Losers' Under Trump Labor Department Overtime Rule
The Department of Labor just released the final rule that will require businesses to pay overtime wages to a much larger group of employees if they work more than 40 hours a week. It’s a win for the estimated 1.3 million workers who will now be compensated for putting in long hours — but it’s a bitter defeat for the 2.8 million others who would’ve also gotten overtime under the original rule proposed by the Obama administration.
Up until now, only blue-collar workers and professionals who earn less than $23,000 a year can earn overtime pay under federal law, with some exceptions. That means they get paid 50 percent extra when they work more than 40 hours in a week. The new rule raises the salary threshold to $35,568. Unlike the original proposal, future changes to the threshold will not be tied to inflation. - Read More
Texas AFL-CIO Executive Board Elects John Patrick to Texas Labor Hall of Fame
At Tuesday's Texas AFL-CIO Executive Board meeting, the last action of the day was a dramatic but pleasant surprise.
Lee Medley of the United Steelworkers rose to make a motion that was not formally on the agenda - to waive rules to schedule the entry of former Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick into the Texas Labor Hall of Fame.
The rules for induction require nominees to have been retired for at least five years or to be deceased. Brother Patrick retired a little more than two years ago, citing chronic health issues. It is extremely rare for anyone to gain entry to the Hall of Fame outside the normal process, which takes place at Texas AFL-CIO conventions.
Medley cited Patrick's health issues and the resulting vote on his motion met the extraordinary bar of unanimity. The officers and staff of the Texas AFL-CIO couldn't be happier or prouder that we will get to celebrate the occasion with Brother Patrick at the Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in January.
Texas AFL-CIO COPE Endorses Special Election Candidates/State Federation OPPOSES Proposition 4
The Texas AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE) announced endorsements for Nov. 5 special elections and a constitutional proposition vote, setting the stage for stepped-up labor participation in the 2020 election cycle.
“The Texas AFL-CIO COPE endorsements went to candidates who support a fair shot agenda and whose record and priorities prove that they will fight for working families in Texas,” Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy said. “Local labor leaders studied the records and platforms of these candidates carefully and then had the opportunity to talk directly to the candidates. These endorsements are a result of that process.”
“Texas has entered a new political era and working families are ready to seize the opportunity,” Levy said. “We believe working families understand the stakes in every election, but especially the historic one scheduled for Nov. 3, 2020.”
The 2019 special election endorsements (with recommending labor bodies in parentheses) include:
- In Texas House District 28, Eliz Markowitz. (Tideland Labor Assembly/Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation);
- In Texas House District 100, Lorraine Birabil (Dallas Central Labor Council); and
- In Texas House District 148, a dual endorsement of Rob Block and Kendra Yarbrough Camarena. (Harris County Labor Assembly).
In addition, the Texas AFL-CIO recommends a “NO” vote on Proposition 4, which would make the existing ban on a personal income tax part of the Texas Constitution.
Levy said opposition to Proposition 4, voted upon by the entire Texas AFL-CIO Executive Board, is about preserving options in a changing economy.
“No one believes an income tax is around the corner in Texas,” Levy said, “but existing law already requires a vote of the people to make it happen. Adding the requirement of a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate ties the hands of future Legislatures and cements a tax system riddled with major flaws.”
You told me not to worry
It's all for the greater good
Who made you judge and jury
Who gave you the axe and hood
You wanted it sealed
I'll tell the real story
I'm the bird that sings
I'm the whistleblower
Wake up and take warning
Congressmen and kings
I'm the whistleblower
Waiting in the wings
Enjoy the Weekend! After All...We Fought For It!
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