SAN ANTONIO — State Rep. James Talarico visited a union training center in San Antonio on Thursday, where he discussed raising pay, expanding pathways to skilled trades and passing the PRO Act.
Speaking at UA Local 142, Talarico said he came to learn about the union’s apprenticeship programs and to talk about strengthening unions statewide. “I am so proud to be standing with my union brothers and sisters in this effort to take power back for working people in the state of Texas,” he said.
Talarico said he began his public service career in San Antonio, where he taught sixth grade language arts at Rhodes Middle School on the West Side and was a member of the San Antonio Alliance. He said that as a state lawmaker he has focused on lowering costs and improving pay and working conditions for Texans.
“I have a track record of fighting for working people. Ken Paxton has a track of selling out working people, that is the difference in this race,” Talarico said. “We need a champion for Texas workers in the U.S. Senate.”
Asked why he believes he can win a U.S. Senate race when “no Democrat has won a US Senate race in more than 30 years,” Talarico said his campaign is focused on class and economic issues rather than partisan divides.
“The real fight in this country is not left versus right, it’s top versus bottom,” he said, adding that workers are being “screwed by the billionaire mega donors and the corporate special interests that are rigging this economy against us.” He said his campaign is “uniting workers across all these divisions” and predicted, “I think we’re going to shock the political world by winning the Senate seat in November of this year.”
On immigration enforcement, Talarico said, “We need a senator who’s gonna hold ICE accountable.” He added, “Right now we have masked men in unmarked vehicles who are kidnapping people off our streets. They’re killing our neighbors before our very eyes. That must end.” Talarico said ICE should focus on cartels, gang members and human traffickers rather than targeting local communities.
Talarico also argued that affordability is the dominant issue he hears across Texas. “Everywhere I go, whether it’s a big city or a small town, a red area or a blue area, I hear about how hard it is to get by in this economy,” he said. “Texans are drowning. We can’t afford the basics, groceries, gas, utilities, prescription drugs, the things that we need to survive.”
He said he has passed legislation as a four-term state legislator aimed at lowering the cost of housing, child care and prescription drugs, including insulin. He contrasted that with Paxton, saying, “Ken Paxton has a track record of raising costs.”
Talarico said he has proposed suspending the federal gas tax and federal diesel tax to lower fuel prices, repealing tariffs he said are increasing grocery costs, and taking federal action to reduce major expenses including higher education, child care and housing.
He also pointed to what he called a surge in organized labor in Texas. “We are at a 25-year high in terms of union membership,” he said, adding that new unions are forming across the state. He said he supports rebuilding labor power across industries to improve pay and workplace safety.
Talarico also addressed questions about data centers, saying he has not called for a moratorium but instead wants regulations. “What I’ve called for are some common sense regulations on data centers across the state of Texas,” he said, arguing that data centers can drive up utility bills, use large amounts of water, and move into communities without notification or consent. He said projects should meet standards including paying for their own energy and funding water infrastructure, and should create “good paying union jobs.”
Talarico closed by predicting a win on Election Day. “On November 3rd, I think we’re gonna shock the world by winning this race on behalf of Texas workers,” he said.
The campaign stop was held at a union training center in San Antonio.