{"id":399949,"date":"2026-08-07T04:56:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T04:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/399949\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T04:56:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T04:56:34","slug":"lone-star-labor-solidarity-makes-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/399949\/","title":{"rendered":"Lone Star Labor: Solidarity makes the difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanks to your solidarity, workers at Ashland Specialty Chemicals\u00a0just ratified a new contract, ending their 42-day strike<\/a>!<\/p>\n

This wouldn\u2019t have happened without you. Our Texas City Metal Trades Council members showed up for each other, every single day, and the community showed up with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cA strike is never easy. It asks everything of our members and their families, and this one asked more than most,\u201d\u00a0said Lewis Crawford, IUOE Local 564 Business Agent and lead negotiator for the Texas City Metal Trades Council, AFL-CIO. \u201cWe didn’t win every fight at that table \u2014 but we won something no contract can put a price on: trust, unity, and a brotherhood forged on that picket line. We’re not just going back to work. We’re going back stronger, together, than the local that walked out 42 days ago.”<\/p>\n

When working families fight alongside each other \u2013 right here in Texas \u2013 they win. That\u2019s the union difference.<\/p>\n

AS GOES TEXAS LABOR\u2026<\/p>\n

Austin:\u00a0Austin airport employees report hot working conditions; officials point to summer heat, passenger volume<\/a> \u2014\u00a0KVUE, featuring\u00a0UNITE HERE Local 23 Organizer Iris Leija<\/p>\n

College Station:\u00a0Professors sue Texas A&M System over classroom ban on race, gender ideology<\/a> \u2014\u00a0San Antonio Express-News, featuring American Association of University Professors (AAUP-AFT) President Todd Wolfson and members<\/p>\n

Katy:\u00a0Teachers\u2019 union delivers health care petition to KISD board during public comments<\/a> \u2014\u00a0Katy Times, featuring\u00a0Katy American Federation of Teachers (Katy AFT) member Allison Knight<\/p>\n

San Antonio:\u00a0James Talarico highlights worker pay, skilled trades in San Antonio<\/a> \u2014\u00a0News4SA, featuring United Association (UA) Local 142<\/p>\n

San Marcos:\u00a0Public defender union calls off strike<\/a> \u2014\u00a0Queens Daily Eagle, featuring the\u00a0Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys (UAW Local 2325)<\/p>\n

Statewide:\u00a0Why is Texas taking over so many school districts?<\/a> \u2014\u00a0Texas Monthly, featuring\u00a0Education Austin (AFT Local 2048) President Ken Zarifis<\/p>\n

Statewide:\u00a0Texas releases first Education Freedom Account participation data<\/a> \u2014\u00a0FOX26Houston, featuring\u00a0Texas AFT President Zeph Capo<\/p>\n

NEWS TO USE<\/p>\n

Employers Stall Labor Contracts for Years. A New Bill Could Change That.<\/a> \u2014\u00a0The American Prospect<\/p>\n

Democrats Must Pick a Side: Billionaires or Working-Class | Opinion<\/a> \u2014\u00a0Newsweek, by\u00a0United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shaun Fain<\/p>\n

The Cost of Deportations Calculator: The Trump administration is taking billions of taxpayer dollars to pay for mass deportations. What could this money be used for instead?<\/a> \u2014\u00a0Economic Policy Institute\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018They\u2019re selling the safety of the traveling public\u2019: TSA workers decry Trump privatization push<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The Guardian<\/p>\n

AI & TECH NEWS BITE\u00a0<\/p>\n

New Resource: The AFL-CIO\u2019s AI Tech Institute released a\u00a0new document highlighting AI policy protections being advanced at the state level<\/a> across the country.<\/p>\n

TEXAS LABOR FAMILY NEWS\ud83c\udfc3 ON THE MOVE<\/p>\n

Representatives of the\u00a0North Texas Area Labor Federation\u00a0were invited for a special meeting with U.S. Senate candidate\u00a0James Talarico<\/a> before the campaign\u2019s huge rally in Arlington.<\/p>\n

UA Plumbers Local 68 (Houston)\u00a0Financial Secretary-Treasurer, William \u201cBill\u201d Venable was featured<\/a> in the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials\u2019 (IAPMO) Official magazine.<\/p>\n

UA Plumbers Local 68\u00a0(Houston)\u00a0welcomed Hamilton Plumbing Services<\/a>, a commercial and residential plumbing service provider, to the union family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lauren Benton<\/a> has been appointed to the\u00a0Northeast Houston AFT Executive Board,\u00a0agreeing to advocate for the educators in Channelview ISD, Galena Park ISD and Sheldon ISD.<\/p>\n

SOLIDARITY CORNER: EVENTS & ACTIONS\ud83d\udea8 TAKE ACTION<\/p>\n

MAKE A CALL:\u00a0Protect Workers from Extreme Heat<\/a>
Working in extreme heat, both inside and outside, makes workers vulnerable to heat-related illness and even death. Tell Congress to protect workers from heat\u2014and not block heat safety protections. Dial 844-937-2517 or\u00a0fill out the form to make a call<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ADD YOUR NAME:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcc6 EVENTS THIS WEEK<\/p>\n

Thursday, Aug. 6 online: \ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83c\udfeb\u00a0AFL-CIO Training: Frontline Solidarity: Immigration Tools for Organizers and Activists<\/a>
This session will provide participants with information to navigate the escalating attacks on immigrant workers and discuss resources available for unions and organizers.\u00a0Details<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Friday, Aug. 7 in Houston: \u270a\u00a0Caravan for Lorenzo<\/a>
Join organizations and neighbors for a caravan to commemorate one month since ICE killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.\u00a0Details<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Friday, Aug. 7 in Texas City: \u270a\u00a0Ratification Rally with Ashland Workers<\/a>
Join\u00a0Texas City Metal Trades Council\u00a0members to celebrate their new contract at Ashland Specialty Chemicals and commemorate 42 days on the picket line.\u00a0Details<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saturday, Aug. 8 in Corpus Christi: \ud83e\udd1d\u00a0Back to School Giveaway<\/a>
Join the\u00a0International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 278\u00a0as they pass out free school supplies for the community.\u00a0Details<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Saturday, Aug. 9 in Houston: \ud83e\udd1d\u00a0Back to School Giveaway<\/a>
Join\u00a0Houston Educational Support Personnel (HESP Local 6315) for their Back-to-School giveaway for bus drivers, custodians, food services, CFS workers, and their families and friends.\u00a0Details<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saturday, Aug. 8 in Baytown: \ud83d\udcb8\u00a0USW 13-2001 Scholarship Market<\/a>
Join\u00a0United Steelworkers (USW) Local 13-2001 for their annual market to raise funds for local scholarships.\u00a0Details<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, Aug. 11 online: \ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83c\udfeb\u00a0AFL-CIO Training: Volunteer Recruitment<\/a>
Learn about the most effective methods and messaging for moving union members to take action.\u00a0Details<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Friday, Aug. 14 in Houston: \ud83d\udcb8\u00a0Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation’s Working Families Awards Celebration<\/a>
Join labor leaders, union members, community allies, and elected officials for an evening of recognition, solidarity, and inspiration as we celebrate the power of collective action and the people who make our movement strong.\u00a0Details and tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

See\u00a0Labor Day Events\u00a0and all upcoming Texas labor events here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcdd APPLICATIONS & PROGRAMS<\/p>\n

Union Plus is giving away more than $150,000 in prizes to union families for their 40th anniversary! Union members can enter before Aug. 19.\u00a0Details<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcaa TEXAS UNION STAFF JOBS\ud83d\udcf8\u00a0PHOTO OF THE WEEK<\/p>\n

This week, more than 60 union members representing dozens of unions joined us for our\u00a0Texas AFL-CIO North Texas Labor Town Hall! Members are ready to organize, build power, and elect pro-worker candidates in DFW.<\/p>\n

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Sign up here to get it in your inbox!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thanks to your solidarity, workers at Ashland Specialty Chemicals\u00a0just ratified a new contract, ending their 42-day strike! This…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399950,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-399949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}