{"id":438541,"date":"2026-09-17T07:11:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T07:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/438541\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T07:11:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T07:11:01","slug":"harris-center-employees-poised-to-secure-pay-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/438541\/","title":{"rendered":"Harris Center Employees Poised to Secure Pay Hike"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brian Kelley loves his job as a licensed chemical dependency counselor at the Harris Center, but he\u2019s tired of seeing his peers run DoorDash routes and donate plasma after their shifts so they can afford to make rent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur workers serve the most vulnerable people in the county,\u201d he said, noting that the Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is one of the largest mental health authorities in the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 220 workers aren\u2019t Harris County employees, although their board of directors is appointed by the commissioners court, so they weren\u2019t included when Harris County adopted a $20-an-hour living wage policy last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Commissioner Lesley Briones proposed last week to include Harris Center employees in the policy outlined in the county\u2019s Fiscal Year 2027 budget. If approved, their wages would be raised by 6 percent, and the pay hike would translate to about $200 more per month for each employee.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harris County Commissioners Court is slated to adopt the budget following a public hearing at 9 a.m. Thursday, September 17.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pay hike is a big deal, said Harris Center CEO Keena Pace. \u201cEvery day, Harris Center employees do extraordinary work supporting people with some of the most complex needs in our community,\u201d she said at a press conference<\/a>. This investment sends a clear message that their work is valued and their contribution matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Briones and her colleagues Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia voted last week for the highest tax increase in county history, saying at the time that additional revenue is needed to maintain social services like mental health resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gas prices have risen 35 percent since February and almost half of Harris County households with children are food-insecure, Briones said at the press conference. \u201cAs Harris County continues to grow, the needs continue to increase,\u201d she said. \u201cMeanwhile, the federal and state governments are refusing to meet the moment and meet the challenges.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

SNAP benefits were withdrawn from thousands of Harris County households last year, and even more can\u2019t afford healthcare due to a lack of Medicaid expansion, Briones said, adding that changes to the Affordable Care Act by the One Big Beautiful Bill left the Harris Health System with $180 million in uncompensated care costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot control what [President Donald] Trump does or what [Governor Greg] Abbott does but what we can control is the budget we are passing here in Harris County,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More than 180 Harris Center employees were laid off or reassigned<\/a> to other positions late last year because their salaries were funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars and a grant from Texans Recovering Together, both of which expired.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the time, Harris Center therapist Alma Castillo told the Houston Press, \u201cIf there are not enough services, it\u2019s going to cost the county more because it will lead to more hospitalizations, homelessness and people going to jail, things that could have been mediated with the proper mental health services.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harris County\u2019s FY 2027 budget also includes investments in an apprenticeship initiative, which has a 100 percent job-placement rate in trade programs, and a worksite safety policy, which requires site-specific safety plans and inspections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Harris Center employees show support for a 6 percent wage increase that commissioners will vote on September 17. Credit: Office of Commissioner Lesley Briones<\/p>\n

Hany Khalil, executive director of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, said government budgets reveal a community\u2019s priorities, \u201cand this one shows Harris County choosing to stand with working people at a time when our state and federal leaders are abandoning them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Khalil\u2019s organization encompasses 75 unions and represents 60,000 workers across the Gulf Coast. Houston-area union members recently secured wage increases<\/a> and negotiated new contracts at HIlton Americas, Marriott Marquis, George R. Brown Convention Center, the Houston Airport System and Ashland Specialty Chemicals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harris County\u2019s 2027 budget also offers the first-ever consultation policy through which 5,691 eligible employees get a formal channel to weigh in on personnel rules and workplace decisions involving their jobs. They also get a consultation agent who will represent them when grievances are filed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kelley, who also serves as vice president of the United Workers of Harris Center Local 6154, said that \u201cone job should be enough,\u201d not just for Harris Center employees but for all workers trying to support themselves and their families in an unpredictable economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJust last year, commissioners adopted new wage requirements for county employees and county contractors. Until now, we haven\u2019t been a part of that despite being county workers,\u201d he said. \u201cThese investments mean that the people protecting our public health, building our hospitals and working in mental health facilities can afford to live in this community that we all serve.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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