A historic crisis requires a historic response.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gulf Coast labor movement has stepped up to fight for working families. From the start of the crisis, we’ve worked with our 95 union affiliates, community allies, and elected officials to find policy solutions that help working people impacted by the Coronavirus, and advocated forcefully for action by city, county, state and federation authorities.
At the beginning of the crisis in March, we conducted an in-depth survey of our local union affiliates, and found that after just a few weeks, many union members were already struggling with unemployment, and a large number were have trouble affording basic necessities. All of our subsequent work has been based on the stated needs of our affiliates.
Tenant Advocacy
COVID-19 has led to a historic housing crisis, and with millions of Gulf Coast workers struggling to pay their rent, we have fought to ensure no one loses their home because of the pandemic.
COVID Relief
With historic unemployment, many working people in the Gulf Coast have relied on direct cash assistance. We have advocated for expanded city and county programs that provide assistance to all residents of our community, including many who were left out of federal aid.
HEROES Act
After the HEROES Act was passed in May by Congressional Democrats, we joined with union members from across the county to push for its passage in the US Senate. On June 17th, we organized one of the largest car caravans in the country, with hundreds of cars circling the Houston offices of John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
Work Safe Guidelines
We all want to go back to work, but it’s critical that we go back to work the right way. We’ve worked with local unions and the office of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo to develop work safe rules guidelines for retail and construction workers, and continue to work with unions in other other fields to develop and advocate for industry-specific rules.
Worker Safety Advocacy
Far too many frontline workers have had to work during the COVID-19 crisis without adequate personal protective equipment and other safety measures in place. We have supported the efforts of our local union affiliates to advocate for their members, either through calls, texts, email, or direct action.