Posts tagged Houston
Opinion: George F. Will: Chicagoans are getting fed up with the city’s teachers union
August 14, 2026 // At more than 50 Chicago schools, the percent of students achieving math proficiency is 0.
Houston airport workers receive 33% raise under Whitmire order, continuing union wins at city facilities
August 13, 2026 // The Texas chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represents many of the covered employees at the city's two airports. They work across passenger service, cleaning and baggage operations. The order requires vendors and contractors at the city-owned airports to meet the new wage standards.
‘Blue Power’ and the Rise of Police Union Politics
April 18, 2026 // "Everybody else can indulge in politics—every black group, every political party group, every church group," groused Carl Parsell, then president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, in 1969. "Why are police officers so different?" The question goes to the heart of Stuart Schrader's Blue Power, a new book charting how police unions accreted and cemented power in the decades following Parsell's query. It's a ripe subject for review: Police officers' savvy use of public sector unions and lobbying to largely immunize themselves from oversight is one of the greatest political coups in recent American history. In under four decades, police unions evolved from beer-drinking clubs to organized bargaining units to potent political forces at the local, state, and national levels.
Houston police union recruits ‘disgusted’ NYPD officers after New York City elects Mamdani
November 5, 2025 // The Houston union posted another flyer which listed the benefits of their the police force. From a "36.5% pay raise just approved over 5 years" to "affordable housing" and "supportive citizens," the Houston union sought to seize on what could be a life-changing reality for cops in the Big Apple under Mamdani’s leadership.
Hilton-Americas Houston strike ends as workers secure $20 minimum wage, improved conditions
October 14, 2025 // Unite Here Local 23 members at Hilton-Americas Houston have voted to ratify a new contract, ending a 40-day strike and winning higher wages. Housekeepers, laundry attendants and stewards secured $20-an-hour minimum wage with guaranteed wage increases to eventually bring that number up to $22 an hour by the end of the contract, according to a Oct. 10 news release.
Houston convention center workers to vote on joining strike for $23 wage
September 25, 2025 // The expected vote comes as the ongoing strike at the neighboring Hilton Americas-Houston stretches into its third week, and as city leaders plan for a $2 billion expansion of the convention center by 2028. Both facilities are owned by Houston First Corporation, the quasi-governmental entity that serves as the city's marketing arm. Houston First Corp. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Union leaders said GRB workers have been inspired by the Hilton hotel workers' strike and are planning to advance the same $23 minimum wage demand. The lowest-paid convention center workers earn $16 an hour, more than double the state's minimum wage of $7.25, but still below some estimates for Houston's living wage.
‘We ain’t going away’: Hilton hotel workers extend strike again in wage push
September 21, 2025 // Unionized workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston will extend their strike by another three weeks, buoyed by political support and grassroots donations in their push for a $23 minimum wage. The strike at one of the city’s largest hotels began on Labor Day and was originally set to last 10 days, but workers extended it through Sept. 20 after negotiations stalled. The latest extension slates an Oct. 12 end date, which would bring the strike to a total of 42 days.
Unions, cities, nonprofits sue to block Trump workforce cuts
May 1, 2025 // Musk has tempered his original goal for DOGE to slash $1 trillion from government spending, saying this month it was on track to cut $150 billion this year. The Trump administration has faced more than 200 lawsuits challenging its policies, with a significant number calling the president's directives unconstitutional. The case is American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO et al v Trump et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 25-03698.
Teamsters Preparing to Strike Sysco’s Operations in Houston
January 15, 2025 // The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said more than 430 of it members are preparing to strike against Sysco in Houston, with the two sides unable to come to an agreement and the labor's current contract expiring on Jan. 17.
COMMENTARY: US Postal Workers Are Fighting Massive Service Cuts
November 11, 2024 // Thousands of US Postal Service jobs are at stake under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s modernization plan, which would close 200 mail processing plants and funnel all mail to 60 mega-plants. Postal workers are organizing to stop the plan.