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The Results Are In! Meet the SEIU Texas Advisory Committee
SEIU Texas members have taken another step toward becoming one strong voice for working families.
Members across Texas came together to elect 42 representatives to serve on the SEIU Texas advisory committee. Committee members represent all SEIU Texas cities and work as healthcare providers, janitors and municipal employees across our state.
Read the full list of advisory committee members here.
“I am proud and excited to represent my fellow SEIU Texas members by serving on the advisory committee. Now that we’ve united as one union, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work creating a solid framework that will help us change our state for the better. I invite my fellow members to share their thoughts with us,” said Adela Valle, a janitor in Houston and newly elected member to the SEIU Texas advisory committee.
Members can share their ideas with their advisory committee here.
The committee will meet this summer to prepare a constitution and bylaws.
Later in the year, all SEIU Texas members will be able to vote on the committee’s recommendations.
SEIU Texas Joins Allies to Highlight How High End Building Owners Manipulate Property Tax Appeals
Cross-posted from Houstonisotbroke.org
Houstonians are paying their property taxes right now — so are huge companies that own the biggest office buildings in town. But that’s where the similarities end.
On Wednesday, in the shadows of Houston’s biggest office towers, parents, homeowners, teachers and city employees highlighted the issue by playing, “The Price is Wrong,” a parody of the popular daytime game show. Check out the scenes below.
During the noon time event, contestants guessed how big a discount building owners ended up with after manipulating the system — 30%?, 50%, 60%?
How much would you pick?
The answer? Three of Houston’s signature skyscrapers- Williams Tower, Wells Fargo Plaza, Bank of America Building – paid a little more than half of the tax they should have, based on the market value of the buildings based on recent property sales figures.
Immigration Bill Is a Positive Step Towards Fixing Broken Immigration System, But Now the Real Work Begins
Members to continue statewide community engagement to build on growing support for citizenship.
SEIU Texas lauds the arrival of a bipartisan immigration reform bill which represents a major step to fixing our broken immigration system once and for all. While not perfect, the route to citizenship outlined in the bill will strengthen our economy, keep families together, and protect workers. Locally, this historic legislation represents a beacon of hope for the more than 1.6 million aspiring citizens who live and work in Texas—the second largest immigrant population in the nation.
Texans to Ted Cruz and John Cornyn: The Time IS Now! Support a Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants
As the Senate closes in on its immigration reform proposal, SEIU members in Texas have joined tens of thousands of people across the country to support reform that will strengthen our families, our communities and our country.
As a huge rally in Washington, DC was lifting off, hundreds of Texans in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas marched, delivered petitions and spoke directly to elected officials in their home towns about how important this legislation is.
UNITED in SEIU Texas
Over the weekend, members from Local 1 Houston, SEIU Healthcare Texas and Local 5 met in San Antonio.
We talked about how we need to build our strength in our workplaces and in our communities if we are going to take on the big challenges we face.
That’s why we are excited to announce that we have united to form one, statewide local union, SEIU Texas! As a result, we’ll be speaking with one voice–and be better positioned to improve the conditions of our work.
Uniting in SEIU Texas strengthens our union.
Together, we will:
- Build strength to raise standards for everyone
- Fight for better wages and benefits
- Fix our broken immigration laws
- Hold politicians and corporations accountable for creating good jobs
Over the next few weeks, find out what uniting in SEIU Texas means to you. Click here if you are a member (or interested in becoming one) and have questions, want to learn more or to get involved.
Be sure to visit our new website often. We’ll keep you up to date on what’s happening around the state and in your neighborhood.
Let’s Fix What’s Broken
Tens of thousands of SEIU members are calling on Congress to pass commonsense immigration reform now.
With more than 11 million new American immigrants in this country, it’s time that we create a commonsense immigration process that includes a clear and direct roadmap to citizenship for people who came here to work hard to create a better life for their families and aspire to be citizens.
On April 10th, SEIU local unions and allies will hold a massive rally in Washington, DC and more than 50 other events across the country pounding the drumbeat for commonsense immigration reform.
P.S. There are events happening across the state of Texas – click here to find out if there is one happening near you.
New Congress Feeling the Power of the Latino Vote
Cross-posted from SEIU.org
Members of Congress are discussing the issue behind closed doors and the White House is polishing its principles for public release. As the new Congress took office last week, the talk in Washington — besides the politically created fiscal crisis — was immigration.
“By-and-large, the United States is a nation of immigrants,” proclaimed House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, during the opening speech of Congress’ new term. “Built, enriched and strengthened by men, women and children who share our patriotism and seek the American dream. The strength of our democracy will be advanced by bold action for comprehensive immigration reform.”
The script for Ohio Republican John Boehner’s reelection as House Speaker included a nominating speech by ally, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA, which listed immigration reform as the second of three top issues — after tax reform — to be tackled by the new Congress.
The reason for Congress’s sense of urgency on immigration, of course, is the political rise of Latinos in the 2012 election, a point underscored by Vice President Joe Biden at a later event with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
“What’s different today is that the rest of the nation, the rest of America, recognizes it’s time; it’s your time,” the vice president said. “Have you ever seen a time when the Republicans had a more rapid epiphany about immigration than the one they had in this past election? All of a sudden…the American people know what their leaders are only figuring out, the awesome potential (of the Latino community).”
Therein lies our challenge. The talk in Washington points to the road for comprehensive immigration reform, but we all know the road is filled with sharp dips, curves, and yes, a few more cliffs. Our job is to keep Congress on track to enact comprehensive immigration reform this year and prove that the potential of the Latino community is, indeed, awesome. Our task is not easy.
Congress, after nearly crashing on fiscal matters, is being asked whether it can handle the ongoing budge battles and take on immigration. Congress has no choice. Congress must do immigration reform. The public demands it and so do the Latino, law enforcement, faith and business communities.
Lawmakers are going to have to learn how to steer and shift gears at the same time, and deliver immigration reform that places 11 million undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship, requires employers to play by the same rules so that all workers receive fair wages and benefits, and keeps our borders safe.
We will be watching the lawmakers’ maneuvers. If they fail the test on immigration, we will help deliver the report cards to voters in the 2014 election. We are up to the challenge and hope that Congress is too.
Want to see common-sense immigration reform become a reality in 2013? We do.
Relief Ahead For U.S. Citizens With Undocumented Spouses
Cross-posted from SEIU.org
Under a rules change set to take effect on March 4, the Obama Administration will for the first time allow certain spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens to remain in the country while a portion of the paperwork for their green cards is processed. To qualify, the U.S. citizen must show “extreme hardship” if forced to remain separated from a spouse or child. Typical examples include U.S. citizens who are sick or disabled and are being cared for or supported by their immigrant spouse or parent.
The move could affect some 1 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. “The administration deserves credit for moving ahead in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform from Congress,” said SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina.
The new rule, which requires the family members to briefly return to their country of origin to finalize the process once the waiver has been approved, makes a small but significant change andremoves a bureaucratic hurdle that has deeply hurt citizens facing hardships. The risks, uncertainties and delays that come with applying for the visa from abroad create unnecessary burdens on families in hardship cases.
While a welcome step forward in the right direction, the waiver is nonetheless a limited change. “We are disappointed that the rules change does not apply to spouses of legal permanent residents and adult children of U.S citizens, as they often are caregivers,” said Medina. “We hope that as the changes are implemented, the administration will see the wisdom in expanding the hardship waivers to these critical family members.”
Learn more about how SEIU is ready to work for practical comprehensive immigration reform in 2013.