[Labor Committee on September 12, 2024.]
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UH, THIS MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2024 AT 10:33 AM TODAY, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM THE SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, SCIU, TEXAS, FOR AN UPDATE OF ON THEIR JANITORIAL WORKFORCE CONTRACTS AND CITY RELATED CONTRACTS.
UH, BEFORE WE BEGIN, UH, I DO WANT TO WISH EVERYONE AGAIN, A BELATED HAPPY LABOR DAY.
I HOPE EVERYONE, UH, ENJOYED, UH, NOT ONLY THE TIME OFF, BUT RECOGNIZING HOW HARD OUR EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS WORK AND ALL THAT LABOR HAS DONE FOR US.
UH, VICE CHAIR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE ANY REMARKS? GOOD.
AS OF NOW, WE ARE JOINED BY COLLEAGUES IN CHAMBERS, OF COURSE, VICE CHAIR MARTINEZ.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER IS ONLINE, UH, AND WE'RE JOINED ALSO IN CHAMBERS BY COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN.
WE ALSO HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ'S OFFICE.
WE HAVE STAFF ONLINE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S OFFICE AND COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER OFFICE.
AS A REMINDER, IF ANYONE ELSE IS ONLINE, PLEASE LET US KNOW THROUGH THE QUEUE.
ALSO, A REMINDER, WE HAVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, UH, WATCHING ONLINE AND ON HTV.
UH, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU'LL BE SEEING TODAY WILL BE UPLOADED TO THE COMMITTEE'S WEBPAGE AS WELL.
UH, AT THIS TIME, THE CHAIR IS EXCITED TO RECOGNIZE, UH, ISHA THOMAS, THE, UH, SCIU, TEXAS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT.
UH, SO MADAME VICE PRESIDENT, PLEASE JOIN US.
AND ALSO WE HAVE WITH US MICHAEL JOHNSON, WHO'S A RESEARCH DIRECTOR WITH SCIU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR FOR THERE YOU GO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR, FOR INVITING US TO SPEAK.
UM, IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE AND TO SPEAK ABOUT THE WORK THAT SCIU TEXAS HAS DONE, NOT JUST IN THIS PAST CONTRACT, BUT IN THE 15 OR SO YEARS SINCE WE'VE BEEN ORGANIZING WORKERS IN THE STATE AND IN THIS GREAT CITY.
SO, I DO WANNA START WITH JUST GIVING A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHO SEIU TEXAS IS, AND YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SEIU TEXAS, UM, REPRESENTS ROUGHLY 6,000, UM, AIRPORT WORKERS, JANITORS, FOOD SERVICE WORKERS AND HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES ACROSS TEXAS.
WE REPRESENT PEOPLE FROM EL PASO TO THE DFW AREA, AND OF COURSE, HERE IN HOUSTON.
AND THAT NUMBER IS GROWING AS WE'VE ALREADY ADDED ROUGHLY A THOUSAND NEW, UM, AIRPORT SERVICE WORKERS FROM OTHER, FROM OTHER AREAS OF TEXAS.
SO TODAY WE'LL SPEAK MORE ABOUT OUR JANITOR WORK AND OUR AIRPORTS WORK.
UM, BUT BEFORE WE DO, SO, WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GIVE YOU ALL JUST A GROUNDWORK AND AN OVERVIEW OF THE STATISTICS HERE, NOT ONLY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, BUT IN HOUSTON, AS WELL AS HOW WE COMPARE TO THE UNITED STATES.
AND WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO, BEFORE WE GET INTO THE WORK THAT SEIU TEXAS HAS BEEN DOING TO RAISE STANDARDS FOR SERVICE WORKERS IN, IN HOUSTON AND ACROSS THE STATE, I WANTED TO TAKE JUST A COUPLE MINUTES AND A FEW SLIDES TO GO OVER SOME DATA TO TALK ABOUT THE VALUE PLACED ON WORK.
UM, REALLY AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO SEPARATE THE VALUE PLACED ON WORK FROM THE VALUE PLACED ON WORKERS BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE COMPENSATION FOR THEIR TIME AWAY FROM FAMILY, THEIR TIME AWAY FROM THEIR, THEIR PURSUITS.
SO I WANNA GO THROUGH A FEW SLIDES WITH DATA THAT ARE GONNA HOPEFULLY HELP TO DEMONSTRATE IN REALITY WHAT VALUE OUR LOCAL ECONOMY IS CURRENTLY PLACING ON PEOPLE WHO DO SERVICE SECTOR WORK IN THE, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO, IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE TO START OFF HERE, THIS SLIDE IS SHOWING HOW AVERAGE WAGES IN HOUSTON COMPARED TO AVERAGE WAGES IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE STATE IS FROM THE BLS OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND WAGE STATISTICS SURVEY FOR 2023, WHICH IS THEIR MOST RECENT, UH, DATA PUBLISHED.
HOUSTON WAGES ARE JUST A LITTLE BIT BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, UM, ABOUT 3% BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, AND THAT'S BASED ON AVERAGE HOURLY WAGES FOR WORKERS.
BUT WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS FOR SERVICE WORKERS, THE GAP IS SUBSTANTIAL.
UH, MORE THAN 14% BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR SERVICE WORKERS, THAT WORKS OUT TO A SHORTFALL OF ABOUT $2 AND 60 CENTS AN HOUR, OR ROUGHLY
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$5,500 A YEAR FOR A FULL-TIME WORKER.UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SERVICE WORKERS IN BLS CLASSIFICATIONS, UM, THIS INCLUDES HEALTHCARE SUPPORT, OCCUPATIONS, PROTECTIVE SERVICE OCCUPATIONS, AS WELL AS, UH, FOOD PREPARATION AND SERVICE RELATED, UM, BUILDING AND GROUNDS, CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS, AS WELL AS PERSONAL CARE AND SERVICE OCCUPATIONS.
SO THE, THE RANGE OF SERVICE OCCUPATIONS.
UM, AND I SHOULD POINT OUT ALSO THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS PATTERN THAT YOU SEE HERE IS, IS NOT UNIVERSAL ACROSS CITIES.
IN CHICAGO, FOR EXAMPLE, AVERAGE WAGES OVERALL ARE ABOUT 5.5% ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE AND SERVICE SECTOR.
OCCUPATION, WAGES IN CHICAGO ARE MORE THAN 7% ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
UM, IF WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THE NEXT DATA POINT I WANNA TALK ABOUT FOR HOUSTON RELATES TO THE GENDER PAY GAP.
UM, THIS DATA HERE IS FROM THE US CENSUS BUREAU, AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY 2022.
IT'S BASED ON ESTIMATES OF MEDIAN ANNUAL EARNINGS FOR ALL, UH, WAGE EARNERS.
HOUSTON IS THE FIRST COLUMN ON THIS.
YOU CAN SEE THAT IN HOUSTON, WE SEE WOMEN EARNING JUST 70 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR, UM, FOR MEN.
AND I HAVE SOME OTHER REFERENCE MARKETS AS WELL AS THE NATIONAL AVERAGE ON HERE, UM, DALLAS, PHILADELPHIA, CHICAGO, NEW YORK, AND LOS ANGELES.
HOUSTON IS THE ONLY ONE OF THESE MARKETS THAT HAS A GENDER WAGE GAP WORSE THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF 73 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR.
BUT THESE GAPS ARE MAGNIFIED SIGNIFICANTLY.
UH, WHEN WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT RACE AND ETHNICITY, AS YOU'LL SEE ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, THIS IS BASED ON THE SAME DATA SOURCE.
AND HERE IN EACH MARKET WE ARE BENCHMARKING, UM, THE MEDIAN ANNUAL WAGES, UM, TO NON-HISPANIC WHITE MEN, WHICH IS SET AT A, A A HUNDRED CENTS HERE.
UM, THE FIRST FOUR BARS WE CAN FOCUS ON HERE ARE THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
YEAH, WHITE WOMEN, NATIONAL AVERAGE WHITE WOMEN CENTS ON THE DOLLAR.
UM, HAVE, HANG ON, HANG ON ONE SECOND.
WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FEEDBACK.
NON-HISPANIC WHITE WOMEN ARE IN 66 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR.
UM, BLACK WOMEN EARN 50 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR, AND HISPANIC WOMEN EARN JUST 35 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR COMPARED TO NON-HISPANIC WHITE MEN IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
ONCE AGAIN, EVERY ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL DATA POINTS IS THE WORST OF ANY OF THESE MARKETS AND LOWER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
SO, TO CONNECT THESE FIRST TWO THINGS THAT, THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, WHICH IS THE, UH, LOWER SERVICE SECTOR WAGES IN HOUSTON, AND THE LARGER, UH, GENDER GAP, UH, WE WANNA GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND JUST TALK ABOUT HOW THESE ARE RELATED.
BECAUSE OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF SERVICE WORK IN HOUSTON, WE CAN SEE THAT, UH, ABOUT 60% OF THE SERVICE SECTOR WORKFORCE IS MADE UP OF WOMEN, UM, LARGELY MADE UP OF WORKERS OF COLOR.
UM, THIS IS, AGAIN, US CENSUS DATA FROM 2022 ESTIMATES.
AND, YOU KNOW, AS WE MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, WHEN THE VALUE OF, UH, PLACED ON WORKERS REALLY INSEPARABLE FROM THE VALUE PLACED ON WORKERS WHEN SERVICE SECTOR WORK IN PARTICULAR IS DEVALUED, AND THOSE JOBS ARE OVER REPRESENTING WOMEN AND WORKERS OF COLOR, THAT IS LEADING TO THE WAGE GAPS THAT WE'RE SEEING BEING LARGER THAN OTHER MARKETS.
AND TO PUT THE DATA ON THIS SLIDE IN A, UH, PRESENTED IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY ON MY LAST DATA SLIDE, WHICH IS NEXT, YOU CAN SEE THAT OVERALL 15% OF WAGE EARNERS IN HOUSTON MARKET ARE WORKING IN SERVICE SECTOR JOBS FOR NON-HISPANIC WHITE MEN, THAT'S ONLY 8% OF, UH, THEIR EMPLOYMENT.
BUT FOR BLACK WOMEN, IT'S MORE THAN ONE IN FIVE WHO ARE WORKING IN SERVICE SECTOR JOBS.
AND FOR HISPANIC WOMEN, IT'S ALMOST A THIRD.
SO THE REASON I WANTED TO GO OVER THIS BEFORE WE WENT INTO THE RANGE OF THEIR PRESENTATION IS I BELIEVE WE ALL HAVE A SHARED GOAL OF, OF TACKLING THE RAMPANT INCOME INEQUALITY THAT WE SEE FOR WOMEN AND WORKERS OF COLOR.
AND I WOULD SIMPLY SUBMIT THAT WHEN WE, UH, SEE THAT THESE PARTICULAR WORKERS ARE SO OVERREPRESENTED IN SERVICE INDUSTRY JOBS, AND WE SEE HOW SPECIFICALLY SERVICE SECTOR WORK IS UNDERVALUED IN THE HOUSTON MARKET, I WOULD SIMPLY SUBMIT THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN ALL DO TO TRY AND TACKLE, UH, THESE INCOME INEQUITIES IS TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN AND USE ALL AVAILABLE MEANS TO TRY AND RAISE STANDARDS AND WAGES FOR SERVICE WORKERS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT BACK OVER TO OUR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, ISHA THOMAS, TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK THAT SCIU TEXAS IS TOO.
UM, I'M GONNA PAUSE BECAUSE YOU WENT THROUGH A LOT OF DATA TO SEE IF ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS OR STAFF HAVE QUESTIONS.
AND WE'LL ALSO TAKE QUESTIONS AT THE END, BUT BECAUSE THE DATA YOU, YOU SHARED IS SO, UM, STARTLING, UH, AND CONCERNING, UH, IT SHOULDN'T BE STARTLING, WE KNOW ABOUT THESE GAPS, BUT IT'S STILL VERY CONCERNING, ESPECIALLY, UM, THAT HOUSTON IS AT THE VERY BOTTOM AS IT PERTAINS TO BOTH GENDER PAY GAPS AND WHEN YOU
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COMPARE RACE AND ETHNICITY.UM, SO ANY, I SEE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ'S OFFICE, PLEASE.
UM, SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND ALL THE DATA MM-HMM
SO ON SLIDE FOUR, UH, FOR EXAMPLE MM-HMM
IT'S THE ONE, UH, NO, IT'S THAT ONE.
SO IF SERVICE IS 14% BELOW MM-HMM
UH, THE, THE NATIONAL, DOES THAT MEAN THAT THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE QUITE ABOVE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? TO, TO MAKE THAT AVERAGE? YEAH.
THERE, THERE, THERE ARE CERTAIN, UM, JOBS TYPES THAT ARE ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
IF I'M REMEMBERING OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
I BELIEVE THAT, UM, SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, MORE WHITE COLLAR ARCHITECTURAL AND DESIGN AND ADMINISTRATION AND BUSINESS TYPE JOBS, SOME OF THOSE ARE ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE BY FIVE OR 10%.
UM, AND, UH, AND A LOT OF OTHERS ARE, ARE JUST MUCH CLOSER TO THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
SO THEN TWO SLIDES AFTER THAT.
SO THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT BLACK WOMEN ARE EARNING AND WHAT HISPANIC WOMEN ARE EARNING.
AM I RIGHT THAT BECAUSE OF WHAT IT, DEL ON THE NEXT SLIDE? IT'S MOSTLY, UM, THAT HISPANIC WOMEN ARE MORE IN THE, IN THE, UH, ROLES THAT THE MARKET IS VALUING LESS AS OPPOSED TO IN THE SAME ROLE A HISPANIC WOMAN IS MORE LIKELY TO BE PAID LESS.
DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? YEAH.
I MEAN, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT GO INTO THE WAGE INEQUITIES THAT WE SEE.
ONE OF THEM IS WHEN, UM, CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHICS OF WORKERS ARE OVERREPRESENTED IN INDUSTRIES THAT ARE UNDERPAID.
UM, YOU ALSO, I'M, I'M USING DATA HERE THAT REPRESENTS, UM, EARNINGS FOR ALL WAGE EARNERS, NOT LIMITED ONLY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE FULL-TIME YEAR ROUND EMPLOYED, BECAUSE WE KNOW ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH SERVICE WORK IS ALSO THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO SEEK FULL-TIME WORK ARE NOT ABLE TO FIND FULL-TIME WORK.
UM, AND THAT LEADS INTO SOME OF THESE DISPARITIES AS WELL FOR SOME OF THESE PEOPLE WHO, WHO MAY WANNA BE TRYING TO FIND FULL-TIME, UM, WORK AND ARE NOT ABLE TO.
AND THEN WE ALSO KNOW THAT EVEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DATA AND GO INDUSTRY BY INDUSTRY, YOU'LL SEE PAY DISPARITIES FOR SIMILAR JOBS BASED ON ETHNICITY AND GENDER.
UM, BUT THIS DATA IS SORT OF OVERALL TAKING ALL OF THAT INTO ACCOUNT.
IT'S TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT PEOPLE WORK IN, IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF INDUSTRIES, THAT PEOPLE MAY HAVE DIFFERENT WORK HOURS, AND THAT THERE MAY BE PAY DISPARITIES WITHIN INDIVIDUAL JOB CLASSIFICATIONS AS WELL.
AND THAT'S WHY I USE THIS SPECIFIC, UM, MEASURE FOR THE INCOME INEQUALITY, BECAUSE THIS REALLY TAKES IN THE WHOLE PICTURE OF THE DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT ARE LEADING TO WAGE DISPARITIES FOR, UH, WOMEN AND WORKERS OF COLOR.
CAN I ASK TWO MORE OR DO YOU WANNA PUT ME BACK IN? I, I'LL PUT YOU BACK IN QUEUE.
I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE ONLINE WE ALSO WERE JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN AND IN CHAMBERS BY COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS.
UH, WE ALSO NOW HAVE STAFF ONLINE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S OFFICE NEXT IN Q COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN.
I'M GLAD WE'RE FOCUSING ON WOMEN, BUT IT'D BE INTERESTING FOR ME TO ALSO, DO YOU HAVE THE DATA ON MEN IN THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES TOO? UM, I HAVE THAT DATA ON MY COMPUTER AND I COULD CERTAINLY SHARE IT WITH YOU, OR IF YOU WANT ME TO CONNECT WITH YOUR STAFF OR ANYTHING.
WE'LL, UM, IF Y'ALL WILL EMAIL US, WE'LL KEEP A LIST OF WHAT QUESTIONS ARE OUTSTANDING.
WE DON'T EXPECT YOU TO HAVE EVERYTHING WITH YOU TODAY, BUT IF THERE'S FOLLOW UP, WE'LL SUBMIT THAT TO YOU AND THEN YOU CAN RESPOND AND WE'LL MAKE SURE EVERYBODY GETS THAT.
DO YOU FIND THAT THE, THE GAPS ARE, UM, WELL, I SEE IN NEW YORK, AND THAT'S A HIGH, I WAS THINKING IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE COUNTRY.
IS IT IS, CAN YOU TELL THAT THERE, THERE'S A WIDE, A BIGGER GAP IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE COUNTRY IF YOU LOOK AT IT NATIONALLY? LIKE YOU MENTIONED CHICAGO WAS ABOVE, I WOULD THINK MAYBE THE SOUTH AND TEXAS IS KIND OF BELOW.
I MEAN, I'M JUST TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, DO YOU SEE ANY TRENDS LIKE THAT? I MEAN, THERE CERTAINLY ARE SOME TRENDS, AND I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT LEADS INTO THIS CLEARLY IS THE FACT THAT STATES THAT DON'T HAVE A, A MINIMUM WAGE HIGHER THAN THE RIGHT, THAN THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE ARE GOING TO HAVE LOWER WAGES FOR RIGHT.
SERVICE SECTOR WORKS AND OTHER PEOPLE AT THE, AT THE LOWER END OF THE WAGE SPECTRUM AS A RESULT OF THAT.
WHAT IS THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE? $7 AND 25 CENTS, WHICH IS ALSO THE MINIMUM WAGE HERE.
AND WHAT ARE THE STATES, HOW MANY STATES HAVE OVER, OH, BOY.
I DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER OF STATES.
IT'S, IT'S ABOUT HALF OF THEM OR SO.
BUT I CAN GET THAT ABOUT HALF IF YOU THINK.
UH, AND I, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT, UH, KIND OF, UH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER OUTCOMES QUESTION.
UH, WOULD YOU SEE A CORRELATION WITH, UH, WHERE THERE'S ORGANIZED, UH, YOU KNOW, LABOR PUSHING FOR SOME OF THESE IN SOME DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE, LIKE IN CHICAGO OR NEW YORK COMPARED TO HERE IN HOUSTON? YEAH,
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AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I INCLUDED PHILADELPHIA IS A, UM, COMPARISON CITY IN THERE IS PENNSYLVANIA IS ANOTHER STATE WITH, UH, 7 25 MINIMUM WAGE.AND THEY HAVE SIMILAR STATE PREEMPTION THAT TEXAS DOES TO LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES RAISING A MINIMUM WAGE ON THEIR OWN.
UM, AND THEY DO NOT HAVE AS LARGE OF, UH, PAY GAPS AS WE HAVE HERE.
AND THEY DO, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A RIGHT TO WORK STATE.
THEY HAVE A, A, YOU KNOW, MUCH LARGER, UH, REPRESENTATION FOR ORGANIZED WORKERS, UH, IN THAT MARKET.
AND I DO BELIEVE THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE, UH, THE DIFFERENCE.
AND JUST TO FOLLOW UP TO THAT, UM, WHEREVER THERE'S, UH, UM, STATES WHERE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S RIGHT TO WORK, UM, LAWS, MUNICIPALITIES ARE WITHIN THOSE STATES, UM, SURE FINE.
HOW, HOW TOUGH IS IT? OR ARE THEY STILL ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, MOVE ON SOME OF THE, THE INCREASES IN MINIMUM, MINIMUM WAGE? SO A STATE BEING RIGHT TO WORK OR NOT DOESN'T HAVE ANY IMPACT ON THE ABILITY OF MUNICIPALITIES TO RAISE MINIMUM WAGES.
THAT'S, UH, RELATED TO STATE LAWS THAT THAT SPECIFICALLY PREEMPT, WHICH I'M, I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY STATES HAVE THOSE TYPES OF PREEMPTION LAWS, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE DO HERE IN TEXAS, UH, WHICH IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE ALL FACE.
UM, BUT THOSE ARE TWO UNRELATED THINGS THAT WE JUST HAPPEN TO BE FACING BOTH OF HERE.
BUT I, I WOULD JUST ADD THAT IN PLACES, AND WE'LL GET TO THIS LATER IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT DALLAS, AUSTIN HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SET SOME STANDARDS THAT ARE A BIT HIGHER THAN HOUSTON.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER OF HOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, TO ORGANIZE AND INCREASE WAGES FOR KEY AREAS.
UM, WE HAD ONE MORE QUESTION, THEN WE WANNA CONTINUE THE PRESENTATION.
FROM COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER ON LINE.
THIS IS DISCLAIM THAT, UM, WHAT EXACTLY DOES UNDERVALUED MEAN? ARE THE WAGES NOT DRIVEN BY THE MARKETS THEMSELVES? SO, I MEAN, WHAT I, WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THAT, AND RICH, I'LL LET YOU JUMP IN AS AS WELL, 'CAUSE THIS IS MAYBE NOT AS MUCH OF A DATA QUESTION AS A, UM, PERSPECTIVE QUESTION.
UM, YOU KNOW, WAGES ARE CERTAINLY DRIVEN BY THE MARKET, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE VALUE PLACED ON THE, ON THE WORK AND THE WORKERS IS, UM, IN LINE WITH THE VALUE THAT THEY BRING TO THE COMPANY, OR IN LINE WITH THE SACRIFICES THAT WE'RE ASKING THE WORKERS TO MAKE IN TERMS OF THEIR TIME AWAY FROM FAMILY AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN ORDER TO DO THAT WORK.
I'D SAY WHEN WE SEE SERVICE WORKERS PAID SO MUCH LOWER HERE IN TEXAS AND IN HOUSTON, UM, THAN IN OTHER MARKETS, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT OF THAT IS EXPLOITATIVE.
UM, AND I THINK A LOT OF THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, AND WE'VE HEARD COMPANIES SAY TO US THAT, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE CAN FIND SOMEBODY TO WORK FOR THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR WORKERS TO COME TOGETHER AND USE THEIR COLLECTIVE VOICE AND, AND, AND JOIN UNIONS IN ORDER TO HAVE, UH, MORE OF A SAY.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE LOOKING AT THAT DATA AND LOOKING AT THE IMPACT ON INCOME INEQUALITY, I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE SAYING THOSE WORKERS ARE BEING UNDERVALUED.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT.
I, I DO WANT TO, IF IT'S OKAY FOR US TO CONTINUE, PLEASE.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT'LL SHOW SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE AS TO HOW THEY ARE UNDERVALUED.
SO I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UM, THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS TO INCREASE WAGES ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, SO A FEW OPPORTUNITIES OF SUCCESS THAT WE'VE HAD WAS RECENTLY IN 2019 WHEN, UM, PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS WERE ABLE TO, UH, CREATE A EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT GOT PEOPLE FROM $7 AND 25 CENTS.
SO I, I WANNA REMIND PEOPLE THAT FOLKS WHO WORKED AT OUR AIRPORTS, UM, IN OUR CITY BUILDINGS WERE MAKING $7 AND 25 CENTS IN 2018, UM, THROUGH THE EXECUTIVE ORDER.
THEY, UM, SAW AN INCREASE TO $12 BY 2021 AND TO $15 JUST LAST OCTOBER.
UM, SO WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT WORK, UM, OF COURSE WITH OTHER PARTNERS AND WITH FOLKS WHO ARE AROUND THIS SHOEHORN.
UM, SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HIGHLIGHT THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT CITY GOVERNMENT IS DOING TO INCREASE WAGES.
SO OUR COMMERCIAL WORKERS, OUR, OUR HOUSTON JANITORS, UH, YOU CAN GO BACK.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL KNOW WHO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UM, OUR HOUSTON JANITORS, WE REPRESENT ROUGHLY 3000 JANITORS ACROSS THE CITY.
THEY'RE WORKING IN MAJOR, UM, BUILDINGS SUCH AS IN THE GALLERIA, IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA IN KATY AND GREENSPOINT.
UM, THEY HAVE BEEN ORGANIZED AND A PART OF A UNION SINCE 2006.
UM, SOME FOLKS MAY REMEMBER IN 2006 THERE WAS A STRIKE, AND THEN AGAIN IN 2012 THERE WAS A STRIKE FIGHTING FOR BETTER STANDARDS.
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UM, AND THROUGH THIS TIME, FOLKS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WIN MORE FULL-TIME WORK.UM, OFTENTIMES IT'S PART-TIME HOURS THAT PEOPLE WORK, SO THEY'RE HEADING INTO THE BUILDINGS.
AS MANY FOLKS ARE LEAVING FOR THE DAY AT 5:00 PM AND EITHER LEAVING AT 10:00 PM OR 11:00 PM UM, AND FOLKS, QUITE HONESTLY ARE, ARE ASKING FOR MORE HOURS.
SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ORGANIZE AROUND MORE HOURS AND FOR, UM, BETTER WAGES.
SO, JUST TO GIVE PEOPLE AN IDEA, IN 2006, BEFORE THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE WAS 7 25, PEOPLE WERE MAKING ABOUT $5 AND 15 CENTS.
UM, JUST EARLIER THIS YEAR, PEOPLE WERE MAKING ABOUT $12.
UM, AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE, THE POWER OF COMING TOGETHER AND, UM, BEING ABLE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW THEIR WORK COULD BE BETTER VALUED.
UM, WE'VE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO WIN THINGS LIKE PAID VACATION AND SICK LEAVE, WHICH I KNOW IS OF IMPORTANCE FOR MANY PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM.
JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, IF SOMEONE HAS WORKED AT A JOB AS A JANITOR FOR ONE YEAR, THEY GET TWO PAID SICK DAYS.
IF THEY HAVE WORKED AS A JANITOR FOR FIVE YEARS OR MORE, THEY GET THREE PAID SICK DAYS.
WHILE THIS IS A, A HUGE VICTORY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE A FEW YEARS AGO, THIS IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH.
'CAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT WITH COVID AND OTHER VIRUSES, YOU NEED MORE THAN TWO OR THREE DAYS TO RECOVER.
UM, THERE'S ALSO A WIN AROUND VACATION TIME.
SO JANITORS WHO HAVE WORKED A YEAR OR MORE WILL GET ONE WEEK VACATION.
IF THEY'VE WORKED FIVE YEARS OR MORE, THEY NOW GET TWO WEEK VACATION.
UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO WIN THINGS LIKE HEALTH INSURANCE FOR FULL-TIME WORKERS.
SO JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL UNDERSTAND KIND OF WHERE JANITORS WERE BEFORE THIS LAST CONTRACT.
I WOULD ALSO BE REMISS TO, TO NOT SHARE THAT IN 2022, UM, JANITORS DID WIN A, UM, FORMAT FOR REPORTING SEXUAL, UM, HARASSMENT, UM, THAT MAY TAKE PLACE AT THE WORKPLACE.
AS MANY PEOPLE KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE WORKING IN A BUILDING LATE AT NIGHT, THEY'RE NOT AS MUCH TRAFFIC IN THAT BUILDING.
AND WE'VE HAD, UM, FOLKS WHO HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERNS AND HAD SITUATIONS, UM, THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO REPORT.
SO LAST, ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, ADD THAT INTO OUR CONTRACT.
UM, THERE'S STILL MORE TO DO, BUT THAT WAS A HUGE VICTORY FOR A LOT OF OUR MEMBERS.
UM, SO IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR, UM, HOUSTON JANITORS WON THEIR BEST CONTRACT IN THE HISTORY OF SCIU TEXAS, AND THAT'S IN ABOUT 10 YEARS.
UM, WE HAVE OUR FULL-TIME DAY PORTER, SO THOSE ARE PEOPLE WHO COME IN AROUND EIGHT OR 9:00 AM AND THEY LEAVE ABOUT 5:00 PM THEY'RE THE ONES KIND OF PICKING UP IN BETWEEN DURING THE DAY.
UM, BY THE END OF THIS CONTRACT IN 2028, THEY WILL BE AT $15 AN HOUR, EXCUSE ME, $15 AN HOUR.
JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, THEY WERE AT $12 AND 85 CENTS.
SO THEY WILL SEE INCREMENTAL INCREASES BETWEEN NOW AND 2028.
UM, OUR PART-TIME JANITORS ARE NOW ON A PATH TO $14 AND 10 CENTS AN HOUR.
JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, THEY WERE MAKING $11 AND 75 CENTS.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO WIN AN ADDITIONAL PAID HOLIDAY.
SO RIGHT NOW PEOPLE HAVE SIX PAID HOLIDAYS.
WITH THIS NEW CONTRACT, THEY WILL HAVE SEVEN AND IT'S A FLOATING HOLIDAY, WHICH FOLKS WERE EXCITED TO, TO HAVE.
AND WE WERE ABLE TO PROTECT THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE FULL-TIME WORKERS AS WELL.
THE FLOATING HO, THE ADDITIONAL PAID HOLIDAY, IS THAT FOR FULL, FULL-TIME ONLY OR ALSO PART-TIME? THAT'S FOR ALL JANITORS.
ALRIGHT, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO, AS I MENTIONED, WHILE THIS WAS A HISTORIC WIN FOR US AND OUR MEMBERS WERE VERY EXCITED, THERE'S STILL MORE TO DO.
UM, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS LIKE WORKER SAFETY.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS A BIG ISSUE.
WE'VE BEEN PUSHING FOR TRAININGS FOR FOLKS, UM, IN THE BUILDINGS, AND WE HOPE TO, UM, GET THAT IN FUTURE CONTRACTS.
UM, WE ALSO WANT TO INCREASE THE BENEFITS THAT PEOPLE CURRENTLY HAVE, AS WELL AS, UM, PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FULL-TIME WORK.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN MAYBE A BUILDING WAS SLOW, UM, PEOPLE HAD REDUCED HOURS.
SO SAY YOU GO IN AT 5:00 PM IF THERE'S NOT ENOUGH WORK, YOU COULD BE TOLD TO LEAVE AT SEVEN OR 8:00 PM UM, AND NOT GET THE REMAINING OF THOSE HOURS PAID.
UM, WITH THE CURRENT CONTRACT, WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE WORKFORCE TO HAVE SET HOURS THAT THEY KNOW THAT THEY WILL BE PAID FOR.
WE WANT TO INCREASE THAT FOR EVERYONE MOVING FORWARD.
OKAY, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
ALRIGHT, SO HOUSTON AIRPORT SERVICE WORKERS, AND WE REPRESENT, UM, WORKERS
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AT BOTH THE HOBBY AND THE INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT HERE IN HOUSTON.UH, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE WAGES FOR FOLKS THROUGH AN EXECUTIVE ORDER.
SO FOLKS ARE CURRENTLY AT STARTING AT A $15 AN HOUR, UM, MINIMUM BECAUSE OF THE WORK OF CITY COUNCILS.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AIRPORT SERVICE WORKERS, WE REPRESENT ROUGHLY 1800 WORKERS WHO ARE WELCOMING PEOPLE TO OUR WONDERFUL CITY.
THOSE FOLKS ARE CABIN CLEANERS, THEY ARE WHEELCHAIR AGENTS, UM, THEY ARE BAGGAGE SERVANTS AGENTS, AND THEY MAY WORK IN THE WAREHOUSE.
WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT OUR AIRPORTS ARE CLEAN, THAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO GET WHERE THEY NEED TO GO IN AN EFFICIENT MANNER.
WE BEGAN ORGANIZING AIRPORT WORKERS IN 2018, UM, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE WITH COVID.
UM, THOSE EFFORTS SLOWED DOWN, BUT WE DID SEE AN INCREASE OF INTEREST AND RENEWED EFFORT IN 2021, ESPECIALLY AFTER WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, INCREASE WAGES.
ONCE AGAIN, PEOPLE WERE MAKING $7 AND 25 CENTS AS OF 2018, AND THEY WENT UP TO $12 BY 2021.
UM, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO OUR AIRPORT SERVICE WORKERS IN THE SPRING OF THIS YEAR, UM, WON THEIR SECOND CONTRACT HERE.
AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE WAS, UM, REQUIREMENTS AROUND EXTERMINATION OF BREAK ROOMS. SOME OF THE BREAK ROOMS HAD, UM, VARIOUS TYPES OF RODENTS IN THEM, AND WE WERE ASKING THAT THE AREAS WHERE PEOPLE NEEDED TO EAT OR TAKE BREAKS BE CLEANED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
UM, WE MADE SURE THAT THERE WAS STRONG PROTECTIONS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN, UM, PREGNANT WORKERS AT THE WORKPLACE.
UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PASSED A RULE, UM, IN 2022 THAT ALLOWED, UM, PREGNANT WORKERS TO GET TIME OFF FOR APPOINTMENTS, TO HAVE SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS IF THEY NEEDED TO SIT OR STAND, UM, TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT THAT THEY CARRIED.
UM, SO IF THEY, NO, NOTHING MORE THAN 17 POUNDS THAT THEY COULD CARRY, WE JUST MADE SURE THAT THOSE FEDERAL PROTECTIONS WERE INCLUDED IN THE CONTRACT.
UM, WE ALSO WANT BETTER LANGUAGE AROUND OUR EMPLOYER PROVIDED UNIFORMS. UM, SO FOR INSTANCE, UH, IF YOU START WORKING AT THE AIRPORT, UM, YOU GET ONE SHIRT.
SOMETIMES, UH, SOMETIMES YOU MAY GET FIVE SHIRTS IF YOU'RE WORKING 40 HOURS A WEEK.
IF YOU ARE WORKING FIVE DAYS A WEEK, YOU WOULD HAVE TO WASH THAT SHIRT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
AND THAT COULD MEAN YOU HAVE WORN SHIRTS, RIGHT? UM, AFTER A YEAR, PEOPLE, UM, NOW ARE GIVEN ADDITIONAL, UM, SHIRTS TO WEAR.
ANOTHER BIG VICTORY WAS AROUND THE UNIFORMS OR JACKETS.
UM, WHILE HOUSTON IS HOT OUTSIDE, IT GETS VERY COLD INSIDE OF THE AIRPORTS, AND OFTENTIMES PEOPLE MAY NOT HAVE A COMPANY JACKET AND THEY WOULD BE TOLD TO EITHER LEAVE FOR THE DAY, UM, IF THEIR JACKET DIDN'T MATCH COLD OR THAT THEY HAD TO PURCHASE A JACKET OUT OF POCKET.
NOW WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE THAT PEOPLE COULD WEAR, UM, WITHIN GUIDELINES, UM, JACKETS INSIDE OF THE INSIDE OF THE AIRPORTS, AND THEN THERE WAS A AGREED PARTNERSHIP TO ADDRESS PARKING ISSUES.
UM, AS MANY PEOPLE KNOW, AS OUR CITY GROWS, OUR AIRPORT IS GROWING AS WELL, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN, UM, CONCERNS ABOUT WHERE EMPLOYEES ARE ABLE TO PARK.
SO WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH THE CONTRACTORS AT THE AIRPORT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S AFFORDABLE PARKING OPTIONS FOR THOSE WORKING THERE.
SO, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, YOU KNOW, WHILE MICHAEL SHOWED US THE REALITY OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, I BELIEVE THAT THAT JUST SHOWS US THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GROW.
AND THERE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD THINGS THAT HOUSTON, UM, CITY GOVERNMENT'S BEEN ABLE TO DO, LIKE RAISING STANDARDS, UM, FOR WORKERS, GIVING WORKERS A VOICE, UM, ON THE JOB.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT THROUGH COLLECTIVE BARGAINING WITH THE AIRPORT WORKERS.
UM, AND WE'RE EXPANDING THIS WORK AND, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER WORKERS TO, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE FAIR REPRESENTATION AND, UM, HIGHER WAGES AS POSSIBLE.
SO CITY GOVERNMENT PLAYS A LARGE ROLE, UM, IN THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE MENTIONED THE EXECUTIVE ORDERS BECAUSE THAT REALLY DID CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF MANY PEOPLE'S LIVES TO GO FROM $7 AND 25 CENTS TO $15, THAT THAT DOUBLES THE WAGES, UM, FOR MANY PEOPLE.
UM, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN A, A, A
[00:30:01]
HUGE SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE.BUT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS DONE RIGHT AND WE HOPE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.
UM, SUCH AS RAISING STANDARDS FOR CONTRACTED WORKERS THROUGH THE RFP PROCESS, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS STRONG LABOR PEACE LANGUAGE IN RFPS, UM, HAS ALSO BEEN A HIGHLIGHT THAT WE'VE SH THAT WE'VE SEEN.
I I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT IN ONE PARTICULAR RFP, UH, THE CITY HAS INCLUDED, UM, LABOR PEACE LANGUAGE THAT REQUIRES NEUTRALITY OR IN SOME CASES EVEN REQUIRED THE EMPLOYER TO PROVIDE, UM, THE UNION WITH ACCESS TO WORKERS AT EVENTS AND AT DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS.
NOW, THAT LANGUAGE ISN'T IN ALL OF THE RFPS, BUT I WILL SAY THAT WE'VE GOTTEN IT RIGHT IN ONE AND WE HOPE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO USE THAT TYPE OF LANGUAGE IN OTHER PLACES.
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE ARE OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS THAT ARE DOING WELL.
UM, THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL PASSED A LIVING WAGE RESOLUTION THAT'S TIED TO THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INDEX.
UM, SO EVERY YEAR THAT THERE IS A COST OF LIVING INCREASE, THOSE CITY EMPLOYEES AND, AND THOSE WHO WORK AT THE, UM, AIRPORT THAT'S OPERATED BY DALLAS SEES AN INCREASE.
SO PEOPLE ARE CURRENTLY AT $18 AND 24 CENTS AN HOUR.
AT FORT WORTH, WE SAW THAT THE MINIMUM WAGE OF CITY EMPLOYEES HAVE JUST BEEN RAISED FROM $15 AN HOUR TO $18 AN HOUR THROUGH THEIR CITY BUDGET, UM, WHICH THEY ARE CLOSE TO PASSING.
AND THEN IN AUSTIN, THERE IS A LIVING WAGE PROGRAM THAT HAS, UM, INCREASED, UM, WAGES TO CURRENTLY $20 AND 80 CENTS.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, IN SIMILAR ENVIRONMENTS, WE ARE ABLE TO, UM, INCREASE, WELL, I WOULD SAY CITY GOVERNMENT IS ABLE TO INCREASE WAGES, AND WHEN YOU INCREASE WAGES FOR THOSE WHO ARE WORKING, UM, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY FOR THE CITY, YOU ARE SETTING A STANDARD, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, WITH THE OTHER CONTRACTORS.
ALL RIGHT, SO THIS IS WHERE I GET TO TALK ABOUT A WISHLIST OF WHAT, UM, MY GREAT CITY, OUR GREAT CITY CAN DO.
UM, SO AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE HAVE THE RFP PROCESS WHERE WE'VE SEEN GREAT IMPROVEMENTS, UM, IN THE LANGUAGE THERE.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DALLAS STYLE OF A LIVING WAGE RESOLUTION, IT INCREASES EVERY YEAR, UM, WITHOUT FURTHER COUNCIL ACTION.
SO THAT MEANS, UM, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE TRENDS OF, UM, COST OF LIVING ACCORDING TO THAT CITY AND MAKING ADJUSTMENTS THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE MENTIONED EXPANDING THE USE OF THE GOOD LABOR PEACE LANGUAGE IN RFPS, UM, AND THEN ALSO CONSIDERING, UM, LOOKING AT WORKER RIGHTS AND WAGES OF OTHER CITY, UM, PROGRAMS WHERE THEY USE TAX INCENTIVES, GRANTS, UM, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
SO, UM, IN CLOSING, I THINK WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO QUITE A BIT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AS Y'ALL CAN SEE, THERE IS A LOT OF ROOM FOR OPPORTUNITY.
UM, BUT WE WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK COLLECTIVELY WITH YOU ALL, UM, IN CONJUNCTION AS PARTNERS, UM, BECAUSE THE, THE HEALTH OF OUR CITY DEPENDS ON IT.
YOU KNOW, OUR SERVICE WORKERS ARE REALLY THE, THE BACKBONE, UM, OF OUR CITY.
THEY, THEY DO THE WORK OFTENTIMES WHEN WE'RE EITHER WITH OUR FAMILIES OR, OR SLEEPING.
THEY'RE MAKING SURE THAT OUR BUILDINGS ARE CLEAN AND SANITIZED.
THE SECURITY OFFICERS ARE MAKING SURE THAT OUR BUILDINGS ARE SECURED, AND OUR AIRPORT SERVICE WORKERS ARE ENSURING THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE EITHER LEAVING HOUSTON OR COMING INTO HOUSTON, UM, ARE GETTING THEIR SMOOTHLY, WHETHER THEY ARE WHEELCHAIR ATTENDANTS, UM, OR WHEN YOU SIT ON THE PLANE AND THAT SEAT IS CLEAN FREE OF, UM, DEBRIS.
THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE CABIN CLEANERS THERE.
SO YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, FOR THOSE WHO WANT MORE INFORMATION, YOU ALL CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE AS WELL AS SEND US AN EMAIL IF YOU WOULD LIKE FURTHER INFORMATION AT OUR INFO@SCIUTEXAS.ORG.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, FIRST WE HAVE QUESTIONS FROM, OH, AND I FORGOT TO RECOGNIZE, UH, ALSO JOINING US ONLINE IS STAFF FROM, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE.
UH, FIRST IN QUEUE WE HAVE VICE CHAIR MARTINEZ.
UH, AND ISHA, I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK.
UM, I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO PRESENT.
UM, SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THAT.
I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HISTORICALLY, UH, WHEN I WAS A STAFFER THAT YOU WANTED TO PRESENT IN FRONT OF COUNCIL.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S, THAT TO ME IS JUST THE HIGHLIGHT FOR TODAY.
JUST SO YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING.
UM, IT'S GOOD TO SEE THOSE WINS, UH, THIS PAST, UH, JUNE WITH SCIU, UM,
[00:35:01]
THE WISH LIST THAT YOU, YOU, UH, THAT WHAT'S NEXT? YOU MENTIONED THE RFP AND THE RIGHTS AND WAGE.UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING SOMETHING MORE CONSISTENT WITH OTHER CITIES.
CAN WE BE A BIT MORE SPECIFIC WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT A WAGE INCREASE, KNOWING THAT IT'S DONE THROUGH EXECUTIVE ORDER, UM, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THERE WAS THAT KIND OF, THAT LADDER THAT WE WERE TRYING TO GROW TO EVENTUALLY GET TO, WAS IT MORE THAN 15 AT ONE POINT? AS OF RIGHT NOW, IT, IT, THE, THE DREAM WAS 15 AS OF LAST YEAR.
SO WE ARE KIND OF AT THE TOP OF THAT LADDER.
UM, BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH.
SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, RIGHT NOW, AIRPORT SERVICE WORKERS DO NOT HAVE A, UM, ANOTHER WAGE INCREASE SCHEDULED THROUGH AN EXECUTIVE ORDER.
AND WHEN'S THE NEXT, UH, CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS? WE JUST WRAPPED UP, UM, THIS YEAR, BUT THE BEAUTY OF WINNING WAGES THROUGH CITY GOVERNMENT ACTION IS THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN THROUGH THE CONTRACT.
SO WE COULD, UM, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH THE ADMINISTRATION HERE NOW TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN INCREASE WAGES MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND THEN MY, MY LAST QUESTION IS, UM, WHEN YOU START SEPARATING HOBBY AND IAH, UM, WHAT'S THE NU BREAKDOWN FOR HOBBY? BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE, I'VE COME TO FIND OUT IS WE HAVE ABOUT ROUGHLY ABOUT 900 DISTRICT I RESIDENTS THAT WORK AT HOBBY.
SO DO YOU HAVE THAT NUMBER? I CAN TELL YOU HOW MANY AIRPORT SERVICE WORKERS WE REPRESENT THERE, AND THAT'S ROUGHLY ABOUT 200.
THEY'RE MAINLY WHEELCHAIR ATTENDANTS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THE, THE LARGEST GROUP IS AT, AT BUSH.
AND, AND I'LL JUST COMPLETE WITH THIS COMMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT THOSE AIRPORT WORKERS, WE WOULDN'T BE A FIVE STAR AT HOBBY.
AND SO, UH, I THINK THAT, UH, THAT SUCCESS, UH, SHOULD TRICKLE DOWN TO EVERYONE.
I, I WILL TELL YOU THE, UM, MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE AT HOBBY OFTENTIMES HAVE WORKED THERE FOR A WHILE, AND THEY'RE VERY PROUD TO BE A PART OF THE, THE FIVE STAR, UM, ACCOMPLISHMENT.
VICE CHAIR NEXT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN.
UM, I'M, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS TOO.
I KNOW WE VISITED ABOUT THE JANITOR CONTRACT AND, YOU KNOW, EVEN IN REACHING OUT TO SOME OF THE BUILDING OWNERS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS LIKE TOUGH.
IT'S A TOUGH MARKET RIGHT NOW, AND I WAS GETTING A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, THIS, YOU KNOW, THESE BUILDINGS AREN'T LEASED UP ALL THE WAY.
SO I AM SO PROUD THAT YOU GUYS WERE ABLE TO GET WHAT YOU, OR AS MUCH AS YOU
I THINK I, I, I HAD ONE MORE THING BASED ON WHAT OH, ON THE, ON THE DALLAS LANGUAGE.
UM, CAN Y'ALL JUST SEND US THAT? UH, I'D BE, I MEAN, I'M SURE I COULD GOOGLE AROUND AND FIND IT.
YEAH, I'D BE INTERESTED IN SEEING THAT.
QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ'S OFFICE.
UM, SO A COUPLE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS.
SO DID I HEAR YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT? IN FUTURE, YOU'RE GONNA PUSH FOR TRAINING ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN AIRPORT BUILDINGS, NOT IN AIRPORTS IN THE JANITORIAL BUILDINGS.
JANITORIAL BUILDINGS, NOT RELATING TO AIRPORT CONTRACTS.
NOT RELATED TO THE AIRPORT CONTRACTS, NO.
SO, WHICH, SORRY, WHICH, WHERE, WHICH TYPE OF CONTRACTS ARE THEY SERVING? OR, SO IT'S THE JANITORIAL.
SO LIKE, THINK ABOUT THE BUILDINGS IN THE GALLERIA, THINK ABOUT BUILDINGS IN KATY IN GREENS POINT.
SO THE IDEA IS THAT LIKE HAVING TRAININGS FOR, FOR WORKERS ABOUT HOW TO REPORT CONCERNS AROUND SEXUAL HARASSMENT, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO HAVE THOSE TRAININGS INSIDE OF THE BUILDINGS WHERE THEY WORK.
SO TOTALLY UNRELATED TO CITY OF HOUSTON CONTRACTS.
AND, AND FEEL FREE TO CUT ME OFF IF YOU NEED IT.
IT'S, IT'S, THE CHALLENGE BEING, UM, IS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT SAID IN A LOT OF OUR OFFICE BUILDINGS AROUND THE CITY OF HOUSTON, OF COURSE ALL OF US ARE VERY CONCERNED WITH CRIME, PROTECTING IT FROM SEXUAL ABUSE AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT THAT, UM, OFTENTIMES EARLY MORNING HOURS, LATE NIGHT HOURS, NOBODY'S AROUND.
SO WE'RE SEEING, UM, THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THOSE ABUSE AND HARASSMENT FROM, UH, AGAINST OUR JANITORIAL WORKFORCES IN THOSE BUSINESS BUILDINGS AT THOSE TIMES.
UH, AIRPORTS, I, I WOULD SAY ARE PRETTY BUSY, PRETTY ALL THE TIME, AND AIRPORTS DO A GREAT JOB WITH SECURITY.
UM, THIS IS MORE TO DO WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR SIDE, BUT SCIU IS RESPONSIBLE, UH, FOR ADVOCATING NOT ONLY FOR AIRPORT WORKERS WITH CONTRACTORS, I WANNA SAY THERE'S A DISTINCTION BETWEEN AIRPORT CONTRACTORS AND THE AIRPORT SYSTEM ITSELF, BUT ALSO JANITORS AND OTHER SPACES AROUND THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, MY MEMORY WAS THAT, THAT Y'ALL HAD BEEN ADVOCATING FOR LIKE AN HOUR OR TWO OF PAID TRAINING AROUND THAT MM-HMM
AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IF YOU'RE ABLE TO SHARE, WHAT WAS THAT DISCUSSION LIKE? THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT ON THAT DISCUSSION.
[00:40:01]
WE WEREN'T ABLE TO WIN IT IN THIS CONTRACT, UM, BUT IN FOUR YEARS WE WILL BRING THIS UP AGAIN.HOPEFULLY WE CAN HAVE SOME PROGRESS ON THAT BEFORE FOUR YEARS IS UP, SO LET'S MAKE NOTE OF THAT AS WELL.
UM, SO ON THE, THE LABOR PIECE, UH, REQUIRING NEUTRALITY, REQUIRING UNION ACCESS TO, UH, TO WORKERS AT EVENTS.
SO DID I HEAR YOU RIGHT THAT THAT'S IN ONE OF THE CURRENT, UH, CONTRACTS AND THEN THERE ARE SOME THAT YOU WANTED IN THERE? IS THAT YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
SO I, I'LL LET MICHAEL, WHO HAS DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THE, THE RFP PROCESS ADD INTO THAT, BUT THERE'S ONE PARTICULAR ONE THAT I BELIEVE IS AT THE AIRPORT, UM, THAT, THAT HAS THAT SPECIFIC LANGUAGE.
BUT THERE'S OTHER OPPORTUNITIES LIKE JANITORIAL CONTRACTS, SECURITY CONTRACTS, THERE, THERE ARE MANY OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.
AND THERE'S JUST, THERE'S A, THERE'S A RANGE OF, SOME OF THE RFPS HAVE LABOR, PEACE LANGUAGE, SOME DON'T, AND THEN THERE'S DIFFERENT LABOR PEACE LANGUAGE AND DIFFERENT CONTRACTS.
UM, THE ONE IN PARTICULAR WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WAS THE CONTRACT A FEW YEARS AGO FOR THE PARKING, UM, WORK AT THE AIRPORT, UM, HAD STRONGER LABOR PEACE LANGUAGE THAN WE'VE SEEN IN ANY OF THE OTHER RFPS FROM THE, UM, FROM THE CITY.
UM, AND WE CAN, WE CAN SHARE THAT WITH YOU, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, DISCUSS THE BENEFITS OF, OF THAT TYPE OF, OF LANGUAGE.
I GUESS, WHAT'S THE, WHAT WERE YOU SEEING ON THE GROUND THAT LED YOU TO, TO WANT THAT LANGUAGE AND HAS THAT IMPROVED RIGHT CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND? I, I THINK THAT IT, IT JUST GOES TO THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LABOR PEACE LANGUAGE AT, AT ITS CORE IS MAKING SURE THAT YOU AVOID LABOR DISRUPTIONS OR DISPUTES, RIGHT? IF THE, IF THE, IF A CONTRACTOR'S HIRED AND THE WORKERS CHOOSE THAT THEY WANT TO JOIN OR FORM A UNION, UM, THAT THERE AREN'T DISRUPTIONS IN THE EMPLOYER TRYING TO, UM, BLOCK OR FIGHT THE RIGHT OF THOSE WORKERS TO ORGANIZE THAT COULD, YOU KNOW, RESULT IN, IN, YOU KNOW, LABOR, UM, DISPUTES OR STOPPAGES OR, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND THE STRONGER THE LABOR PIECE LANGUAGES IN THE RFP, THE MORE, UM, LIKELY IT IS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO AVOID THOSE TYPES OF, OF SHORTFALLS BECAUSE THE EXPECTATION IS BEING SET WITH THE CONTRACTOR, UM, BY THE, BY THE BODY, UM, CONTRACTING THEM, THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ENGAGING IN THAT TYPE OF, OF ACTIVITY.
AND THE IMPORTANCE WITH THE, UM, RFP LANGUAGE ON THAT ONE PARTICULAR CONTRACT, FOR EXAMPLE, IN TERMS OF HAVING LANGUAGE NOT ONLY FOR NEUTRALITY, BUT FOR GIVING ACCESS TO WORKERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS THAT EMPLOYERS CAN TRY TO BLOCK THE PROCESSOR OR, UM, HOLD THINGS UP AND, AND ONE OF THOSE WAYS IS TO SAY, WELL, WE'RE NOT GONNA, UM, YOU KNOW, FIGHT RECOGNITION OF THE WORKERS, BUT WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT REALLY DIFFICULT FOR THE UNION TO REACH AND TALK TO THOSE WORKERS BY SAYING THE UNION CAN'T COME AND TALK TO THE WORKERS ON PREMISES OR, OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO HAVING LANGUAGE THAT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSES ACCESS TO WORKERS IN THE EVENT OF AN ACTIVE ORGANIZING CAMPAIGN IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE AREN'T, UM, DIFFERENT WAYS THAT EMPLOYERS CAN TRY AND, AND SLOW DOWN THE PROCESS OR INTERFERE WITH THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
UM, FIRST I WANNA SAY THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS.
UH, I THINK Y'ALL SAID THAT IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR, JANITORS WON THEIR BEST CONTRACT IN THE HISTORY OF SEIU TEXAS, INCLUDING FOR OTHER CITIES, UH, RECOGNIZING AT THE SAME TIME, AS I SAID EARLIER, THOSE PAY GAPS ARE VERY, VERY CONCERNING.
UH, AND WE KNOW THAT WHEN, UH, FOLKS THAT ARE RECEIVING NOT ENOUGH TO EARN, NOT ENOUGH TO LIVE, NOT ENOUGH TO GET BY, THE ENTIRE CITY CAN'T SUCCEED, RIGHT? SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR ADVOCATING ON THEIR BEHALF.
I DO WANNA POINT OUT WORKING ONE YEAR, TWO PAID SICK DAYS.
UH, IT, THAT INCLUDES IF YOUR CHILD IS SICK OR IF A GRANDCHILD IS SICK AND YOU'RE A CAREGIVER FOR THAT CHILD.
UM, SO AGAIN, RECOGNIZING THE GAINS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, BUT ALSO SOME STARTLING NUMBERS THAT WE DON'T SEE IN OTHER NECESSARILY PARTS OF THE CITY'S WORKFORCE, UH, THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING US, UH, WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP AND WHAT WE CAN LOOK FOR THE RFPS, UH, MY, I KINDA PICKED UP ON AND, BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW IF Y'ALL HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
WE CAN ALSO BE ASKING THE CITY THIS, BUT WHEN THOSE RFPS ARE COMING UP SO THAT WE HAVE TIME TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AND ENGAGE ON THAT AND REALLY LOOK INTO IN PARTNERSHIP HOW TO IMPROVE UPON THOSE, JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE LASTLY, UH, THAT'S WHERE WE CAN GO FOR MORE
[00:45:01]
INFORMATION, BUT THAT'S ALSO, IF THERE ARE WORKERS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING OR INTERESTED IN ORGANIZING, THAT'S HOW THEY REACH OUT TO YOU.IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT, YES.
JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT AS WELL.
UM, LASTLY, I DO WANNA THANK, WE HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM AIRPORTS IN THE ROOM.
WE'VE HAD REPRESENTATION FROM HOUSTON FIRST IN THE ROOM.
UH, I SAID THIS EARLIER, BUT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AIRPORT CONTRACTS, IT'S THE CONTRACTORS AT THE AIRPORTS.
UH, BUT WE ALL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN THAT.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU, UH, VERY HELPFUL, INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION.
I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS IN QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
UH, SO JUST, Y'ALL ARE, Y'ALL ARE DISMISSED.
UH, AGAIN, ISHA, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU UP HERE.
MICHAEL, THANK YOU AS WELL FOR THE DATA.
WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH THOSE OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS AND GET THOSE OUT TO COUNSEL.
UH, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS SIGNED UP, BUT I'LL DO A, A CALL IF THERE ARE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS THAT WISH TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME.
UM, I, ONE JUST ADMINISTRATIVE ANNOUNCEMENT, OUR OCTOBER REGULARLY SCHEDULED, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING IS GOING TO BE MOVED TO LATER IN OCTOBER.
HOPE, UM, IS THIS CLOSE TO HAVING THEIR CONTRACT WITH THE CITY FINALIZED.
SO OUR OCTOBER MEETING IS GOING TO BE, UH, TAKING THAT UP AND REVIEWING THAT, BUT WE WANNA GIVE THEM ENOUGH TIME, UH, TO GET DUCKS IN A ROW.
SO WE WILL BE ANNOUNCING A LATER SCHEDULED, UH, OCTOBER, UH, LABOR COMMITTEE MEETING ON THAT.
WITH THAT, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE.
THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 11:19 AM HAVE A GREAT DAY.