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LET ME WELCOME EVERYONE TO THEIR CITY HALL.
THIS IS A SPECIAL DAY FOR ALL THE RESIDENTS OF HOUSTON BECAUSE WE'RE ENSURING THAT HOUSTON CONTINUES TO BE A BRIBER CITY.
WE JUST HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL FIFA.
WE GOT ANNOUNCEMENT YESTERDAY THAT BRISTOL MYERS IS BRINGING JOBS TO HOUSTON.
ELI LILLY SAID THAT ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO.
THERE'LL BE ANOTHER MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW.
SO AS STRONG AS OUR CITY IS, IT'S ONLY AS STRONG AS OUR WORKERS ARE.
YES, LITERALLY THE PEOPLE THAT I JOINED SHOULDERS WITH HELP MAKE THIS A GREAT CITY ON A DAILY BASIS.
PEOPLE COME THROUGH OUR AIRPORT, THEY NEED ASSISTANCE, THEY NEED PUBLIC SERVICE.
AND I'M SURROUNDED BY PUBLIC SERVANTS.
AND I MEAN THAT AS SOMEONE THAT'S WORKED WITH LABOR.
I KNOW HOW STRONG AND IMPORTANT AN ORGANIZATION IS, LIKE SEIU AND UNITED HERE AND OTHER BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND ALL OF OUR LOCALS ORGANIZED LABOR WORKS.
AND IT'S WORKED FOR MANY YEARS.
AND I'M SO PROUD TO BE THE BEST MAYOR THAT ORGANIZED LABOR HAS EVER PUT IN THIS POSITION.
AND I KNOW HOW I GOT HERE AND I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN IT.
AND WHEN I WAS CAMPAIGNING AND I FOUND OUT WE HAD CITY EMPLOYEES WORKING IN CITY FACILITIES, $14 AN HOUR, $15 AN HOUR, I SAID, THAT IS JUST NOT RIGHT.
WHETHER IT'S THE GEORGE BROWN CONVENTION CENTER, WHICH WE'RE DOUBLING IN SIZE, YOU KNOW WHO'S MAKING THAT POSSIBLE, THE EMPLOYEES THAT I'M STANDING SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH.
AND I MENTIONED WE WERE SUCCESSFUL WITH FIFA BECAUSE OF THE SERVICE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE BRING TOGETHER TODAY.
SOME PEOPLE RUN FOR OFFICE, SOME WILL RUN FOR MAYOR BECAUSE THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A POLITICAL CAREER.
I RUN FOR OFFICE BECAUSE I WANNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WITNESSING TODAY.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE THAT'S HERE.
THANK YOU TO ELSA, A TOUGH, FAIR LABOR LEADER, ALWAYS FOCUSING ON HER MEMBERSHIP AND HOW WE CAN DO BETTER.
AND WILLIE WILLIE GONZALEZ, I'VE WATCHED HIS COURAGE AND HE INSTILLS THAT COURAGE IN HIS MEMBERS WE CAN TAKE ON HILTON CORPORATION AND WIN.
I COULD GO ON AND ON BECAUSE I'M PUMPED.
AND LET, AND LET ME NOT WASTE ANY MORE TIME WITHOUT THINKING.
MY APPOINTMENT IS CHAIR OF THE LABOR COMMITTEE.
COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ REPRESENTS A PROUD EAST SIDE COMMUNITY WHERE MANY OF OUR WORKERS RESIDE THEIR CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL.
THAT WHAT MAKE HOUSTON OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY IS WHAT MAKES HOUSTON A GREAT CITY.
AND NO ONE EVER DOUBTED YOU, QUOTE THE MAYOR, WE WOULD NOT BE A GREAT CITY WITHOUT OUR IMMIGRANTS.
SO I DON'T WANNA TAKE ANY LONGER BECAUSE I'M GONNA START INTRODUCING HELL.
I'LL ASK EVERYBODY TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT FOR THEIR NAME,
SO LET ME GET DOWN TO WHAT I WANT TO DO.
AS THE MAYOR OF THIS GREAT CITY, I WANT TO EXECUTE A MAYOR'S ORDER, LIVING WAGE, AIR, CAR, AIR CARRIER, PURSUANT TO ARTICLE SIX, SECTION A OF THE CITY, CHARTER OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER HEREBY ISSUES THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER BEGINNING TODAY.
TODAY, BEGINNING TODAY, I ORDER AN INCREASE IN BENEFIT SALARY IN 2026
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TODAY TO $20 PER HOUR.IN JANUARY 1ST, 2027, IT GOES TO $21.
AND LET ME ALSO SAY THIS HELPS, BUT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
IT'S NOT GONNA BE JUST WAGES, IT'S GONNA BE WORKING CONDITIONS.
WE DO NOT TOLERATE BULLYING IN ANY DEPARTMENT.
AND WE WANT TO THANK OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN HOPE.
I WANT TO GO ON AND ON THE PEOPLE THAT COLLABORATE WITH US TO PROTECT WORKERS.
WE WANT TO THANK OUR FIREFIGHTERS.
HADN'T HAD A CONTRACT IN EIGHT YEARS WHEN WE CAME TO CITY HALL, BUT REALLY TODAY IS ABOUT SEIU AND UNITED HERE.
YES, BECAUSE BECAUSE I KNOW WHO MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE QUALITY OF STAYING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO LET ME YIELD DEAL TO MY PARTNER, MY SUPPORTER.
WE'RE ON THE PHONE WITH EACH OTHER.
AS I SAID, THIS IS JUST A BEGINNING AND WE HAVE MUCH WORK LEFT TO DO.
ELSA FLORES, PRESIDENT OF SEIU OF TEXAS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
WE FIGHT, WE WIN, WE FIGHT, WE WIN.
IT'S A GREAT DAY FOR AIRPORT WORKERS SPECIFICALLY TODAY.
I WANNA REALLY THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
UM, THIS IS, UH, I HAVE NO WORDS.
I'M SUPPOSED TO READ
UH, WHEN I SEE THE DIFFERENCES MAKING TO OUR MEMBERS AND HOW HAPPY THEIR FACES ARE, IT JUST MAKE ME LOSE MY, MY MY WHOLE TRAIN OF THOUGHT AND WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY.
BUT I'M GONNA DO MY BEST TO REPRESENT OUR MEMBERS.
LIKE I SAID, IT'S A GREAT DAY FOR AIRPORT WORKERS.
IT'S A GREAT DAY FOR OUR AIRPORT HERE IN HOUSTON.
HIGHER WAGES MEANS LESS TURNOVER.
LESS TURNOVER MEANS SMOOTHER RUN AIRPORT.
IT MEANS SAFER AIRPORTS, AND IT MEANS AIRPORTS WITH HIGHER CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.
I WANT TO SPEND A, UH, JUST A MOMENT TALKING A BIT LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER WILL DO.
CONTRACTED OUT AIRPORT WORKERS WILL SEE A $5 INCREASE THIS YEAR.
AND AS THE MAYOR JUST SAID, TODAY, TODAY AND A MINIMUM THAT WILL GO TO $23 AN HOUR IN 2028.
THE EXECUTIVE ORDER NOT ONLY RAISES WAGES, BUT ALSO OFFERS THOUSANDS OF WORKERS.
A SI A CHANCE FOR ECONOMIC STABILITY.
THE ECONOMIC FALLOUT FROM LOW WAGES NEGATIVELY IMPACTS WORKERS' LIVES.
AN UNEXPECTED BILL OR AN UNEXPECTED HEALTH HEALTH EVENT MEANS THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BUY GAS.
A LATE, A LATE FEE MEANS THAT THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PAY THEIR RENT ON TIME AND THEN BE EVICTED.
A PROLONGED SICKNESS MEANS THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THEIR FOOD OR PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE.
ONE WORKER TOLD US, UH, RECENTLY THAT GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE FOR HIM, IT MEANT SORT OF LIKE PLAYING A GAME.
WHY DO I GET TODAY AND WHY DO I NEED TO BE ABLE TO PUT BACK THIS? EXECUTIVE ORDER CHANGES THAT MATH.
IT MEANS WORKERS WHO STRUGGLE BEFORE LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, ROBIN PETER TO PAY PAUL, WHICH IS ONE OF THE WORK ONE OF THE WORKERS SAID TO US, CAN BREATHE A LITTLE EASIER TODAY.
AND I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS FOR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.
IT MEANS GOOD JOBS, IT MEANS EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES.
IT MEANS MORE MONEY GOING HOME WITH WORKERS AND TO THE BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES, DOLLARS BEING SPENT AT LOCAL GROCERY STORES, UH, RESTAURANTS AND SMALL BUSINESSES.
AND WHEN THOUSANDS OF WORKING PEOPLE HAVE GREATER ECONOMIC SECURITY, IT MAKES HOUSTON STRONGER.
AIRPORT WORKERS ARE HOUSTON'S FIRST IMPRESSION, AND OFTEN IT LASTS.
THEY KEEP OUR AIRPORTS CLEAN, SAFE AND RUNNING EVERY SINGLE DAY.
THEY WELCOME MILLIONS OF PEOPLE INTO OUR CITY.
TODAY, HOUSTON IS SAYING THAT THEIR WORK IS VALUE, THAT THEIR FAMILIES MATTER, AND THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE CITY WORK SHOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, HAVE A GOOD
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FUTURE IN OUR CITY.NOW LET'S HEAR FROM OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, CHAIR OF THE LABOR COMMITTEE, WHO'S WORKED WITH ME EVERY STEP OF THE WAY TO MAKE THIS REALITY.
I'LL BEGIN BY SAYING, WHAT ONE JOB SHOULD BE ENOUGH? AND THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS THE, THE CALLING FOR UNITE HERE.
UH, WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE HILTON, AND THEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT GRB.
AND TODAY, WE'RE HERE WITH SEIU FOR ALL OF OUR AIRPORT WORKERS.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A COST OF RISING, RIGHT? WHETHER IT'S RENT, WHETHER IT'S GROCERIES, AS, AS ELSA MENTIONED, THIS ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE ONE JOB, GET PAID ENOUGH, SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY, BECAUSE THAT'S ALSO PUBLIC SAFETY AS WELL AS WE KNOW THIS IS MAKING HOUSTON A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE, SPECIFICALLY OUR WORKING FAMILIES.
THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER COULD NOT BE DONE WITHOUT OUR MAYOR AND HIS LEADERSHIP.
AND SO I WANNA LIFT UP OUR MAYOR TODAY FOR BEING A CHAMPION FOR WORKING FAMILIES.
FOR SOMEONE THAT GREW UP IN A FAMILY OF 12 THAT UNDERSTANDS THAT EVERY DOLLAR NEEDS TO BE STRETCHED.
WELL TODAY, HOUSTON WORKING FAMILIES DON'T HAVE TO STRETCH IT AS MUCH.
THEY GET TO SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY.
THEY GET TO SPEND TIME WITH THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND SO I AM EXCITED, I AM HONORED AND BLESSED TO BE HERE WITH YOU ALL.
THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND ALL THE WORK YOU CONTINUE TO DO FOR WORKING FAMILIES.
AND AS ELSA MENTIONED, FOR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES SPECIFICALLY, WE ARE HERE TO WIN TODAY FOR EVERYONE WHEN OUR WORKING FAMILIES DO WELL, ALL OF HOUSTON DOES.
NOW, NOW IT'S MY, MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE AND PRESENT, UM, A FEARLESS LEADER, LEADER OF UNITED HERE, WILLIE GONZALEZ.
SO, I, I JUST WANNA START OFF BY SAYING I'M HONORED AND PROUD TO STAND HERE WITH MY SISTER ELSA.
OKAY? AND ALL OUR UNION BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM SEIU AND SO MANY SUPPORTERS, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT 'EM IN A SECOND.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS A UNION MEMBER, AS A UNION, AND THE WAGES ARE IMPORTANT, IT'S IMPORTANT, BUT WHEN YOU WIN THE WAGES, YOU ALSO WIN SOMETHING.
IT'S THIS WORD CALLED RESPECT.
AND WE DEMAND RESPECT FOR THE WORKERS FROM SEIU THAT HELP MAKE THE AIRPORT GO FROM UNITED HERE, THAT MAKE THE HOTELS GO.
AND TODAY, COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ AND MAYOR WHITMEYER ARE STANDING BY WITH THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THIS CITY GO AND DEMANDING.
SO I WANNA THANK COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ, WHO IS ALWAYS THERE.
EVERY TIME THERE'S A LABOR FIGHT, HE IS THERE.
AND WE GOTTA REMEMBER THAT, OKAY? AND I ESPECIALLY WANNA THANK MAYOR WHITMEYER.
MAYOR WHITMEYER HAS TAKEN HUGE STEPS IN THIS CITY TO RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE AND MAKE SURE WORKING PEOPLE GET TREATED WITH RESPECT.
AND TODAY IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES.
SO WE NEED TO STEP UP AND HONOR AND RESPECT THAT.
SO I JUST WANT TO SAY I'M, AGAIN, I'M VERY PROUD TO BE HERE IN THIS MOMENT.
WE GOT A LOT MORE FIGHTING TO DO.
WE'VE STEPPED ONE RUNG UP THE LADDER, BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE RUNGS TO GO.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER TO GET THERE.
NOW WE'LL, WE'LL HEAR FROM ONE OF OUR WORKERS, UH, MR. DILLON.
UM, I'M SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW, GUYS.
MY NAME IS AUGUSTA DILLON AND I WORK AS A TWO ROOM AGENT AT GEORGE BUSH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
I AM SO EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY.
I'VE WORKED AT IAH FOR MANY YEARS, WORKING 10 HOUR SHIFTS FOUR DAYS A WEEK, AND EARNING 1675 AN HOUR.
I'M ALSO RAISING MY 6-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON WHO'S ARTISTIC AT 1675 AN HOUR.
I STRUGGLE TO COVER BASIC RENT, DAYCARE, INSURANCE, UTILITIES, GROCERIES, AND CLOTHES.
WE DON'T JUST LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.
WE ARE ALWAYS ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL.
LEMME SAY THAT
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COURSE, I CHOSE TO PAY MY RENT YESTERDAY.THEY TOOK POSSESSION OF MY CAR BECAUSE I COULDN'T MAKE THAT PAYMENT.
BUT TODAY, I FEEL HOPEFUL AND I AM HOPEFUL.
I CAN BREATHE A LITTLE EASIER KNOWING I CAN BUY GROCERIES WITHOUT WORRYING SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT I HAVE TO PUT BACK, NOT WORRYING ABOUT HOW I'M GOING TO LIVE OR HOW I'M GOING TO SURVIVE.
AND IT MEANS BEING ABLE TO SAY YES NOW TO MY GRANDSON A LITTLE MORE THAN WHAT I HAD BEEN AND NOT TELLING HIM NO ALL THE TIME.
I'M GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE AIRPORT WORKERS LIKE ME WHO HAVE SPOKE UP AND TOLD THEIR STORIES TODAY.
I'M THANKFUL ABOUT WHAT'S TO COME.
AND MOST OF ALL, I'M THANKFUL TO YOU, UM, MAYOR WHITMEYER, FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE FOR US TODAY.
I'M THANKFUL ABOUT CATCHING UP INSTEAD OF ALWAYS FALLING BEHIND.
I'M THANKFUL ABOUT LITTLE MORE SECURITY FOR MY FAMILY AND A BETTER FUTURE FOR MY GRANDSON.
AND I'M THINKING ABOUT THAT CAR THAT I JUST LOST, THAT I WILL BE SOON I'LL BE ABLE TO GET IT AGAIN.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SAYING YES A WHOLE LOT MORE NOW AND GOING TO WORK WITH A BIGGER SMILE THAN I HAD BEEN HAVING BECAUSE TOMORROW WHEN I GO TO WORK, I'M GONNA SMILE SO BIG AND I'M GONNA LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT WE FINALLY DONE IT AND IT WAS BECAUSE OF WHERE MAYOR WHITMEYER AND I REALLY THANK YOU, SIR.
THANK YOU, MS. DILLON, FOR YOUR COURAGE.
MAY I SAY SOMETHING? YES, SIR.
I'M GONNA DONATE A THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR YOU TO GET YOUR CARD BACK.
OKAY? THAT'S A ONE WITH THREE ZEROS.
THIS IS WHY YOU COME TO WORK AND THANK EVERYONE THAT'S HERE.
UH, WE'RE MAKING A STATEMENT TODAY.
IF ANYONE GETS ANY PUSHBACK FROM A VENDOR OR ANYONE IN MY ADMINISTRATION, I'LL EVERYBODY ELSE.
EVERYBODY'S GOT MY CELL NUMBER,
IF YOU DON'T, I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU BEFORE WE GET OUTTA HERE.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE THAT, UH, IS WITNESSING THIS GREAT OCCASION? IF NOT, I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO DO.
IF I CAN FIND THE PROPER LINE, JEB.