Female Candidates Vow to Turn Things Around in the Lone Star State

At left, Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller addresses the National Executive Board meeting. Right: Texas State Rep. Roberto Alonzo spoke to the CLUW Leadership Academy on the importance of immigration reform.

Becky Moeller, President, Texas AFL-CIO welcomed almost 80 CLUW delegates and guests from across the country to Dallas/Ft. Worth in June praising the contributions of constituency group members that sit on the state AFL-CIO executive board.

Democratic Candidate for Attorney General, Barbara Ann Radnofsky told the audience of her “suewallstreet.com” campaign -- once elected she plans to file a lawsuit seeking compensation for economic and physical damages to the state.

Ms. Radnofsky is endorsed by the Women’s Campaign Forum (CLUW is a partner in their She Should Run campaign). She stated "WCF was the first endorsement I sought, and the first I received in both my 2006 & 2007 races. I'll never forget how WCF's non-partisan support was there for me -- at the very beginning."

President See (l.) presents award to AFL-CIO Executive VP Emerita Linda Chavez-Thompson.

Treasurer Judy Beard reported on plans for the 2011 Biennial Convention; the delegates authorized action to hold the convention in Orlando and authorized the officers to select another site if necessary.

Upon President Karen J. See’s recommendation, the delegates supported unanimously the appointments of Dee Gorczyca (IFPTE) as Executive VP filling the position vacated by the resignation of Janet Nelson and Kerry Newkirk (SEIU) as Rec. Secy.

Pres. See reported on chapter organizing in Idaho, Tennessee, Tulsa, OK  Hackensack, NJ, Long Island and Albany, NY, Toledo and Portsmouth, OH, Baltimore, MD and Austin, TX. Sister See has been recruiting at the AFL-CIO State Federation and Central Labor Council Conference and American Retirees Association convention to name a few examples. She discussed the creation of a report of CLUW activities over the last 2 years and a booklet of current chapter and state leadership as good organizing tools. She also thanked Angela Johnson (UFCW) for the generous contribution of her union to the NEB.

CLUW Executive Director Carol Rosenblatt updated the delegates on CLUW’s legislative activities in the areas of the Paycheck Fairness Act, Violence Against Women Act, the jobs bill, CEDAW (The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) and the importance of mid-term elections.

The delegates adopted a resolution condemning Arizona Senate Bill 1070 which codifies racial profiling into law by requiring police officers to stop anyone they have “reasonable suspicion” to believe is not authorized to be in the US. See full resolution here.

From left: CLUW Executive Director Carol Rosenblatt, workshop presenter Diane Thomas-Holladay, National CLUW President Karen J. See, Texas CLUW President Ellen Wakefield and VP Gloria Rice.

Delegates also supported the AFT’s initiative on Green Schools urging legislatures to  appropriate up to 2 percent premium to school districts when they design, build, renovate and operate schools that meet the US Green Building Council Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design for Schools certification…” See full resolution here.

The Women’s Health and Wellness Committee informed the group about the Access to Birth Control Act that would require pharmacists to fill prescriptions or refer patients to an alternative pharmacy and forbid pharmacists to threaten or harass those who seek contraception.

Contact Carol Rosenblatt at csrosenblatt@cluw.org or 202-508-6951 for information on NEB committees. The Mature Women’s Committee report is on CLUW’s homepage.

AFL-CIO Executive VP Emerita, Linda Chavez-Thompson received a CLUW Working Women’s Award at Friday’s evening reception. She described her candidacy for TX Lieutenant Governor and early life by reminding the group that she is the daughter of a sharecropper and left school in the 9th grade to work in the cotton fields of Lorenzo, Texas. She stated “.. I know first hand the importance of everyday workers to our economic success. Nothing is more important to Texas families than the ability to provide for one’s family” She acknowledged that Texas has the highest proportion of workers earning minimum wage -- a condition she plans to change when elected.

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), left, and CLUW National VP Carol Censki. At right, Diane Tomevi asks Rep. Johnson a question from a floor mike.

CLUW’s Leadership Development Academy 2 kicked off on Saturday morning, June 12th with greetings by Gwen Dunivent, Pres. Dallas AFL-CIO and followed by a plenary session with topical information including a presentation by Renè Lara, Political Director of the TX AFL-CIO on jobs and the economy and a video “Good Jobs Now, Make Wall Street Pay.” See the video here and read accompanying information on the AFL-CIO's 5 Point Plan To Create and Save Jobs.

The keynote speaker was Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson who is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. As such she spent some time discussing the recent BP oil spill disaster and the need for infrastructure improvements vs. costs of war.

Workshops covered topics of Getting Out the Vote, Creating Fun and Effective Meetings, Robert’s Rules of Order and Planning and Decision Making in Your CLUW Chapter presented by a stellar group of subject matter experts. See conference flyer here for full details. Workshop evaluation responses attested to how worthwhile the delegates felt the workshop experience was for them, one saying “best workshop I ever attended.”

Overall the delegates were upbeat about the NEB, confirming their commitment to working together to build CLUW and the women’s movement in labor.

Robert's Rules of Order workshop presenters Rhonda D. Clark-Randle, Rita N. Lincoln Cloman and Marié Anderson (not pictured) of the Nat'l Assoc. of Parliamentarians, Sounding Block Unit.	Executive VP Dolores Gorczyca (l.) gives Denise Rodriguez of Planned Parenthood of North Texas a token of appreciation.
Tanya Tarr, TX AFT Dir. of Legislative & Political Mobilization, led the Get Out the Vote workshop during the Leadership Development Academy conference.	Diane Thomas-Holladay, Univ. of AR Labor Ed director, helped CLUW leaders think strategically during the Planning and Decision Making in Your CLUW Chapter workshop.