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The Texas AFL-CIO passed the resolutions below during its August 1-4 convention in Corpus Christi:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Texas AFL-CIO strongly supports strengthening and
improving the current Social Security system ... and demands that the development
of any plans to privatize Social Security by diverting Social Security revenues
into individual accounts subject to investment and market risks should cease
immediately.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Texas AFL-CIO supports: expansion of early voting,
vote by mail and use of absentee ballots; ability of citizens to vote using
voter registration cards obtained duly under current law; availability of ballots
for the disabled and visually impaired; polling places that are accessible for
disabled Americans; availability of paper records to verify electronic votes;
and funding for legislation such as the Help America Vote Act, which is designed
to ensure the integrity of the voting process ..
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Texas AFL-CIO and AFT proudly support efforts to abolish
the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset of the
Social Security law and ... that the Texas AFL-CIO encourage its affiliates
to petition senators and representatives to abolish the Windfall Elimination
Provision and the Government Pension Offset of the Social Security law and ...
that the Texas AFL-CIO urges Congress to reduce these penalties and take steps
to return public employees in retirement systems outside Social Security to
the full benefits ofthe program while maintaining existing public retirement
systems.
BE IT RESOLVED, the number of labor representatives on local workforce boards
be increased to allow fair and proportional representation for working people
and ... the Texas AFL-CIO ask the Workforce Commission, through its rules, or
the Legislature, by statute, to increase the mandatory number of labor representatives.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Texas AFL-CIO resolves to develop targeted levels of leadership diversity within the state federation, with plans to reach them by the 2009 AFL-CIO Convention and ... the recruitment, hiring and workplace policies of the Texas AFL-CIO will continue to reflect the goal of maintaining a diverse leadership that is representative of the union movement as a whole.
BE IT RESOLVED, the delegates at the Texas AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention
urge the AFL-CIO to endorse an approach to health care that will provide coverage
to all Americans and ... the Texas AFL-CIO urges the Texas delegation in Congress
to adopt universal health care as a paramount goal for the nation.
BE IT RESOLVED, the Texas AFL-CIO goes on record in support of the new direction
outlined in the AFL-CIO Community Services Program Manual and encourages each
AFL-CIO Central Labor Council in the state to follow the manual in developing
a comprehensive Community Services program and ... as part of a comprehensive
Community Services program, DCAN, Union Community Activist Network, training
be provided through the AFL-CIO Central Labor Councils, by AFL-CIO Community
Services Liaisons (h~d Labor Agencies ""There they are available,
across the state of Texas.
BE IT RESOLVED, the Texas AFL-CIO urges the President and Congress to keep
their promise to fully fund NCLB at the authorization level and remove the artificial
deadline for 100% proficiency target and ... the Texas AFL-CIO work with advocacy
groups to urge Congress to provide states adequate time and funding to develop
and administer appropriate assessments for students with disabilities and English
Language Learners and ... the Texas AFL-CIO work with advocacy groups and its
national affiliate to urge Congress to amend NCLB so that AYP gives credit for
student progress and rewards success, permits schools and. districts to use
a growth-model to demonstrate A yP in addition to the current status model,
distinguishes struggling schools from those needing limited assistance, acknowledges
different rates of student learning and does not punish entire schools and/or
districts based on performance of a small number of students and ... the Texas
AFL-CIO urges Congress to amend NCLB to allow states to develop valid and reliable
options for measuring the language arts skills of ELL students based on the
student's readiness to take English Language Arts assessment to enable English
Language Learners to be included in a state's assessment and accountability
systems in a fair and valid manner, especially late-entry English Language Learners
who may require extended years to gain English language proficiency and to graduate
from a high school program ... and the Texas AFL-CIO and its national affiliate
urge Congress to amend NCLB to require all Supplemental Educational Services
providers meet the same standard as public schools and that public schools since
they are currently required to meet these standards be deemed providers of Supplemental
Educational Services and ... the Texas AFL-CIO and its national affiliate urge
Congress to amend NCLB to codify the current U.S. Department of Education's
policy in regard to flexibility in providing SES and public school choice when
a school is identified as in need of improvement.
BE IT RESOLVED, the Texas AFL-CIO endorses Congressman Conyers' Legislation,
HR 676, "Expanded and Improved Medicare for All", and will work to
educate ou.! other union locals and cOll1munity on the importance of this legislation
and that copies of this resolution be sent to our member of the House of Representatives
and to the National AFL-CIO.
BE IT RESOLVED, the Texas AFL-CIO endorses the efforts of National Nurses' Organizing
Committee in organizing Nurses and encourages CLCs across the state to also
endorse and support the effort of the NNOC and ... the Texas AFL-CIO stands
in solidarity with NNOC and endorses the RN Solidarity pledge, which states:
"We pledge to act in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who choose
to act in conscience as collective patient advocates. We believe all patients
deserve a high quality single standard of care, that Registered Nurses are the
essential care providers; and that Nurses have an obligation to use their collective
power to advocate for their patients' interests, and their own."
BE IT RESOLVED, the Texas AfL-CIO supports the Employee Free Choice Act which
would authorize the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union as the
bargaining representative when a majority of employees voluntarily sign authorizations
designating that union to represent them, provide for first contract mediation
and arbitration and establish meaningful penalties for violations of a worker's
freedom to choose a union and ... we urge Congress to pass the Employee Free
Choice Act to protect and preserve for America's workers their freedom to choose
for themselves whether or not to form a union.
Resolution Social Security
Whereas economic security for American families is an essential part of national
security, and Social Security is the foundation of America's retirement security
program;
Whereas the Social Security system is a unifying force for our nation at a time
when national unity is a paramount value;
Whereas Social Security protects virtually all American families against the
loss of earnings resulting from retirement, disability, or death;
Whereas Social Security is vital to the well-being of all Americans because
of the ability of the survivors and disability benefits program to provide necessary
resources for eligible Americans regardless of age;
Whereas two-thirds of older Americans rely on Social Security for half or more
of their income;
Therefore, be it resolved that the Texas AFL-CIO strongly supports strengthening
and improving the current Social Security system, including the Social Security
Administratio8;
Be it further resolved, the Texas AFL-CIO demands that the development of any
plans to privatize Social Security by diverting Social Security revenues into
individual accounts subject to investment and market risks should cease immediately.
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