Devastating Texas Budget Proposals Focus of Huge TSEU Lobby Day

With scores of creative signs and T-shirts, TSEU-CWA members marched and rallied outside the Texas statehouse April 6 before heading inside to meet with lawmakers. More than 6,000 state workers and allies participated, making it TSEU's biggest-ever Lobby Day. Photos by Rene Renteria.

 

Fighting to save vital public services and good jobs, Texas State Employee Union-CWA members turned out in force last week in Austin, some of them riding buses all night, for their biggest Lobby Day ever.

The day of marching, rallying and lobbying drew about 5,000 people from TSEU and the Texas Forward coalition of unions, faith and civic organizations and advocacy groups for people who badly need the services on the legislature's chopping block.

TSEU, with more than 12,000 members working in state agencies and universities, fits two categories, Vice President Mike Gross said: a union and a champion for those in need.

"We see ourselves as advocates for the services we provide," he said. "When you're talking about something on the order of 10,000 state employee positions gone, you're not just losing jobs, you're losing child protective service investigators, parole officers, human service employees. These cuts would devastate our communities."

The extreme proposals made Lobby Day's constituent visits especially important, Gross said. The Texas government is GOP-controlled, with a 19-12 split in the Senate and a supermajority in the House, but some Republicans are resisting the deep cuts.

"They're feeling the ground shift beneath their feet as their party moves even further right," he said. "We have people who are pretty conservative Republicans saying, 'We can't do cuts like this.'"

TSEU officers lead the Lobby Day march, joined by Brooks Sunkett, left, CWA vice president for Public, Health Care and Education Workers. Next to him are TSEU Treasurer James Nauls, VP Mike Gross and President Judy Lugo.