Lege Preview: The Coming Attack on Texas Unions
In case you thought our state’s right wing political machine was going to be satisfied imposing new regulations on abortion, harassing the state’s flagship universities and trying its best to destroy public education, there’s news out of Houston that sounds a clear warning about the extreme right’s upcoming legislative assault on Texas labor unions. In September, Professional Janitorial Services (PJS), which is owned by right-wing political funder Brent Southwell, won a $5.3 million judgment for libel against Service Employees International Union Texas (SEIU Texas). The company argued that SEIU had maligned its reputation during an organizing battle many years ago. With interest (the suit was filed nine years ago), the total amount exceeds $7 million.
By the way, it may seem hard to believe that a janitorial company would be willing to sue its employees’ union for libel, but PJS seems to be a very touchy outfit. As per The Houston Chronicle’s Lisa Falkenberg in March 2014,
The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against PJS in January [2014], accusing the company, through its overbroad policies, of “interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees” in the exercise of workplace rights – a charge the company has denied. Among other things, company policies restrict free speech, with one rule specifically banning employees from making “inflammatory or derogatory statements about the company.”
SEIU Texas, which was founded by Latina women in Houston and now represents some 18,000 working Texans, is appealing the ruling in the libel case. PJS wants SEIU to put up a $6.1 million appeals bond, while the union has requested an appeals bond at $100,000. Last week, SEIU Texas filed for Chapter 11 protection under federal bankruptcy laws, an effort to protect its assets while the state court case is appealed.
Yesterday, Chief Unites States Bankruptcy Judge David Jones rejected PJS’s request for an emergency hearing to dismiss SEIU’s filing. Instead, Jones set the first hearing on the bankruptcy for January 27, 2017.
Read more: http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/32464/lege-preview-the-coming-attack-on-texas-unions
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