Some more words of support from our comrades at the AFL-CIO

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  It’s the same old story. Young bar worker and his colleagues decide to speak up together through a labor union. The union goes public, he leads the drive and, then, he’s fired.

 That’s the scenario, not limited to bar workers, that reportedly played out at Kitty Cohen’s, a popular establishment in Austin. The courageous organizer, Jacob Estes, learned he was being dismissed after the union announced majority support and after he discussed the organizing win in an interview with KVUE reporter Jessica Cha.

 Fortunately for Jacob Estes, the National Labor Relations Act prohibits dismissals for union organizing, and the potential for a legal scenario to play out in his favor is real. 

 Unfortunately for Jacob Estes, the NLRA desperately needs updating of worker protections. Too many employers see the minimal penalties — reinstatement many months later, for example — as a cost of doing business that sends an intimidating message to other employees. That’s part of why organized labor supports the PRO Act — designed to update and level the management-leaning labor law — so strongly.

 KVUE’s story includes brief remarks about worker rights by Texas AFL-CIO Director of Organizing and Advocacy Ana Gonzalez: https://tinyurl.com/3ue2a9ny

 Do Something! Supporters of Jacob Estes have posted a petition calling on Kitty Cohen’s management to reinstate him and negotiate with the union in good faith. Takes a few seconds to sign: https://www.change.org/p/stand-with-the-workers-at-kitty-cohen-s “