Second Chance Democrats of Austin

Blood moon over Texas

FAIR CHANCE HIRING IS IN DANGER!!!

Austin’s Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance is under attack! Gov. Abbott & far-right folks at the Texas Legislature are threatening our progress with anti-worker Senate Bill 14, and we need to do everything we can to make our voices heard!

This bill would prevent fair chance hiring ordinances across Texas, and undo Austin’s protections. Share your story and tell the committee why these protections are NECESSARY and the right thing for Texas families!

TESTIFY ON MONDAY:
✨ Senate Bill 14 Hearing ✨
Senate Business & Commerce Committee
Monday, Aug. 9th @ Noon
Texas Capitol, Room E1.012

EMAIL THE COMMITTEE ASAP:
https://senate.texas.gov/cmte.php?c=510
Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown) - [email protected]
Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) - [email protected]
Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) - [email protected]
Brandon Creighton (author of the bill) (R-Conroe) - [email protected]
Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) - [email protected]
Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) - [email protected]
José Menéndez (D-San Antonio) - [email protected]
Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) - [email protected]
John Whitmire (D-Houston) - [email protected]

FAQ
SB 14 would forever eliminate the authority that local governments have to:
Make sure places of business are kept safe during a pandemic.
Ratify the terms of a collective bargaining agreement or meet-and-confer agreement negotiated with firefighter, police officer, or EMS associations.
Establish public health and safety guidelines for workplaces during a natural disaster.
Set salaries and benefits for city and county employees, including policies that entitle city or county employees to health insurance, retirement benefits, or sick leave.
Ensure construction workers can take a 10-minute rest break in the summer heat.
Establish a $15 minimum wage for public employees or private employees working under a public contract.
“Ban the box” or provide fair chance hiring opportunities to individuals who are formerly incarcerated.
Expand nondiscrimination protections so small business employees can be protected from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, color, s*xual orientation, gender identity, disability, or s*x.

Fair Chance Talking Points
Formerly incarcerated Austinites organized together with a simple demand: Give people a fair chance at employment by being judged on the merits of their application, not the actions of their worst day.
After a year-long organizing drive, we became the first City in the South to “ban the box,” setting a new standard for workers rights and criminal justice reforms.
We need to protect local policies which seek to give those with a criminal background a fair chance in finding gainful employment as they re-enter society.
Austin and DeSoto currently have policies on the books that provide such protections.
No one should be punished forever for the worst day of their life. People with a criminal background can continue to face many barriers in seeking gainful employment, decades after they've served their time.
These policies don't require anyone to be hired by an employer, but they do allow for people with a criminal background to get their foot in the door, to have the chance to be interviewed, introduce themselves to an employer, and even explain their past and how they've grown since then.
We know that helping people get back to work when they've served their time is not only the right thing to do, it's important for public safety too. These policies prevent recidivism.

The Texas State Senate – Senate Committee on Business & Commerce

Progress.

Congress Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Ensure Formerly Incarcerated and People with Records Have Fair Chance to Work | A bipartisan group of U.S. senators and representatives yesterday introduced bicameral legislation, modeled on reforms that have taken hold in the states, to ensure that job seekers who have a conviction record in their past are not unfairly shut out from employment because of the stigma of a record...

Tell them you oppose HB577 and SUPPORT Fair Chance Hiring legislation!

“What we realized is that a lot of the people we hired were in the drug trade,” said Brown, founder and chief executive of Brown's Super Stores Inc. “We were surprised that some of the people we hired have fairly good business skills. The drug trade is a business, it’s an illegal business. You are buying. You are selling. You have inventory. You have some of the common problems that any retailer has. A lot of them are accelerating into management.”

Now he slings ice cream, instead of co***ne; ShopRite finds talent in former drug dealers One in an occasional series, part of a collaborative news project about the challenges — and solutions — of prison reentry in Philadelphia.

Heading to the Capitol, here is an update from Jorge Antonio Renaud.

What we're fighting for at the Texas Legislature Today marks the first day of the 85th Texas Legislature, and we're gearing up for a fight. We are ready to stand with those who have felt the devastation of our mass incarceration crisis first hand. We will fight to protect immigrants and keep families together. And, on February 1, 2017 criminal jus...

Like it! And look for a message soon about how you can get involved in making Texas a state!

Fair Chance TX We believe Texans have the right to give everyone a fair chance to secure gainful employment, without regards to race, class, gender or background.

The fight continues... We knew this was coming. Now it's time to organize to fight at the state level. Stay tuned!

Austin Lawmaker Wants to Repeal Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance Workman's HB 577 would undo Council's job applicant labor protection