Texas AFL-CIO Invited to Annual State of the Union for First Time Ever
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 5, 2024
Contact:
- Texas AFL-CIO: Ed Sills, Director of Communications, ed@texasaflcio.org, (512) 695-1148
Congressman Greg Casar Brings Attention to the Growing Texas Labor Movement with State of the Union Guest
Texas AFL-CIO invited to annual State of the Union for first-time ever
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas) announced that his guest for the 2024 State of the Union will be Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy, marking the first time that the state federation of labor unions — representing 240,000 members — has ever been invited to the address.
“A new age of labor organizing is taking place in Texas — from nurses to tech workers, and Starbucks workers to journalists,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas). “That’s why at this year’s State of the Union, we’ll be talking about the state of our unions. And I can tell you now, our Texas unions are strong and getting stronger. I can’t wait to host Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy in DC to spotlight the Texas labor movement.”
“It is an honor of a lifetime to represent the 240,000 members of the Texas AFL-CIO at the State of the Union, and to do so with a Congressman who fights for us - and with us - every single day,” said Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy. “Greg’s invitation is a recognition that workers across Texas are rising up, organizing and winning, and that life is better in a union.”
Levy has served as the Texas AFL-CIO president since 2017. He began working for the state federation in 1990, first as Legal Director and subsequently as General Counsel. In that capacity, Levy has represented the State Federation in a broad variety of matters, including numerous legislative and political campaigns to protect and advance the rights of workers in Texas. Levy has been a member of TSEU/CWA 6186 since 1986 and is also a member of Ironworkers Local 482.
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Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Agriculture.
The Texas AFL-CIO is the state labor federation consisting of 240,000 affiliated union members who advocate for working families in Texas.