SEIU, the union last seen successfully organizing Houston’s janitors and electing Sue Lovell to city council, is claiming victory in the fight to represent Houston city workers:
The union, which recently won the right to represent Houston’s janitors, said it has collected more than 5,000 signatures, amounting to a majority of workers who would like it to represent them at the bargaining table.
“It’s time to move forward,” said SEIU spokesman Chris Coil.
But its chief rival, AFSCME, says not so fast. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said the city has 12,000 eligible employees, while the city says it has as many as 14,000.
Either way, 5,000 signatures wouldn’t be a majority, said Greg Powell, administrator for AFSCME Local 1550 in Houston. Powell said his union has collected about 4,000 signatures in the petition drive.
Coil said the union believes the number of eligible workers is closer to 10,000 when department heads and other high ranking officials are excluded.
It’s even more complicated than that, as L.M. Sixel reports.
What is clear is that SEIU is aggressively working to become a force in Houston.
