SEIU Texas Stands with Mayor Sylvester Turner in Runoff Election
For Immediate Release: November 5, 2019
Media Contact: Nora Olabi | 713-742-2239 | nolabi@seiutx.org
Working families depend on strong, progressive leadership in Houston City Hall
HOUSTON— SEIU Texas congratulates Mayor Sylvester Turner on his Election Night victory, and our working families will continue to support him through the runoff elections. Turner ran a strong campaign against a crowded field of nearly a dozen contenders, and the election results prove that Turner has a solid base of support.
“Turner is the only candidate on the ballot with a proven record of creating real, meaningful change for working Houstonians. That’s why our members have continued to be energized about his campaign, and we are enthusiastic about winning the runoff election,” SEIU Texas President Elsa Caballero said. “Turner cares about working families like ours. He has sat with our members throughout his term; he has listened to their stories; and he has continued to take action for working people. That is the sort of leadership we need in the mayor’s office. He truly is a mayor for all Houstonians, not just for the few.”
Our union has been a firm supporter of Sylvester Turner since he first ran for Houston mayor in 2015. In his first term as mayor, we have seen him work hard to raise standards and wages for working families across Houston. Despite state preemption and conservative politics in Texas, Turner has created a path to a $15 an hour minimum wage and a union for thousands of Houstonians. And he continues to push policies that support working families. That’s why several labor unions jointly endorsed him, and eight unions representing 50,000 working Houstonians stood together on Nov. 2 to rally, door knock and phonebank for his campaign.
SEIU Texas also congratulates our endorsed city council candidates on their victories! District I Councilman Robert Gallegos won re-election in a landslide victory. At-Large 2 Councilman David Robinson, City Council District H candidate Isabel Longoria and City Council District J candidate Sandra Rodriguez are in runoffs, and we will continue to support them.
Our members endorsed five candidates in 17 races during the November general election. Additional endorsements will be made for candidates facing a runoff. Interested candidates can apply and will be screened in mid-November.
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SEIU Texas unites janitors, food service workers, and hospital employees from across our state. We live and work in Corpus Christi, El Paso and Houston. The work we do touches everyone in our communities. We clean the offices of some of the world’s largest corporations and administer frontline healthcare in our hospitals. We are committed to expanding access to union jobs for all Texans, and we are actively organizing Houston security officers and airport workers into their union. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.