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We, the staff of Texas Campaign for the Environment, along with our members, supporters, friends, and allies call on TCE’s Executive Director Robin Schneider and the TCE and TCE Fund Board of Directors to immediately and voluntarily recognize our staff union, the Texas Environmental Workers Union (TEWU), as we have proposed it.

On August 16, 2022, we publicly announced the formation of our union with 100% of frontline staff signed onto union cards and asked for voluntary recognition. For the past five months, Executive Director Robin Schneider and the Board of Directors have repeatedly refused to recognize our union as we have proposed it.

Instead, Robin and the Board have fought to exclude certain job titles from the bargaining unit in an attempt to shrink, weaken, and divide the union. In fact, Robin’s proposal would exclude 40% of the entire organization, designating almost half of employees as management. This is a deliberate attempt to undermine our collective labor power.

For years, TCE staff have faced poor working conditions with substandard pay and benefits, no job security, and an unsafe work environment. Due to a culture of toxic productivity, staff members at times have to work without pay, work while sick, and work shortly after a workplace injury. Even as staff are asked to work long hours and take on more campaigns, there is too often no clear plan to win.

As a result, staff are demoralized due to our wasted efforts and burnt out to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. The turnover rate is so high that it harms our ability to organize long-term campaigns and build meaningful relationships. While staff of color consistently leave the organization due to clearly expressed concerns with working conditions, especially as it relates to the canvassing model, the TCE Senior Leadership Team remains entirely white. Robin and the Board have not addressed this problem.

We all believe deeply in the vision and mission of our organization. We take seriously the threat of the climate crisis and the impact of pollution on community health. We desperately want to stop the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure along the Texas Gulf Coast, and we want to win. Unfortunately, TCE is not capable of that in its current form. We hope that by recognizing our union, Robin and the Board will finally put us back on a path to achieving the future for Texas we all believe in.

Signed,

Ana Trevino, Field Organizer, Corpus Christi

Armon Alex, Communications Associate, Corpus Christi

Brandon Marks, Regional Coordinator, Corpus Christi

Chelsea M Tobin, Canvass Director, Austin

Chloe Torres, Fossil Fuel Exports Organizer, Corpus Christi

Cody Benavides, Field Organizer, Corpus Christi

Cuauhtemoc Toren, Lead Organizer, Austin 

Jenny Espino, Communications Coordinator, Corpus Christi 

Jessica Palitza, Field Organizer, Corpus Christi

Katherine Hahn, Office Manager, Houston

Liz Lopez, Field Organizer, Austin 

Olivia Heller, Development Coordinator, Austin

Sophie Vaught, Office Manager, Austin

Trevor Carroll, Fossil Fuel Exports Organizer, Houston

In Solidarity,

Aaron Acuna

Abraham Alazazi

Adam Turl, Locust Review

Addrian Jafaritabar

Adrian Vargas

Agripina Gómez, Sierra Club

AJ Holmes

AJ Lawrence

alek duncan, Hudson Bay

Alex Birnel

Alex Durden, Party for Socialism & Liberation

Alex spike, Air Alliance Houston

Alex Venchuk

Alexander spike, Socialist alternative Houston

Alexis Moidel

Ali Kirkpatrick

Alicia Dickens

Alicia segovia

Alison Mullan-Stout

Allan Babcock

Allison Zborowski

Alvaro Chaveste

Alyssa Burgin

Alyx barnes

Amador Salazar, San Antonio DSA

Amanda Hohenshil

Amanda Hope

Amanda Renfro

Amber England, Former TCE Canvasser

Amber Taylor

Amiyah

Amy Agee, Ex-TCE staff

Ana Gail Jumalon

anaïs peterson, earthworks

Ananda Sunshine Tomas, ACT 4 SA

Anastazia Vanisko, Former Hudson Bay Network canvasser, crosstrained with TCE

Andrea Lahana

Andrew Alemao

Andrew Alemao

Andrew Crittendon

Andrew Dobbs, TCE Alum, 2006 & 2010-2019

Andrew-Pól Clements

Angel Ulloa

Angela

Angela Elmer

Angi DeFelippo

Anil Kapoor

Anna Holdridge-Fletcher, Former Program Assistant in Houston

Annaliese Krumnow

Annette Kelley

Annie Fierro, Sunrise Movement Austin

Annie Foreman, The Good Neighbors

Anthony Floriani, American Federation of Teachers

Anthony Parker

Anthony Steve Paciorek, SOUL

Antonella

Antonia Kleen

April Siese

Ardian Shaholli, Former Community Organizer (June, 3 2019 - July, 18 2019)

Aris Katafygiotis

Armon Alex, Gulf of Mexico Youth Climate Summit

Arturo Castillo

Ash Greco Ellis, Houston Tenants Union

Ash Yarbrough

Ashara Slagger

Ashley Cox

Ashley Hahn

Ashley Miller

Atlantis Johnson

Audrey Cravotta

Audrey Faye Gerard

Aurora Adams

Austen Ray McLean

Austin Lewellen

Autumn hensiek

Avena Enriquez

Beatriz Alvarado, Chispa TX

Becky Moeller, retired, representing myself; former President Texas AFL CIO, member CWA 6137

Ben Reynolds, Restaurant Workers United

Ben Suddaby

Bennett M, Houston DSA

Bess Wilhelms, HFT

Bethany Keeler

Betty Verbeke, Alumni

Bill Pernell

Blair Schaefer

Blake Vieira

Blanca Parkinson

Bobby Walker

Brandon Mifflin

Brandon Ponce

Brandyn Deason

Brent

Brent Sullivan

Brian Kane, Decade-long monthly Contributor, Former TCE Houston Staff Director, Former AFL-CIO Outreach director

Brian Terrell

Brianna Diliberti

Brigette Yawn, Previous Canvas Director

Brit Schulte, University of Texas at Austin; Texas State Employees Union

Brittney Price

Brooks Ledford

Bryan Kachakji

Brydan Summers, AFSCME Local 1624

Burger

C. Rose Andre

Caitlin Netek-Watson

Caleb Esquivel

Caleb Granger

Caleb Granger

Carleigh Mitchell

Carlos Cooper

Carlos E. Gonzalez

Carson Ruiz

Casey Handley

Cassady Keener, former TCE employee

cassandra ortiz

Catherine Freund

Ceirra Riley

Celina Barron

Cesar Izaguirre

Chane'l Radden

Charlie Clowdus

Chase Philip

Chau Ngo

Chavaun Ashwood

Chelsea Crawford, Former staff member

Chloe Diaz

Christian Anthony Barroso

Christian Esquivel

Christian Fogerty

Christian Trapp

Christie Johnson

Christopher Agbo

Christopher Huetteman

Christopher L. Phelan

Christopher Yardy, Ex-organizer, Field Manager and Canvass Director

Claire Ragusin

Clare Ciolli

Claude Cummings Jr., CWA District 6

Claudia Cruz

cody clack

Connor Yandell

Conor Rice

Corrie Howell

Cory Clark, UWIC-CWA

Courtney Cuff

Crystal Barberer Mahoney, Former community organizer at CCE

Crystal Maher

dalia mota

Danett Abbott-Wicker

Daniel I Caracheo, S.O.U.L. of MU & MPC (Workers Union for Michigan United and Michigan People's Campaign)

Daniel Uhlenberg

Danielle Ramirez

Danny Koningisor

Danny Timpona

Darren Nevares

Dave E., Houston DSA

Dave Smith, National Writers Union and Houston DSA

David Galvin

Dayna Reggero

Deandra Sanchez

Deb Armintor

Deborah Dillard, Turtle Island Restoration Network

Dee Silney-Bah

Diana Davis

Diane Aguirre—Dominguez

Dino Nguyen, For the Many

Donald Jackson

Donna Hoffman, City of Austin PARD - MACC & Elisabet Ney

Dora Burnett

Dorothy Peña, Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend

Douglas Pierre

Douglas Van

Dr. David Michael Smith

Drew Hudson, 198 methods

Duane Wilson

Eduardo Canales, South Texas Human Rights Center

Eli McKay

Elida Castillo, Chispa Texas

Elizabeth Gostev, Citizen's Campaign for the Environment

Elle Ignatowski

Ellen Wilson

Ellis Howard

Emilio Vasquez

Emily Barrera

Emily Gammage

Emily Haddad, ILWU Local 6

Emily Johnson

Emily Munoz

Emily Scott Long, Clean Water Action Michigan (2014 - 2016)

Emily Trevino

Emma Guevara, Sierra Club

Emma Pabst, Sierra Club

Emma Skeels

Encarnacion Serna

Enrique Isaac Salinas, Houston DSA

Eric Guenther

Erica S

Erik

Erika Galindo

Ethan Beam

Evan Smith

Every Texan United

Ezra Taylor

Flor H.

Forrest Rapier

Frances Madeson

Francisco Barajas

Frank Freeman, Citizen

Gabby Ebertowski

Gabriel Bergmiller

Gabriela Mondragón

Gary Lynn Stuard, United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE /Local 203)

Georgiann Tyrrell

Gina Biekman, Ally in an organization concerned with climate change

Gloria Acuna

Grace Espino

Grace Espino

Grace Sasser

Graciela Sills, UPO

Grant Nebbergall

Greg Bosley, TSEU-CWA 6186

Gregory Marks

Guadalupe Tristan

Guillermo Gallegos

Gus Breslauer , Houston Tenants Union, VES Union

Gwendolyn Jones

H.django sanders, U2C3

Hailey Duncan, Sierra Club

Haley Tobin

Hannah Betters

Hannah Kornblut

Hannah Mitchell

Hannah Rose

Hannah Spring, Previous CWA and OCA Staff Director

Hannah Visti

Harper Klamian, Austin DSA

Heidi Sloan

Henry Dang, Houston DSA

Hilary Haines, Stop TxDOT I-45

Holly Harris

Holly Lewis, Member of Editorial Board for Spectre (Journal)

Ian Druke, Houston Tenants Union

Ian Hoke, IWW

Ian Venegas

Indrani Maitra, Stop TxDOT I-45

Ingrid Korioth

Ira Dember, FairNow.org

Isaac Salinas, Houston DSA

Isabel Araiza, For the Greater Good

Isabella Guinigundo, OH Youth for Climate Justice

J R

Jack Reno Sweeney, Louisiana Bucket Brigade

Jackson Wong, Industrial Workers of the World, Bay Area Branch

Jade Hagan

Jake reeves

Jakob Barton

James Fletcher

James Hiatt

James Magown, Houston DSA

James Sargent

Jamie Pershing

Jane Bendewald, TEWU

Jane Mantey, Texas For All

Jasiel Lopez

Jasmin Bell

Jason Netek

Jason Smith, Former TCE Canvasser

Jay N

Jazz Hooks

Jeff Steinhaus

Jen Ramos, President, Jolt Staff Union

Jennie Hoefling

Jennifer Kl. Falcon, ikiyA collective

Jennifer Kolb, UWIC-CWA

Jennifer Melo

Jennifer Schlicht

Jeremy Gregg, Gregg Partners

Jeremy Melendez

Jess Rodriguez Robertson, United Professional Organizers

Jess Spiehler

Jesse Risner-Jacox, Denton Left

Jessica Kramer

Jessica Telano

Jesus s

Jewel Trueba

Joanie Steinhaus

Jodi Contreras

Joey Gonzales IV

Joey Martinez

Johanna Rollins, Former TCE Canvasser

John Beam

John Bendewald, Former Hudson Bay Company Field Manager

John Cuvillier, Restaurant Workers United

John DarrochMannix

John Davies-Schley

John Guglielmi

John Howell

John Qua

John Weber

Jon Garcia

Jon Reynolds

Jon Schroeder

Jonathan Reigenborn

Jordain Moore

Jordan Duncan, Former TCE Staff Director

Jorge Zarate

Jose Luis Sarmiento Ruiz

Jose Pineda

Joseph Anderson

Joseph Mostchenski

Joseph Santana

Joseph Zemek

Josh Galvan

Joshua Berntsen

Joshua Cripe, Street Medics Corpus Christi

Joshua De Leon

Joshua Wallis

Josiah Rectot, TSEU/CWA Local 6186

Joss kenney

Joss Willsbrough, Planned Parenthood

Jude Ray

Jules Taylor

Julia Lewis

Julia Porter

Julianne Smith

Julie Rogers, Retired Union Organizer & Labor Representative

Justen Howard

Justin Green, United Professional Organizers

Justin Howell

Kacey Lawniczak

Kallie Jackson

Kasey Holderbaum

Kate Mason

Kathleen Melendez

Kathryn McCarthy

Katie Garra

Katie Howell

Katie Morford

Katy Murdza

Katy Rowe, TCE Member

Kaya M. Sittinger, The Ohio State University

Keith Katz

Kelly Olivo

Kellyn Lappinga, University of Houston

Kevin Hayes

Kevin McGowan

Kevin Richardson

Kevin Weil

Kimberly Espino

Kolby Duhon, Young Democrats of America, Vice President

Kris Januskaite

Kristen Wieliczka

Kristina Flakowitz

Kristina Gomez

Kristina Pearson

Kristopher Parkinson

Kyle Faria-Robertson, Citizens Campaign for the Environment

Kyle McCoy

Kylie Cooper

Lara Keith

Laran Vondo

Laura Fair-Schulz, UUP

Laura Florescu, Former Field Manager at TCE

Laura Hutchinson, Former TCE canvasser

Laura Shindell, Food & Water Watch, Non-Profit Employees Union

Laura Trevisani

Laurel Toskey

Lauren Alexander, UT Law School; spouse of previous TCEQ employee

Lauren Elaine Wyatt

Lauren Petrie

Leah kahn

Leah Meltzer, Restaurant Workers United

Leo Lopez

Leslie Frederick, Houston DSA

Leslie Lea Ruel

Lexie Neffinger

Lexy Garcia, San Antonio DSA

Libby Anderson, The Blue Bench

Lindsay Haney

Lindsey Periard

Lisa Landry

Lisl Ost

Liz Ehmke

Love Sanchez

Luci Zimmermann

Lydia Dewing

Lydia Stewart, Previous staff of CCE

Lyla Lagner, Former TCE FM

Lyz Rocher

Maddie Evans

Madeleine Fontenot

Maggie Peacock, Gulf of Mexico Youth Climate Summit

Mahmud sharif

Malcolm McCrimmon

Marc Oran, Fellow Texan

Marcelina Esquivel

Margaret Herbert, CWA

Margaret Peterson

Marguerite Koole

Maria Banks

Maria Banks

Maria Brescia-Weiler

Maria Cruz

Mariah Boone

Mariah Cloutier, Local 228

Marisa Palestino

Marsha Kamish

Martin Nguyen

Mary McCall, Former TCE canvasser, field manager, and assistant program director

Mary Wimpfheimer

Maryam Nabhani

Matthew L Stevans Jr, PhD

Matthew Loughran, Houston tenants Union

Matthew Rohren

Mauri

Max Horstman

Maximillian Alvarez

Maximus L Ngwele

Maya Dank

Mayra Lopez

Meagan L Lauer, Previously OCA, Worked with TCE staff on cross trains

Megan Burkett

Megan McGuire, HCA

Mel Hisert

Melissa Zamora, For the Greater Good

Mia farinas

Miah R

Michael Alberino

Michael Billeaux, MATC Faculty and Staff Union - AFT 243

Michael Boyd

Michael Esealuka, True Transition

Michael Steere

Michael Vasquez

Michaela Wacker

Michele Mauldin, Austin Partners in Education

Michelle Contreras

Michelle Robertson

Michelle Wagner

Mike Conti, AFSCME 1624 rank-and-file

Mike Linaweaver, Locust Arts and Letters Collective (LALC)

Mike Michaels

Mikey Elfers, Former TCE phone canvasser of 14+ years

Mirinda Rose Crissman, AFSCME Local 1550

Mishkat M Liana

Molly Cook

Molly Cook, Stop TxDOT I-45

Muna Javaid, United Workers of Integral Care

Nadia Luis

Nam Nguyen

Natalie Snyder

Natalie Webb

Nate Wendt, EWOC/DSA

Nathan Leshin

Navjot Kaur, Kaur Republic Media Group

Neil Aquino, John Cornyn Houston Office Protest

Neil D Bhaerman

Neil Doughty

Nery Perez

Ngozi Onimoe, Student Workers United

Nicholas Devere

Nick Cooper, Free Radicals

Nick Escue

Nicole Matteson, Former CCE & Blue Bench staffer

Nicolle Maroulis

Nik Evasco, 350 Bay Area

Nina Kahn

Niraja Patel

Nishad

Nolan Ross, Austin DSA

Nolan Ross, Austin DSA

Norman Lawson

Omar Bantayan, National Nurses United

Patricia Zarate

Patrick Dooley

Patrick Minor, Des Moines Area Religious Council

Paul Duke

Peter allen

Piper Cotton, HEAT TXST

Polly Johnson

Quinn Patrick Murphy

Rachael Baker, Lead Locally

Rachael Stone, Working People PAC and others

Rachel Aldrich

Rachel Bendewald

Rafaell A Trevino

Rafaell A Trevino Jr

Raisch Tomlanovich, Formerly TCE

Ramsey B., Austin DSA

Raul Alonzo

Raul H Vidaurre

Raymond Lenart, Party for Socialism and Liberation

Rebecca Bateman

Rebekah Hinojosa

Rebekah Staub

Reid liberato

Renier Reid

Richard

Richard Lewis

Ricky Whitehead

Riley Davis, Texas State Teachers Association

Robert L Webb

Robert, Corpus Christi DSA

Robin Marks

Robinson Block, IAFF 341, delegate to Harris County Labor Assembly

Roishetta Ozane, The Vessel Project of Louisiana

Ronda Rhodes

Ross Fisher

Ruben Farias

Ruth Riggan, Former TCE staff member

Ryan Bluhm

Ryan Donnelly

Ryan Hemphill

Ryan Johnson

Ryan Marks

Sabrina Shaver

Safwa alkhaldi

Sam Kirsch

Samantha Richter, TCE

Samantha Richter, TCE

Samuel Pearson

Santana

Santiago ibanez

Sara

Sara Gore, TSEU

Sarah Jenkins Faulk

Sarah Jones

Sarah Jordan (SJ) Stout, Former TCE Canvasser, Communication Coordinator 2020-2022

Sarah Stapp

Sarah Von Alt

Sarah, Human Environmental Animal Team (H.E.A.T.)

Sascha

Scarlett Russel

Scott

Scott W Howell

Sean Clifton

Seth Hutchinson, Communications Workers of America District 6

Shalan Washington

Shane Johnson, Texas Sierra Club, Progressive Workers Union

Shanna Caughey, Former TCE OM, Canvasser

Shaw Digby

Shawn Edgar

Sheila Tahir

Shelby Bohannon

Shoshana Rice

Sierra Hub

Sindhu Thirumalaisamy

skyleigh baker , H.E.A.T.

Sloan Rucker, With Love San Marcos

Solomon Smilack

Sophie Perrault

Stacie Cruz

Stephanee Borger, National Association of Social Workers and American Federation of Government Employees

Stephanie Brady-Santiago

Stephen Huss, Houston DSA

Stephen Mercer

Stephen Rutherford

Steve Ruiz, S.I.U.

Steven Jolly

Sue W Page

Sunny Sav

Susan McKinley

Susan Sellers

Susannah Bannon

Susannah Beckman, Former HBC Canvasser

Suzan Zaghmouth, Previous Canvasser

Suzanne Horrocks

Sydney Burke

Sylvia Campos

Talia Calnek-Sugin

Taylor Alishouse

Thomas E. Koole

Thomas Meyer

Timothy Johnson

Timothy Jones

Timothy Reilly, Citizens Campaign for the Environment

Tish Turl

Tom Alter, TSEU

Tovah Moriarty, UWIC-CWA

Travis Howell

Travis Wall, Clean Water Action

trish niswander, AFSCME 1624

Ujjesa Dhanak

Valeria Pinchuk

Valerie Boucher

Vanessa Heine

Vanessa Zaehring

Veronica Vela, For the Greater Good

Veronica Young

Victoria Nelson, Houston DSA

Victoria Ramirez, TXST

Vince Rodea, HEAT TXST

Vivek Venkatraman, Party for Socialism and Liberation

Wendy Hughes, Sierra Club

Wesley Lawrence, SD-29 Committeeman

William Gore

William Lambert

Yana Kalmyka , Texas Climate Jobs Project

YDSA at Texas State

Yesenia Baldivia-Zarate, S.O.U.L of MU & MPC

Yvonne Robinson

Zach Kopkin, Progressive Workers Union

Zachary Baltazar

Zak

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