Click here for West/Southwest IAF Key Victories in 2024

At Urging of TMO, City Finally Enters Demolition Orders for Long-Vacant Buildings

Responding to pressure from The Metropolitan Organization (TMO), the City of Houston has issued demolition orders for two long-vacant buildings, one of which is a strip mall that has been abandoned for over 30 years.

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COPS/Metro Says CSL Study is a PR Stunt & Calls for an Independent Economic Analysis

COPS/Metro is gaining significant traction in its fight against Project Marvel, the city's multi-billion dollar proposal for a publicly-funded downtown entertainment district and Spurs stadium. 

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W/SW IAF Workforce Development Directors Advance Economic Mobility Created by Organized People

With a track record of moving tens of thousands of adults from poverty-level jobs into living wage careers, the West/Southwest IAF Labor Market Intermediary Programs are a testament to the power of organized people to deliver economic mobility. Last week, directors from seven of these programs participated in the Workforce Directors Convening in Houston:

VIDA (Rio Grande Valley)
Project QUEST (San Antonio)
Capital IDEA (Central Texas)
Capital IDEA (Houston)
Project ARRIBA (El Paso)
NOVA Workforce Institute of Northeast Louisiana
Arizona Career Pathways

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DAI Finds Unlikely Ally in Development of Legal Strategy for Immigrants in Detention

Paul Hunker presents

In response to changes in immigration law enforcement and the upsurge in ICE detentions and deportations, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) is developing a legal representation strategy for people in detention.

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ACTION Tulsa Confronts Immigration Misinformation with Firsthand Accounts from Refugees

[Excerpts]

ACTION Tulsa, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, hosted an event this week at Congregation B’nai Emunah titled “Who Is My Neighbor?” The event focused on dispelling myths about immigration and featured the story of Mohammad Paiman Faqirzada, an Afghan immigrant who resettled in Tulsa in 2021.

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TMO, Allies Hold Houston Accountable on Disaster Recovery, Leverage Creation of a Home Repair Fund

Over a year after Hurricane Beryl and a derecho windstorm made thousands of homes uninhabitable, TMO (The Metropolitan Organization) leaders and allies persuaded the City of Houston to boost funding for home repair from zero to $100 Million, using federal disaster recovery dollars. 

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Standing Up to Industry Spin: How CCG Protected Tipped Workers’ Wages

While the restaurant industry has poured massive resources into national and state campaigns that pretend to help workers but really cut pay, New Yorker named Coloradans for the Common Good (CCG) as a key group that successfully protected tipped workers despite these deceptive practices.

Working hand in hand with workers, unions, and local businesses, CCG stopped every version of a dangerous bill that would have forced cities to slash wages for tipped workers or stripped towns of the right to set fair, local minimum wages. Introduced in March 2025, this bill targeted wage gains in Denver, Boulder, and Edgewater. CCG organized a press conference and gave legislative testimony with Towards Justice, CWA 7777 and the Colorado AFL‑CIO, making it clear: tipped workers deserve fair wages on top of their tips—not shrinking paychecks. As a result, lawmakers backed down and removed the worst parts, preserving both workers’ pay and local control.

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Together Louisiana & Allies Increase Black Representation in Congress & Protect Labor Unions

Together Louisiana led the charge to ensure Black representation in Congress after the legislature failed to draw districting maps that reflected recent demographic changes. 2020 Census data showed the black population of Louisiana increased while the white population decreased. Nonetheless, the state maintained five white and one black U.S. congress members. Despite consistent requests from residents to redraw congressional lines and create the opportunity to elect a second black congressperson, the legislature refused. 

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TMO Prepares 1,500 Parishioners for Changes to Immigration Rules

The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) leaders and others in their communities have been detained and deported while at work, after dropping their children off at school, and upon calling the police for help after experiencing domestic violence. In response, TMO organized more than 15 'Know Your Rights' workshops across Houston with 1,500 community members.

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TNO: We are the Ones We've Been Waiting for

On Sunday, July 13 at Dillard University, delegations from across New Orleans gathered to define the future of their city.

In a resounding display of grassroots power and civic resolve, 600 leaders from 29 Together New Orleans (TNO) member organizations and 50 guest organizations united for a citywide assembly to ratify a non-partisan platform for the upcoming city elections. 

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