Texas IAF organizations in San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso are at the forefront of potential living wage victories for county and city employees. Due to the work of COPS / Metro Alliance and Austin Interfaith, the cities of San Antonio and Austin are on the verge of passing proposed budgets which would increase wages from more than $11 per hour to $13 per hour. Bexar County and El Paso County also have upcoming votes to raise the wages of county workers from $9.45 to $10 in El Paso and from $11.66 to $13 in Bexar. Graphic to the right shows the relative impact of this wage work .

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On the heels of COPS / Metro's recent disruption of business-as-usual at a public budget hearing, District 4 Councilmember Rey Saldana took up the cry for a higher minimum wage for City employees.

"Councilman Rey Saldaña said that while he supports giving relief to taxpayers, he also would support leaving the rate the same if the funding helps increase wages for the city's lowest-paid civilian employees. Communities Organized for Public Service and the Metro Alliance have been advocating for the increase, which has been backed by some council members."

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At a graduate recognition ceremony for 200 Project Quest students, Executive Director Sr. Pearl Ceasar and Boardmember Sr. Gabriela Lohan -- both instrumental in the creation and implementation of the long-term workforce development program -- congratulated each one on stage.

Says Sr. Pearl Ceasar:

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Days before the San Antonio mayoral election runoff, church and state united to urge voters to the polls and while there, to remember that San Antonians need a living wage. COPS / Metro leaders and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, with Commissioners Tommy Calvert and Paul Elizondo, held a joint press conference announcing that the County would do their part to increase wages, and that the City should as well. Councilmembers Shirley Gonzalez and Rey Saldana showed up in support.

In the lead up to this election, leaders held an accountability session with Mayoral candidates, asking for their support on matching the County wage hike (to $13 / hour this year and $15 / hour in two ) and increasing investment in long-term workforce development.

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On Monday, March 9th, President Barack Obama announced a new 'TechHire' initiative, speaking to nearly 2,000 at the National League of Cities Conference. The work of Project Quest Executive Director Pearl Ceasar and Deborah Carter of Rackspace was recognized for moving lower income people into high demand occupations like Information Technology.

Project Quest's partnership with Rackspace has already resulted in the graduation of dozens of lower income people from the Open Cloud Academy. Project Quest played a pivotal role in recruiting and supporting these students, implementing best practices developed by West / Southwest IAF labor market intermediaries.

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Andrew "Andy" Sarabia, the first president of COPS, Communities Organized for Public Service in San Antonio, argues in the San Antonio Express News that COPS has been a significant and powerful part of the city's history, starting with initial "tie-up" confrontations with the city's power structure to get it to recognize the needs of families and communities. Read more below:

At 40, COPS Still Standing Up For Residents, San Antonio Express News

Workforce development program Project QUESTwon an award of $6 Million from the US Department of Labor to train 475 adults in the San Antonio area for living wage IT careers. Project Quest's "Homegrown IT" program is backed by local employers including Rackspace, Zachry Holdings and WP Engine. Quest will focus on training long-term unemployed residents of Bexar and neighboring counties. Said Executive Director Sr. Pearl Ceasar, "We are ready to implement it."

Labor Department Awards IT Job Training Funds to Project QUEST, San Antonio Business Journal

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Rick Cohen of NonProfit Quarterly has a few recommendations for US Vice President Joe Biden as he plans his next steps:

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