USW Activists on the Ballot in Texas

Two Steelworkers in Texas are working hard to take the fight for workers’ rights to the next level by running for statewide office in the March 3 primary election.  

Marcos Velez, a member of Local 227, is running for lieutenant governor, and Jose Loya, a member of Local 487, is running for land commissioner. Both are oil workers who have served our union for decades.

Velez, who serves as assistant to the District 13 director, and has seen first-hand how workers are the backbone of his state’s economy, and why it’s important for officials to fight for higher wages, quality health care, and safer workplaces.

Loya, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War, went to work at the Valero refinery after his miliary service. He has served as a USW staff representative fighting to ensure that workers are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. As land commissioner, Loya plans to prioritize stronger worker safety protections for companies doing business on state lands.