Dallas unions hold town hall to resist layoffs, demand accountability 

DALLAS—From Dallas to Chicago, unions are turning town hall meetings into rallying cries against mass layoffs, corporate greed, and attacks on worker protections. As federal job cuts devastate public-sector unions and anti-union, big business lawmakers escalate their assault on labor rights, the AFL-CIO has called on locals to confront elected officials during the April 14-28 congressional recess.

Their message: Working people won’t pay the price for billionaire tax cuts—and they’re organizing to fight back.

Dallas stands up

The Dallas Central Labor Council answered the federation’s call by inviting every local congressperson to face union members at the Communications Workers Hall on April 21. Only one showed up: Democratic Rep. Marc Veasey, a three-term incumbent with a pro-labor record. The two Republicans—Lance Goodall and Jake Ellzey—ghosted their constituents. “We expected that,” said Principal Officer Lou Luckhardt, who replaced them with cardboard cutouts.

Veasey didn’t mince words. “Giving billionaires a trillion in tax cuts is wrong. It’s absolutely wrong!” he said, slamming the Trump-Musk administration’s lies and the looming attacks on retiree benefits.

He warned that North Texas—home to the nation’s third-largest concentration of federal jobs—is ground zero for the crisis. But with Democrats in the minority, he conceded their hands are tied: “You can’t pass gas,” he quipped, borrowing strategist James Carville’s blunt assessment.

‘They’re using the legal system as a weapon’

The pain was raw as union leaders described the fallout. Sheria Smith (AFGE/Department of Education) said over half her national workforce received pink slips, with no explanation. Justin Chen (AFGE/EPA) warned of 1,000 layoffs and a push to replace healthcare with vouchers.

“It’s a pay cut.” Both stressed these weren’t “efficiency” moves but ideological sabotage. “Capitalism doesn’t like safety—it’s too costly,” Chen added.

Veasey’s response echoed throughout the night: Only flipping Congress in 2028 can reverse the damage. But when a non-union attendee described her 15-member “resistance group,” the room buzzed with energy. For the first time, the focus shifted from elections to the streets.

The meeting’s sharpest moment came when Dallas CLC President Gene Lantz grilled the GOP cutouts: “If you love children enough to ban abortions, why strip their schools and food aid?” Vice President Bonnie Mathias, playing the Republicans, deadpanned: “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.” The crowd wasn’t buying it.

‘This is a marathon’

“We can stop this if we win in 2028,” Veasey urged. But as the town halls are proving, workers aren’t waiting around. From EPA scientists to postal clerks, they’re naming the enemy—billionaires weaponizing layoffs—and building networks to fight beyond the ballot box.

Because when cardboard cutouts won’t even pretend to care, the answer isn’t just new politicians. It’s working-class power.