Seeking to better represent labor workers, councilmembers Teri Castillo (D5) and Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) have filed a Council Consideration Request aiming to create a “San Antonio Trades Advisory Board.” According to a press release, the board would ensure public funds are spent responsibly while supporting local jobs and protecting workers.

Submitted on April 1, the request marks the first step in creating a new policy and awaits discussion in the council’s governance committee.

“We’re providing a space where San Antonio workers [can] give input in terms of the type of contracts that are being developed,” Castillo told The Paisano. “[We also want to ensure] that we’re having the conversation about worker safety and livable wages.”

Castillo pointed out San Antonio’s poverty rate and economic segregation as drivers behind the advisory board. She believes that strengthening the workforce via organizing can promote economic mobility.

“When our workforce is strong, our families are strong, and that means our communities are even stronger,” Castillo said.

Surging construction, with initiatives like Project Marvel and highway expansion efforts, also present key timing in establishing the advisory board.

“When we look at the grand scope of these proposed projects, that’s opportunity for upward mobility and quality wages,” Castillo said.

In proposing the advisory board, Castillo and McKee-Rodriguez have referenced similar initiatives in Texas, like the Harris County Essential Workers Board, which was created in 2021 and composed entirely of frontline workers.

According to Castillo, the HCWEB’s creation has strengthened efforts to promote local quality jobs as city contracts prioritize employers who offer strong benefits. She believes that the quality of life improvements among Harris County’s workers can also be achieved in San Antonio.

San Antonio’s proposed board will include representatives from unions, worker rights organizations and labor-friendly nonprofits. It will also include at least one “rank-and-file worker representative to provide an on-the-ground perspective” and legal experts in wage theft, worker misclassification and labor law compliance.

Per the request, the advisory board will be established in its first year as a pilot program focusing on construction, telecommunications and infrastructure projects.

“The creation of the Trades Advisory Board will serve San Antonio more expansively and fairly by inviting workers to lead the conversations and decisions that most affect them,” said McKee-Rodriguez.

Councilmembers Sukh Kaur (D1), Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4) and Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6) have provided supporting signatures