November 2018 Commemorative Edition Volume 53

Transcription

1 November 2018 Commemorative Edition Volume 53 Mrs. Williams escorts her husband, Mr. Clarence Williams departure from Austin Bergstrom International Airport to Washington D.C. Ronald Reagan Airport to participate in the honor flight for 51 African American Veterans who served in World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Wars

2 Mr. Williams Mr. Williams Austin Honor Attendants and African American Veterans

3 AUSTIN, Texas On Friday, Nov. 2, 2018, Honor Flight Austin s an all African-American flight departed Austin- Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) to Washington D.C. The flight transported 51 veterans from World War II, Korean and Vietnam Wars to the nation s capital to visit and experience the memorials built in their honor. In addition to the military service memorials, the trip included a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This Honor Flight s was the fourth flight for fall The veterans arrived in the ticketing area at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) where the veterans, guardians, and staff met to assemble for a procession to Gate 21. The TSA Honor Guard and Austin Police Department Bag Pipes led the procession. Honor Flight Austin departed ABIA around twelve noon and arrived at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) early afternoon. They returned on Saturday for a Joint Honor Flight Austin welcome home greeting. Southwest Airlines operated the flight and the Hilton Austin Airport was a corporate sponsor of Honor Flight Austin. Lunch and refreshments were provided to veterans courtesy of ThunderCloud Subs. Additionally, the trips for the Honor Flight were made possible at no cost to the veterans through donations. Mr. Clarence Williams, a longtime member of the Austin Area Black Contractors Association, was a part of the Honor Flight entourage. Mr. Williams served both in the Korean and Vietnam War in the United States Air Force. He retired as a Technical Sergeant in Upon his retirement, Mr. Williams pursued his long life dream of owning a business. For over forty seven years he has serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of ZLynz Enterprise, Inc. a profit making company and Relief Enterprise Service, Inc., a non profit organization. Currently, Mr. Williams son, Calvin Williams serves as the Chief Operating Officer of both corporations and Mrs. Williams serves as the Secretary of ZLynx. The company provides, construction pre and post cleaning; window cleaning; power washing; cemetery lawn maintenance for the military; and debris and trash removal for the Texas Highway Department. Mr. Williams employ over 350 employees in the Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Midland, San Angelo, El Paso, Texas areas as well as Chicago, Illinois.and Denver, Colorado. He is truly a military man. Contributors: City of Austin, Austin Bergstrom International Airport and ABCA Newspoints Honor Flight Austin is a non-profit organization created to honor veterans by transporting them to visit and reflect at their war memorials. Honor Flight Austin serves veterans residing within Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Hays, Lee, Llano, Milam, Travis and Williamson Counties. To support Honor Flight Austin or to learn more about the organization go to

4 Our Flag Was Still There

5 Mr. Williams

6 Arlington National Cemetery Vietnam Memorial

7 World War II Memorial

8 Korean War Veterans Memorial

9 Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

10 Handing conservatives a victory over Austin progressives, a state appeals court on Friday struck down a city ordinance requiring most businesses to provide paid sick leave to employees. The Austin ordinance, which never took effect amid challenges from conservative and pro business groups, is void because it improperly counteracts a state law, the Texas Minimum Wage Act, that bars cities from regulating wages paid by private businesses, the Austin based 3rd Court of Appeals ruled. Friday s decision returned the case to the trial court and ordered District Judge Tim Sulak to issue the temporary injunction blocking the ordinance that was sought by employers, business groups and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank. City of Austin spokesman Andy Tate said officials were reviewing their options in the case. Ensuring workers are able to take time off work when they are sick is simply the right and responsible thing to do, as many cities have already acknowledged, Tate said. City Council Member Greg Casar, the lead sponsor of the ordinance, vowed to challenge the ruling. We re going to fight on, said Casar, who noted that two of the three judges who issued Monday s ruling Justices David Puryear and Scott Field were among four Republicans on the court who were voted out of office, losing to Democrats in the Nov. 6 election. We anticipated that they may rush out some anti worker rulings before they are replaced in January, he said. It s clear common sense that the minimum wage is different than sick days, so we look forward to having the chance to argue the full merits in front of another court soon. Lawyers for Austin argued that the term wages applies only to compensation for labor or services, not fringe benefits such as paid vacation and paid sick leave, but the appeals court rejected that idea. Writing for the three judge panel, Chief Justice Jeff Rose said Austin s sick leave requirement would increase the wages paid to workers. In doing so, he said, the ordinance violated the Minimum Wage Act, which bans city rules that regulate the wages of private employers. An employer subject to the ordinance must pay employ ees who use sick leave for hours that they did not actually work, Rose wrote. Therefore, he added, the ordinance increases the pay of those employees. Because the Texas Constitution prohibits city ordinances that supersede laws enacted by the Legislature, the Austin ordinance also violates the constitution, he wrote. Under the ordinance, workers would earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a total of 64 hours, or eight days a year. Small businesses with 15 or fewer employees have a paid sick leave cap of 48 hours, or six days. Approved in February and scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, the requirement was temporarily blocked by the appeals court in August to give it time to issue a ruling. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who joined legal efforts to overturn the sick leave ordinance, praised the ruling, saying cities cannot pass laws simply because they disagree with the judgment of state lawmakers. The Legislature has established the minimum amount of compensation for workers, and the Texas Constitution prohibits local municipalities from ignoring the Legislature s decision, he said. Annie Spilman, Texas director of the National Federation of Independent Business which filed the lawsuit with the Texas Association of Business and five Austin companies called the decision a victory for small businesses. The court affirmed our position that when cities overplay their regulatory hand by creating local ordinances that interfere with employers ability to run their businesses, they cause imminent and irreparable harm to those businesses, Spilman said. But Casar said Austin officials were trying to address inequality and help tens of thousands of families who, thanks to Friday s ruling, will have to continue choosing between losing money and going to work sick or sending sick children to school, spreading illness to others. We hear about the economy growing, but a lot of folks across Austin are struggling more and more, he said. This flies in the face of good policy, worker rights... and equality. Source: Austin American Statesman

11 Exploring Construction Industry Growth Trends The construction industry is booming and experts expect growth to continue. The Bureau of Labor Statistics project the construction industry to be one of the fastest growing industries into There is currently a skilled labor shortage in the construction industry due to the recession s hard hit. But with increased work, the construction industry will have a higher employment rate than the overall economy. Construction has a 4.5% projected growth rate over the next several years, making construction staffing the leading industry in wage and employment growth. What are the Fastest Growing Construction Markets? Professionals predict the construction industry will have one of the largest increases in real output, reaching almost $1.2 trillion by Upcoming efforts to modernize the United States decrepit infrastructure will create such output.the renewable energy sector will also be booming over the next few years. The follow through of new laws is key here. The government plans to make renewable energy 20% of the country s total energy mix by This includes 10,000 MW in subsidized housing and 3.0 GW in military capabilities by With continued climate change issues, federal and state governments are pushing for renewable energy sources. These plans are big business for construction companies. The U.S. population is expected to grow from billion to 338 billion. This increase of people results in a rise of residential housing as well. This will escalate residential construction to the top of the growing markets list. The government plans to raise the budget by 1.9% to support home ownership, sustainable community and housing developments. This also provides access to affordable housing for homeless and vulnerable families. Commercial construction will also continue to grow. With more consumer spending and governmental investments in tourism, office buildings and retail space, commercial construction businesses will reap the rewards. Which Construction Markets are Declining in Growth? Electric utilities construction is expected to slide by approximately 9%, which will continue the current downward trend. With the high number of construction starts, more projects are now coming on line. This results in the capacity utilization rates staying low, limiting the need for new construction. Combined with the new investments into sustainable, renewable energy, this market will continue to decrease. Another market that is expected to decline is manufacturing plant construction. There was a huge increase during 2014, which reflects chemical and energy related projects, but that number is expected to slip back to a more stable 16% over the next few years. There are many moving parts to the construction industry. And they continue to grow rapidly. Source:

12 a publication of the Austin Area Black Contractors Association