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Texas Workforce Commission

Texas Can’t Keep Up with Surge in Workers’ Wage Theft Complaints 

State labor investigators struggle to process more and more paycheck complaints, with millions of dollars in workers’ pay at stake.

by José Luis Martínez

Keep Reading

Five Months Later, the State’s Unemployment System is Still Broken for Many Texans

by Justin Miller

‘I’m in Limbo Here’: Texans Are Met with an Overwhelmed and Antiquated State Unemployment System

by Justin Miller

Governor Abbott Swaps One Scandal-Scarred Secretary of State for Another

by Justin Miller

Apr 09, 2019

‘Democracy at its Best’: Texas Regulators Approve Gig Economy Rule Written by Unregistered Lobbyists

With more questions than answers about the gig economy giant Handy’s role in lobbying for a labor rule, state commissioners ignored concerns and voted to approve the rule instead.

by Justin Miller

Apr 03, 2019

Handy Wanted to Disrupt Texas Labor Laws. It May Have Also Disrupted Texas Lobbying Laws.

After reporting from the Observer, two Texas lobbyists updated years of disclosures that show they had worked for Handy, “the Uber for Home Services,” to change state labor regulations.

by Justin Miller

Mar 24, 2019

How Silicon Valley Lobbyists Secretly Pushed Texas Regulators to Rewrite the Rules of the Gig Economy

Documents show that lobbyists for Handy.com dictated a rule to the Texas Workforce Commission that would give legal shelter to gig economy companies who don’t want to treat workers like employees.

by Justin Miller

Inside this month's print issue

‘The Search Committee’ Is a Subtle Rebuke of the Border Literary Canon

José Skinner’s fast-paced satire delivers sharp insights gleaned from years lived in Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley.

Keep Reading

The Magazine

Jan 31, 2019

Are Silicon Valley Giants Responsible for a Mysterious New Texas Labor Rule?

The state’s workforce commission quietly advanced a rule that exempts a new class of workers from unemployment insurance coverage.

by Justin Miller

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