Labor celebrates Prop 50’s success

Union members  fueled a mass mobilization that dealt a direct rebuke to Texas Republicans’ attempts to rig Congressional elections

SACRAMENTO, CA (November 7, 2025) — Labor is celebrating a decisive victory in California, with the passage of Proposition 50 with overwhelming support. The measure, which replaces congressional maps drawn by a commission with those crafted by Democratic lawmakers, passed with nearly 64% support from voters. It’s a response to a Trump-supported maneuver by Texas Republicans to disenfranchise Democratic voters, a move many view as an attempt to rig the midterm elections in support of a deeply unpopular president and his party.

When Governor Greg Abbott of Texas first pushed the plan to cynically redistrict, labor in the state was one of the most vocal opponents. The Texas AFL-CIO mobilized thousands of workers to oppose the anti-democracy scheme, building a broad coalition and rallying at the state capitol. A coalition of labor federations from around the U.S. stood with Texas workers — including the Washington State Labor Council — banding together to denounce the GOP-controlled state legislature’s attempt to undermine democracy. Despite heroic efforts from union members and Texas House Democrats, Abbott signed-off on rigged districts in August.

The new Texas maps designed to entrench Republican control of Congress prompted California to examine it’s own congressional districts. While in power in D.C., the GOP has used it’s control of both houses of Congress and the White House to slash jobs, demolish collective bargaining rights, cut healthcare access, upend job-creating infrastructure projects, and shred funding for public education and nutrition programs that working families rely on. The Trump administration has used immigration enforcement as a cudgel, targeting workers at their jobs and on their commutes. These policies directly harm the working people organized labor exists to defend and empower, prompting union members to step into the fight.

President of SEIU April Verrett and SEIU members at a campaign event in November. Photo: SEIU California

Once Proposition 50 was on the ballot in California, labor got to work. With only three months to campaign, unions poured millions into the effort, becoming one of the most significant funders. Organized workers showed up for a massive field campaign to get the word out on a short timeline during an ‘off’ election year. SEIU members alone called more than a million voters, sent more than 1.2 million texts, and knocked on over 150,000 doors. Tens of thousands of union members — including some in Texas — made sure voters knew how important it was to show up at the polls. And with more than 2.3 million union members in the state, union families made up a significant percentage of the electorate.

“Donald Trump has torn up our collective bargaining agreements, defunded healthcare, eliminated infrastructure jobs, disappeared immigrant workers, and come after everything the Labor Movement stands for. Working people in California are determined to put a check on this reckless Administration,” said Lorena Gonzalez, President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO in a statement after Prop 50’s victory.

On Thursday, Texas’ labor movement applauded their siblings in California for securing a strong response to the GOP’s attempts to invalidate the decision-making power of voters.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to California union members, who put it all on the line to defend democracy and fight for working people by passing Prop 50,” said Rick Levy, president of the Texas AFL-CIO in a statement.

“By passing Prop 50, we showed Donald Trump and Greg Abbott that the Labor Movement across this country won’t stand for their corruption or schemes,” continued Levy. “To Texas workers: Know that the way things are is not the way things have to be. I urge every Texan to keep speaking up, choose workers over billionaires, and fight back alongside us.”

Redistricting is, of course, not a guarantee that the favored party’s candidate will prevail at the ballot box. In fact, if 2025’s blue shift is an indication of what’s to come in next year’s midterms, new districts may not give the Texas GOP quite the unearned advantage the party is hoping for in 2026 — and beyond.