If you been hiding under a rock and haven’t seen the plethora of ads both for and against HER Ordinance on the ballot in the City of Houston, allow me to walk through one aspect that zero members of HER lazy & sycophantic media have failed to report; HER November 2010 Executive Order barring the use of military status as a hiring preference for union jobs in the City of Houston.
Five years ago—almost to the day—on November 11th, 2010—Houston Mayor Annise Parker signed HER Executive Order —-the Orwellian named “Veteran’s Employment Preference”.
The Houston Chronicle quoted HER:
“These men and women coming out of the service are focused, they’re disciplined, and that should be a benefit to the city of Houston”
However, upon closer examination and as I wrote at the time, the use of military status as a hiring preference in accordance with HER Executive Order did not apply to the hiring of military veterans in City jobs subject to collective bargaining and meet and confer agreements:
5.1 This Executive Order applies to all City Positions and departments except with respect to the hiring of person for positions subject to Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code or collective bargaining and meet and confer agreements.(emphasis mine)
I have to give thanks to the Dorian Gray of Houston—Noel Freeman—former President of the Houston GBLT Political Caucus who’s featured in the Houston Unites Divides video I refuse to link to.
As an 11-year Administrative Coordinator for the City of Houston’s Public Works and Engineering Department (that department has employees subject to a meet & confer agreement, doesn’t it?) and a four-year member of the United States Air Force it’s clear Noel Freeman is not capable of calling HER out for the signing of HER own executive order—-because if Prop 1 was about veterans rights Noel Freeman could call for HER to rescind the portion of HER executive order pertaining to union jobs in the City.
Turns out both Mayor Parker and Noel Freeman support bans on the use of military status in employment decisions after all.
Related: Does the Greater Houston Puppetship also support a ban on the use of military status in employment decisions?
Perhaps an executive order from the Mayor can’t override a contractual agreement with the employee unions, just as an executive order from the Mayor can’t override state law. Keep in mind that these orders are drafted with copious review and input by the legal department, and not by the Mayor on her own.