--- title: Strive to Thrive Project reveals struggles of Texas school employees description: The America’s Work Force Union Podcast is the nation’s premier daily labor program. Zeph Capo, President of the Texas AFT joined us on today’s show. image: https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/AWF-blog-image-template_blue_AWF.jpg --- 1 min read Season 4, Episode 246 # Strive to Thrive Project reveals struggles of Texas school employees [ awfblog ](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog) December 13, 2023 [Education](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/education) [America's Work Force Union Podcast](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/americas-work-force-union-podcast) [American Federation of Teachers](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/american-federation-of-teachers) [Union Issues](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/union-issues) ![AWF-Blogo-Logos-Template-400x400_aft](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/AWF-Blogo-Logos-Template-400x400_aft.png?width=400&height=400&name=AWF-Blogo-Logos-Template-400x400_aft.png)   Guest Name: --- Zeph Capo Guest Website: --- [https://www.texasaft.org/](https://www.texasaft.org/)  Guest Social Media: --- [ Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/texasaft/) [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/TexasAFT?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) [ YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@texas_aft) [ LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/texasaft/) Supportive Documents: ---   Zeph Capo, President of the [Texas American Federation of Teachers](https://www.texasaft.org/) joined the America’s Workforce Union Podcast and discussed the Strive to Thrive Project, which found poor working conditions in the Texas public school systems. He also recapped the year that was for the Texas AFT in 2023 and looked ahead to 2024. More than 600 Texas public school employees participated in the Strive to Thrive Project, which for one month, tracked several aspects of the lives of public school employees. This information included hours worked (days, nights and weekends), out-of-pocket expenses and work duties. As a result of the survey, the union found that one out of five project participants reported working a second or third job, which could be school-related, during the time period they tracked. This is on top of the 50 hours per week most employees work, with the highest weekly total reported at 80 hours for one employee. From a teacher's standpoint, he noted that more hours are spent on paperwork than planning classroom curriculum. Capo said that according to the survey, employees spend on average $68 per week of their own paycheck for supplies and other necessities the schools refuse to provide or the student’s parents cannot provide. He also touched on work duties, as employees are asked to do more than what is required of them in their job description. Looking back on 2023, Capo noted that despite a nearly $33 billion surplus, the Texas legislature did not pass any increases to state funding for public schools. In the year ahead, he hopes the Texas AFT will hold the state’s elected officials accountable for failing the public school system. Listen to the entire episode to learn more:  --- America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues. America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ##### SUBSCRIBE ON: --- [![Group 342](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png?width=171&name=Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/id1511224946) [![Group 341](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Spotify%20Button-Dark.png?width=100&name=Spotify%20Button-Dark.png)](https://open.spotify.com/show/0GzkHxFSBxiXvuX0lZpQBn) [![Group 343](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20343.png?width=135&name=Group%20343.png)](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast-62567752/) [![Group 339](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20339.png?width=110&name=Group%20339.png)](https://www.pandora.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/PC:47979) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20397.png?width=125&name=Group%20397.png)](https://americasworkforceradiopodcast.podbean.com/) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/YouTube_button.png?width=125&name=YouTube_button.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQo1PAtRAel1_tS7-PQOkA)   #### [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) : July 6, 2026 # Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat Brandon Elvey, Secretary-Treasurer of the [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen](https://www.brs.org/),... 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