Texas AFL-CIO elects first woman president

Becky Moeller

Texas AFL-CIO President

with local union member Terri Ramos (photo)

The Texas AFL-CIO has elected Becky Moeller to a four-year term as president. Moeller, 58, a former Southwestern Bell employee, is the first woman chosen to lead the 220,000-member federation. Moeller, a former chairwoman of the commission that oversees the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, ran unopposed Saturday to succeed retiring Emmett Sheppard.

The New Mexico native, raised in Corpus Christi, said Tuesday that she'll work to pass federal legislation promoting collective bargaining and unions. Also, she said, "we need to have serious dialogue about jobs that have gone overseas."