Liberal groups in Texas _ locked out of power in Austin, the state capital _ are turning to the state's largest Democratic cities to advance their policy agenda in Texas this fall.
In Dallas and San Antonio, labor organizers are pushing for November ballot initiatives that would require businesses to give their workers paid leave to care for themselves or family members who are sick.
Roughly 40 percent of Texas workers do not have access to paid sick leave, according to a report this month from the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities. Hispanic, low-income and part-time workers were among the least likely to have paid sick leave, according to the report.