She was subsequently elected to the executive boards of the San Antonio Central Labor Council and the Texas AFL-CIO. She was elected a vice president of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement in 1986. She was first elected an international vice president of AFSCME in 1988.She served until she was elected executive vice-president of the AFL-CIO in October 1995. In 1993, Chavez-Thompson became the first Hispanic woman elected to the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO.Podgorski, "Striker Replacement Bill Top Labor Issue," Chicago Sun-Times, August 4, 1993; "Who's Running," The Oregonian, October 25, 1995. On March 1, 1995, she was elected executive director of AFSCME Texas Council 42, a statewide council of the union based in Austin with 12,000 members in 21 unions.Breyer, "San Antonio Woman Up for AFL-CIO Office," Austin American-Statesman, October 25, 1995.
