john, 

As the holy month of Ramadan gets underway, we would like to send our warmest wishes to all of our Muslim union members, their families, and the larger Muslim community. We recognize the difficulties our Muslim members and employees may encounter while fasting throughout their working hours, as Ramadan is a time of fasting, prayer, and meditation.

The AFL-CIO shares the Muslim community's desire to pursue their faith without prejudice or discrimination because we know and value the physical and spiritual strength earned through this practice of fasting. We are dedicated to safeguarding the values on which our nation was founded—respect for all people of all religions.

Please remember workers around the world who are fighting for dignity and justice as our Muslim brothers and sisters begin this holy month from March 22 to April 21. May this month offer you and your loved ones spiritual blessings.

Eid Mubarak and Happy Eid to all!

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

Day of Action at the Capitol!

Join us for the Day of Action at the Capitol on Monday April 24th, 2023!

We will have special guest speaker, Dennis Dougherty, the Executive Director of the Colorado AFL-CIO, and two workshops:

• Lobbying 101 with Daniella Smith of Limitless Consulting
• Constituency Groups

Come and enjoy lunch with friends, family, and possibly your legislature!

If you are not interested in attending the workshops, you can always volunteer to help with the setup, breakdown, or serving of lunch by scanning the QR code below.

JAM at Esteban Park

April is Jazz Appreciation Month, so we are celebrating the event with local musicians who are the best of Jazz, Funk, R&B, and Poetic Jazz all secured by American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 586.

Arizona Workers' Memorial Day: Action for Workers' Lives 

The Industrial Commission of Arizona is holding a public meeting on April 27th - the day before Workers' Memorial Day. Please consider joining workers, families, and worker health & safety advocates with the National COSH network in attending the meeting. We'll witness and honor people killed on the job last year with photos and in memoriam lists -- and use the public comments portion of the meeting to call for stronger health and safety enforcement and reform at the ICA and ADOSH. 

WHEN: April 27th @ 12:30PM

WHERE: Industrial Commission of Arizona - 800 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ, 85007

Sign up to attend the event to receive coordinating information. Interested in testifying or have questions? Reach out to Katelyn Parady, National COSH @ 307-389-7387 or [email protected].

2023 Strategic Corporate Research Summer School 

Cornell University's Industrial and Labor Relations and the AFL-CIO are teaming up to offer a program that provides an opportunity for students, union staff, and those interested in being part of social change organizations to learn how to research and hold corporations accountable. Through hands-on activities, participants will gain knowledge on topics such as corporate ownership, finance, organization, and power. By the end of the course, they should be equipped with the skills and knowledge to begin and advance in career paths such as strategic research and strategic campaigns, as well as understand corporate ownership structures and sources of corporate power.

Union Scholars Program - Paid Internship!

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees is partnering with Harvard University's Labor and Worklife Program to offer the Union Scholars Program, an eight-week summer internship for students of color. Through this program, you will have the chance to gain hands-on organizing experience with AFSCME members and travel while building your resume. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity!

UNITEHERE Local 11 & HTA Hospitality Training Academy Prep Cook Class

The first class launching in Arizona on April 10th. This program invites interested candidates to reach out or stop by UNITE HERE Local 11 Union Hall at 1021 S. 7th Ave., Phoenix, AZ, 85007 for more information. 

The Hospitality Training Academy Prep Cook Class is an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to receive comprehensive kitchen training and guaranteed placement in the food service/hospitality industry. Taught by highly skilled chefs, no prior experience is required, just a passion for learning a new skill. 

For any questions, please contact Marilyn Wilbur at (480) 203-3467.

IUOE Local 428 Blood Drive in Memory of Chrissy Ochoa

International Union of Operating Engineers is hosting a Blood drive in memory of Christine Marie Ochoa who lost her fight to lung cancer on June 4th, 2022. Please consider to donate blood by visiting their Union Hall on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

To schedule an appointment, click on the button below and enter Sponsor Code: local428.

Alert: Protect Working People! Pass the PRO Act!

We join Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Reps. Bobby Scott (Va.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) in their call to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Work stoppages were up 52% in 2022, and the number of workers involved in stoppages increased 60%.

If we want to build up worker power, our outdated labor laws must keep up with the times. 

This is why now is the time to pass the PRO Act, just reintroduced in the House & Senate as the Richard L. Trumka PRO Act.

*Download the Zoom Banner below to share your support*

Request to Speak at Legislative Committee Meetings

Sign up and 'Request to Speak' to weigh in on bills directly with State Representatives and Senators during our Legislative Committee Meetings every Friday at 9:30 AM!

2023 Legislative Committee Meeting Alerts

Complete this form to be up on a list to get updates and alerts on the 2023 Legislative Session.

For additional questions, contact our Political Director; Joe Murphy at [email protected] 

National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

The 31st Annual Food Drive is Saturday, May 13, 2023!

Last year NALC members and volunteers collected over 41.2 million pounds of food. Customers will receive a Food Drive Flyer reminder the week prior and a bag to fill to put in your mailbox for pickup.

Union Events and Action

We want to uplift what you are doing for our members and our community!

Please fill out all the required information to have your Local's event uploaded to our Arizona AFL-CIO website or featured in our next Labor Dispatch. If you have any questions please reach out to Alina Cordoba, Communications & Operations Director at [email protected].

Women Need Julie Su as Our Next Labor Secretary. The Labor Movement Is Ready to Fight for Her 

"This is about more than representation. It's about better lives for working women and all families."

How Janelle Jones's Story About Black Women and the Economy Caught On 

"Those union jobs, and the upward mobility they provided to millions of Black people who migrated from the South in search of freedom and opportunity, taught Ms. Jones what it means to move from the margins to the middle class. She noticed the difference when her mother switched to making Econoline vans after years serving Happy Meals at McDonald’s — a business that her current employer, the Service Employees International Union, is in a long-running battle to unionize.

"We're Calling Bullshit": Why Museum Workers Keep Unionizing 

“In late March, workers at Philadelphia’s Please Touch Museum (PTM), one of the top ten ranked children’s museums in the country, voted to join the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees District Council 47 (AFSCME DC 47) Local 397. The landslide win (85% of workers voted to unionize) follows other recent union victories in Philadelphia— including at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA)— as well as at other museums and cultural institutions around the country. The win at the PTM marked the third museum union victory for AFSCME in the month of March."

Faculty Strike Day 1: Adjunct Faculty, Graduate Students Provide Their Picket Line Perspectives 

"The strike follows months of stalled contract negotiations between the University and the Rutgers chapter of the American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers (AAUP-AFT), the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union (PTLFC) and the American Association of University Professors at the Biomedical and Health Sciences of New Jersey (AAUP–BHSNJ). In New Brunswick, picket lines formed on all five campuses, with demonstrators chanting pro-labor slogans, singing, breakdancing, conducting dialogues with each other and holding up both printed and handmade signs."

The Human Costs of Your Chipotle Burrito 

"They say they're treating employees the best they can, that they're giving the best benefits. The truth is we're getting exploited.”

More Than 2,000 Freight Rail Workers Have Filed Whistleblower Complaints for Safety Concerns in Last 10 Years, Documents Show 

“Bur the vast majority of the complaints are dismissed or thrown out for technical reasons. In 2013, Jeff Kurtz, then a union officer for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen as well as an engineer for BNSF, helped a coworker file a whistleblower complaint against the railroad."

Wages Waiting: Department of Labor Seeking Nearly 2,900 People Employed in Response to 2015 Bird Flu Outbreak After Recovery of $1.7M In Back Wages

"We’ve recovered $1.7 million for nearly 2,900 workers employed by 145 subcontractors of Clean Harbors Environmental Services in 2015. Now we’re trying to locate those workers, who were employed (mainly in Iowa) to euthanize birds and dispose of their carcasses during the 2015 avian flu outbreak."

Teachers at Tucson's BASIS Charter School Overwhelmingly Vote to Form Union

“by a 2-1 margin, teachers at Tucson's acclaimed BASIS Tucson North school voted to unionize Wednesday evening, making the Northeast Side charter the first in Arizona to have staff organize."

Buckeye Trench Company with Deadly Accident Had History of Safety Problems

“An Arizona company that employed two men who died in a trench collapse has a history of safety violations. Records show state regulators cited the company, Construction Specification Solutions, for multiple safety violations over two years. The fines totaled less than $10,000, according to documents from the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or ADOSH, which oversees state worker safety."

Gilbert Starbucks Becomes 7th Store in Arizona to Unionize

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If you'd like to promote an event for your union in our weekly newsletter, fill out our submission form or email AZ AFL-CIO  Communications & Operations Director Alina Cordoba at [email protected]