John, 

I recently attended a conference where there were people representing different areas involved in state politics. Labor, community groups, consulting firms, and so on. I struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was a consultant from Chicago while sitting at a table with groups from other states. We began talking about what I did with the AZ AFL-CIO, and the topic of professional sports teams affiliating with the AFL-CIO came up. I let him know that just two of the major professional sports leagues had not yet joined forces: the NBA and the NHL. He mentioned that the NBA was one of his clients and wondered why professional athletes or their unions would want to affiliate with the AFL-CIO. "Why would a professional athlete join a union in the first place?" I simply questioned. 

The answer to that question may be found in this article by R.J. Anderson. We'll provide an excerpt as well as a link to the entire article. It’s a fantastic read!

"You've landed your childhood dream job, or at least your dream job since your Little League coach pointed out you couldn't hit fastballs: you've been hired to work inside a Major League Baseball team's front office. You log long hours and stomach meager pay to climb the organizational ladder. Your performance is commended, to the point that you're told you're getting a new, more impressive title. Except the whole deal is a ruse. You've been had. The new title doesn't come with much of a raise, just a tether to keep you in place.

This is not a hypothetical for some MLB front-office employees. They, or someone they work with, have lived it. Though their careers may seem like dream jobs to outsiders, some of those who have been inside baseball tell a different story, one sprinkled with the pitfalls of working within a closed system.

Unlike in most other fields, front-office employees are not free to shop their labor or entertain competing offers in a meaningful manner. Teams must request permission to interview another club's worker while they're under contract; teams are under no obligation, however, to say yes, or to even inform the employee of outside interest. There is a tacit understanding that workers will be given the option to interview if the job is a clear promotion, yet the industry's rampant title inflation doubles, in a sense, as a control mechanism. 

"[We're] going to make you Super Senior Director of X, we're going to make up that title for you," a former front-office member who worked in baseball operations told CBS Sports. "And then that backfires on people."

A lofty title, no matter the actual significance of it, makes it easier for teams to dismiss opportunities as lateral moves, denying their employee the chance to choose.

Baseball is a lot of things, including a collection of unions: from the players and umpires to the concession workers and broadcast technicians. Front-office workers are one of the industry's few prominent groups to not be organized. The "promotion in title only" trick is just one of the ways that baseball's inconsistent, one-sided, and oft-shrouded practices have put front-office employees -- scouts, analysts, database programmers, business directors, HR administrators and others -- at a disadvantage in workplace affairs.

"We're not protected at all," a current front-office worker said.

CBS Sports is unaware of any ongoing efforts to organize front-office workers. Still, conversations with roughly a dozen individuals with experience within the game revealed an emerging appetite for unionization at a time when a labor movement is sweeping the league. A few sources acknowledged informally discussing the possibility with their peers.

The MLB Players Association was involved in several notable developments last year, beginning with the union holding firm during the owner-imposed lockout. The players did not fold and accept what they deemed unsuitable terms, even as the regular-season schedule was compromised by a work stoppage for the first time since the 1994-95 strike. Over the summer, the MLBPA announced it stood in solidarity with Dodger Stadium concession workers who threatened a strike ahead of the All-Star Game. (The employees, having achieved substantive progress toward a new contract with Levy Restaurants, worked on.) Then, in the fall, the MLBPA helped minor-league players take the historic step of unionizing, a decision that culminated this spring with the ratification of their first Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

Click here to read full article.

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

Join the Arizona AFL-CIO Labor Book Club

Our goal is to explore the history, impact, and ongoing struggle of the labor movement. This is an open community event, inviting union members, potential members, and anyone interested in the labor movement to come together and discuss books that highlight the lives of workers and the many facets of unionized labor.

Don't miss out on the fun; we hope to see you there, and be sure to spread the word!

Invitation to a Workshop on Combatting Disinformation

Do you care about the rights of workers, voters, women, people of color, immigrants, members of our LGBTQ communities, seniors, or persons with disabilities? If you do, you are probably concerned by the endless disinformation campaigns that are being used to spread hatred, divide us as people, undermine our democracy, make it difficult to engage in civil and respectful conversations, and determine the truth.

Join Mark M. McDermott for a 3-hour workshop, with the first 90 minutes devoted to the History of Modern Disinformation and the second 90 minutes to skill building. Lunch will be provided.

WHEN: May 23rd, 2023, from 10:30 AM to 2:30 AM

WHERE: UFCW Local 99- 2401 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ, 85004

EMILYs List Ignite Change Fellowship for Union Women

They invite you to join for a brief information session, just for union women, on May 15th at 4PM ET to learn more about this free program that will teach you the nuts and bolts of running for office, what to expect and how to apply.

Click HERE for more information or email [email protected] if you have any questions. 

Say You Stand with Striking Writers

Writers are facing the most comprehensive assault on compensation and working conditions they have seen in a generation. The studios have taken advantage of the transition to streaming to underpay entertainment industry workers in every area of work—including writers.

Stand with the 11,500 members who write and produce the TV shows and films that entertain the world. Add your name if you support the striking workers and think they should get a fair deal.

Julie Su Needs Your Help!

We know Su is the right person to support America’s workers. She’s never backed down from a fight when workers’ fundamental rights are on the line—and with your help, we’re not backing down either.

The problem? Well-heeled lobbyists and corporate special interests are spending big to block Su's confirmation because they know she puts working people first. Workers deserve a labor secretary who will fiercely defend us. 

Call your senators now and tell them to vote to confirm Julie Su as secretary of the Department of Labor. 

Join Unemployed Workers United to Empower Tenants!

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] 

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].

Respect, Supplies, Coffee: What Arizona Teachers Want for Teacher Appreciation Week 2023

"Arizona educators and teacher advocates said there are several ways to show appreciation and support for teachers this year, from donating supplies to speaking with elected officials.

At A Breaking Point: In the States Roundup 

"t's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on Twitter."

Berks County Battery Manufacture Faces Record-Breaking $22 Million Verdict for Wage Violations 

“East Penn Manufacturing Company Inc., a battery manufacturer based in Berks County, owes $22 million for failing to pay workers properly for time spent changing clothes and showering after their shifts. It’s the largest Fair Labor Standards Act verdict ever obtained by the Department of Labor, according to a spokesperson for the department."

Film/TV Shoots at L.A. Hotels May Be Disrupted as Hospitality Workers Back Writers Strike

"In a letter sent on May 11 to more than 100 area hotels its members work for, UNITE HERE Local 11 announced it “will not cross any picket line set up by the WGA.” By its account, many of the properties where the union represents workers “frequently serve as locations for film and television productions,” the organization wrote in a letter obtained by The Hollywood Reporter."

From Stakeouts to Warrants: How Federal Investigators Found More Than 100 Children Cleaning Slaughterhouses

"Last November, the Department of Labor filed suit against PSSI. The company responded with this: "PSSI has an absolute company-wide prohibition" against hiring minors. It added, "we will defend ourselves vigorously against these claims." The statement said PSSI checks eligibility of employees, including this girl, on a federal database. But that database is well known to be abused in an industry that can struggle to find workers. The jobs are grim and dangerous--and so they are often filled by immigrants who are desperate for work. Some immigrants use false papers to routinely beat the federal identification system that is known as E-Verify. Employers have known for nearly 30 years that E-Verify is useless if the applicant has bought, borrowed or stolen an actual ID --which is common. and in the case of the children, E-Verify was especially dubious."

Minnesota Senate Votes for Paid Family and Medical Leave

"A paid family and medical leave program that would allow all Minnesota workers to take months off work to care for a newborn, a sick family member or recover from illness is nearing reality at the state Capitol. The Senate voted along party lines to create a state-run leave program Monday that would enable people to take time off with partial pay. It would be funded by a payroll tax on employers and employees. Some employers and business groups oppose the bill, while other workers and small business owners have long pressed for the change.”

Chicago REI Store Workers Vote to Join Union 

“The store becomes the third REI store in the U.S. whose workers have affiliated with the RWDSU, the others being in New York City and outside Cleveland. Employees at a store in Berkeley, California, have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union."

Arizona Could Invest $150 For Affordable Housing Through A Trust Fund. What Does That Mean? 

“The budget plan crafted by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican legislative leaders that began moving through the Legislature on Tuesday proposes allocating $150 million to the state’s Housing Trust Fund, which funds affordable housing projects and housing assistance programs. If approved by lawmakers, the investment would be the largest in the fund’s history by far."

Title 42 Is Ending. Here's How Phoenix Humanitarian Groups are Preparing

“Local groups that provide shelter, food and other humanitarian assistance to migrants are preparing for a possible sudden increase in the number of migrants released by federal immigration authorities at the end of this week when Title 42 border restrictions are set to end. The groups have been lining up extra volunteers, stocking up on food and clothing, and reserving hotel rooms in case a sudden surge in migrants released by federal authorities results in overflows."

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs Signs $17 Billion Budget for 2024 Fiscal Year 

“Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Friday that she signed an $17.8 billion budget for the 2024 fiscal year that features heavy investments in education, transportation and tax rebates. The budget, down slightly from the $18.1 billion one signed last year by former Gov. Doug Ducey, includes no net new ongoing spending for the first time since 2017."

Isaac School District Celebrates Federal Funding for Safer, Clean-Energy School Buses 

“Children in the Isaac School District in Phoenix will soon be able to get to school and back on safer, clean-energy buses thanks to $2.4 million in funding from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law. The district highlighted the importance of replacing polluting diesel-powered school buses with low- and no-emission buses during an event on Tuesday, alongside a coalition of environmental and local advocacy groups, including Chispa Arizona, EDF Action, Moms Clean Air Force, Sierra Club, and Defend Our Future.

Honoring Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 

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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]