John, 

The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) represents the dedicated 200,000 postal workers who ensure that life-saving medications, essential documents, heartfelt letters, and even vote-by-mail ballots reach our homes safely and on time. Right now, they’re in tough contract negotiations with U.S. Postal Service (USPS) management.

APWU members are fighting for:

• Fair pay and benefits
• Increased transparency and accountability for USPS leadership
• Better staffing and improved service for communities across the nation

We need to stand with them! Their fight is about more than just their jobs – it’s about the future of our postal service and the essential role it plays in our lives.

Join us at a Rally for the People’s Post Office near you on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024 and show your support for postal workers and the services we all rely on. Find an event in Arizona below:

• 👉 Prescott Rally RSVP: RSVP Here

• 👉 Phoenix Rally RSVP: RSVP Here
  Please note: Parking is limited! We recommend arriving between 7:15 AM and 7:45 AM to secure parking on the premises.

• 👉 Tucson Rally RSVP: RSVP Here

This is a critical moment for postal workers and for all of us who rely on the services they provide. By standing in solidarity with APWU, we’re sending a clear message that we support a strong post office that serves the people for generations to come.

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita

Secretary-Treasurer

Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

🚕 NNU Vital Canvass & AFSCME Shred Project 2025 Bus Event

Drivers Needed in Tucson for October 5th & 6th! 

We are calling on volunteers to help transport National Nurses United (NNU) members as they knock on doors in support of labor-endorsed candidates! 

On Saturday October 5th, join us for an extended lunch (provided) and a day of solidarity featuring the AFSCME Shred Truck, a special appearance by AFSCME President Lee Saunders, and inspiring speeches from local leaders.

📞 Daily Phonebanks with Arizona AFL-CIO

The AZ AFL-CIO is hosting daily phonebank sessions to support our labor-endorsed candidates from now until Election Day! Your voice can make a difference in ensuring pro-worker candidates win their races 

When: Daily, now through Election Day 

Time: Flexible shifts available to fit your schedule

Who: Union members, volunteers, and labor allies 

Click on either Phoenix or Tucson to sign up to phonebank!

🚪 Daily Canvasses with Arizona AFL-CIO

The AZ AFL-CIO is hosting daily canvasses to support our labor-endorsed candidates from now until Election Day! Your voice can make a difference in ensuring pro-worker candidates win their races 

When: Daily, now through Election Day 

Time: Flexible shifts available to fit your schedule

Who: Union members, volunteers, and labor allies 

Click on either Phoenix or Tucson to sign up to phonebank!

AARA Invites you to a Postcard Writing Party!  

Join AARA retirees for an engaging event where you'll craft heartfelt postcards to inspire fellow community members to vote for labor-endorsed candidates. Plus, enjoy a delicious lunch and a chance to wind door prizes! 

Event Details: 

📅 Thursday, October 3, 2024

⏰  10:30 AM to 12:30 PM

📍  UFCW Local 99, 2401 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004 

Please contact Dora Vasquez at [email protected] for any questions you may have. 

Phonebank With AARA!

Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans will be launching a weekly phonebank! Every Thursday, from now until Election Day (Nov. 5th), you can join either virtually or in-person at the Painters Union Hall. They'll be phonebanking with fellow union retirees, reaching out to union households and encouraging them to vote for labor-endorsed candidates.

RSVP to join virtually or in-person on Thursday, September 12th:

• Click here to join in-person
• Click here to join virtually

Please direct any questions to Joe Murphy at [email protected]

AFL-CIO Women Get It Done Virtual Summit

Union women have never been more important than we are right now in mobilizing for the Nov. 5 election. The AFL-CIO is  inviting you to join as they host a nationwide virtual event, where union women from across our movement will hear from each other, speak their truth and affirm that this fight unites us rather than divides us. 

As we head into the final weeks of the election, we will come together to discuss what’s at stake and the crucial role that women will play in our struggle for victory in November and drive home the importance of Vice President Kamala Harris’ election to the White House.

When: October 1st, 2024

Time: 7:00 PM (ET)

AZ AFL-CIO Women Wednesday Phone Banking

We’re hosting a Women's Wednesday Phonebanking Event! This is your chance to bring your union sisters, friends, and family members to our solidarity event to call union women throughout Arizona and share our message of solidarity and empowerment.

When: October 9th, 2024

Time: Multiple Flexible Shifts ⤵️

AZ AFL-CIO Women Wednesday Postcard Writing

We’re hosting a Women's Wednesday Phonebanking Event! This is your chance to bring your union sisters, friends, and family members to our solidarity event to call union women throughout Arizona and share our message of solidarity and empowerment.

When: October 23rd, 2024

Time: Multiple Flexible Shifts ⤵️

Your Support is Needed: Stant with Boeing Workers!

33,000 Members of IAM District 751 and IAM District W24 just voted by 94% to reject Boeing's contract offer. IAM District 751 and District W24 represent Bowing workers in Washington state, Oregon, and California.

Stand with these workers as they hold the line until Boeing offers a deal their members deserve.

We must support these workers, as they fight for all working families, the middle class, and all of our communities and families.

Show your support by signing this solidarity pledge and spreading the word! We need to raise our collective voice and show Boeing that America's workforce stand with Boeing workers in this fight.

Tell Governor Green to Help End the Lockout of Kapi'olani Nurses

Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, the owners of Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children, will lockout 600 nurses at the facility to coerce them into accepting the hospital’s contract offer. The lockout will start immediately following a planned one-day unfair labor practice strike by the nurses set for September 13th, 2024.  

The strike was called to protest Kapiolani Medical Center’s ongoing bullying and retaliation of nurses for reporting unsafe staffing incidents and voicing their concerns for patients’ safety. Unsafe staffing occurs when there are too few qualified nurses on a shift to adequately address the needs of each patient they care for. Study after study has shown that unsafe staffing hurts patient care, leading to worse health outcomes, including higher mortality rates.

Please send a letter to Governor Green and ask him to lead by intervening in the lock out and showing Hawai’i business leaders that lock outs have no place in Hawai’i.

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].

The Big Rip: Low Wage Corporations Spent Half a Trillion Inflating CEO Pay 

"Why don't low wage workers earn more? Because their bosses plowed $522 million into manipulating their stock price - and CEO paychecks - instead."

Union Urges Department of Transportation to Bar Federal Grants to Brightline Florida 

"The Transport Workers Union of America says that the passenger railroad is trying to bar onboard service personnel from joining a union."

'As long as it takes': On the Frontlines of the Boeing Strike, Workers Brace for a Long Battle

"Workers have manned a picket line outside Boeing’s airplane factory in Renton, Washington, around the clock since tens of thousands walked off the job earlier this month. Almost two weeks into the strike, the largest now under way in the US, nobody knows when it will end."

AFL-CIO Enters Historic Partnership with U.S. National Science Foundation

"As part of our mission to ensure that worker perspectives are included in STEM research and innovation, the AFL-CIO and our Technology Institute announced today the launch of a historic partnership with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). "

Powerhouse Animation Studio Workers Ratify First Union Contract in Historic Move for Right-To-Work States 

"IATSE Local 839 announced Tuesday that 129 artists and production workers at Powerhouse Animation Studios in Austin, Texas — the studio behind Netflix’s Castlevania — had ratified their first contract via a 96% supermajority vote."

Dozens of Union Workers Attend Central Labor Council's Citizenship Drive 

"Luz was one of about 100 legal permanent residents who attended the New York City Central Labor Council’s second annual citizenship drive last Saturday. The event highlighted  the demand for immigration and naturalization support among workers and their families, and revealed how unions are tapping into New York’s nonprofit infrastructure to fill that need."

Bus Drivers Get More Protections with Passing of HB2742

"Union Teamsters Local 104 political director Dawn Schumann echoed Smith, stressing why these precautions are so important. “You cannot aggressively assault someone and then just get a ticket and be able to get back on the bus within six to seven hours,” Schumann said. “It’s just not ok.” Following a bus driver’s stabbing in 2014, Teamsters Local 104 has been fighting for an increase in safety for transit workers."

Flagstaff Bookmans Workers Officially Form a Union Following 100% Authorization

"Employees at Bookmans Entertainment Exchange in Flagstaff officially formed a union on Monday, becoming the second location in the company to do so in the past month."

Tipped Workers: Prop. 138 is 'a joke' that Will Make Their Lives Worse 

“The measure in question is Proposition 138, which was referred to the ballot by Republican lawmakers and is backed by the Arizona Restaurant Association. If approved, employers could pay tipped workers 25% less per hour than the state’s minimum wage, as long as their total pay including tips is at least $2 above the minimum wage. "

In Arizona, Abortion Policy and Politics are Intertwined — and the Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher

"It’s the first question that volunteers working to pass Proposition 139 — a ballot measure that proposes amending the state constitution to establish a right to abortion — ask voters while they are out knocking on their doors ahead of the November election. These days in Arizona, it’s rare to hear anything but yes as an answer to that question."

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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]