John, 

As 2024 wraps up, we at the Arizona AFL-CIO want to say thank you. This year has been full of challenges, victories, and everything in between, and through it all, you’ve shown what makes the labor movement so special: solidarity and strength.

From walking picket lines to organizing, standing up for fair wages, and fighting for safe working conditions, you’ve been at the heart of it all. You’re the reason we keep pushing forward, and we couldn’t be prouder to stand alongside you.

Looking ahead to 2025, there’s still so much to do, but we know we can take on anything as long as we stick together. We will continue to make a difference for working families across Arizona—because we’ve got each other.

As we celebrate Kwanzaa and ring in the New Year, we just want you to know how much you mean to us and to this movement. Your hard work and dedication make a real difference, not just for union members but for every working person in Arizona.

Here’s to another year of standing strong, speaking up, and making things better for everyone. Thanks for all you do, and Happy New Year!

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita

Secretary-Treasurer

Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

Arizona AFL-CIO Building Bridges: Free Citizenship Fair

The Arizona AFL-CIO is prepared to host another Citizenship Fair, where applicants will receive free assistance from dedicated volunteer attorneys in completing their N-400 applications and preparing their paperwork for submission to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

This is open to union members, their families, and friends. We would like to confirm 30+ applicants before finalizing time and location for the workshop. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Arizona AFL-CIO's Training Specialist, Esau Gutierrez at [email protected]. 

Click HERE to download, share, print English and Spanish Flyers. 

2025 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference

Join the AFL-CIO in this historic place for the civil rights movement at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference in Austin, Texas, as we come together to reflect, learn and fight. At this year’s conference, together with our faith allies and others, we will reckon with the urgency of this moment and build on the deep roots of solidarity to lead the fights ahead. Bishop Vashti McKenzie will be joining us. Bishop McKenzie is the president and general secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ. In 2000, she became the first woman elected to episcopal office in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and in 2005 became the first woman to serve as titular head of the AME Church.

LCSA 6th Annual 5K Cupcake Chase Walk & Run

Labor's Community Service Agency (LCSA) provides different programs for families including affordable housing, and SHIFT (an affordable transportation program). Join them for their annual Cupcake Chase at Arizona Falls in Phoenix. 

Register to participate, become a volunteer, or become a sponsor. All proceeds are to benefit LCSA. If you have any questions, please contact Rebekah Friend 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].

Tell Amazon: Stop the Delays and Negotiate with the Union Now!

"In 2022, Amazon workers at the Staten Island fulfillment center made history by voting to form the first union at an Amazon facility in the United States. However, since that groundbreaking win, not only has Amazon intensified its efforts to crush unions at other locations, but it has refused to even meet with the newly formed Amazon Labor Union."

11 Predictions for Work and Leadership in 2025

"The incoming US administration and the expected advancement of AI alone will surely impact workplaces in 2025. We wanted to know what leaders in business, research, and labor expect for the year ahead. Here are 11 predictions, edited for length and clarity."

AFL-CIO Celebrates Senate Passage of Social Security Fairness Act 

"This bipartisan bill undoes a provision in current law that unfairly short-changes public sector workers and their families who want to continue contributing to their community or need a second job to pay their bills."

Celebrating the Holidays with a Successful Strike at Amazon

"Amazon Teamsters are celebrating the largest strike at Amazon in U.S. history. The strike drew national attention and strengthened union organizing at Amazon."

Starbucks Baristas' 'Strike Before Christmas' has Reached Hundreds of U.S. Stores

"Workers United told NPR that "nearly 300 locations and growing are fully shut down" across 45 states as of midday Tuesday. Starbucks offered a different figure, telling NPR that only around 170 Starbucks stores did not open as a result of the strike."

San Francisco Hotel Workers Near the End of a 3-Month Strike

"The last group of striking hotel workers in San Francisco has reached a tentative agreement for a new contract with Hilton, bringing an end to a strike that has lasted three months."

US Department of Labor Recovers $45K in Penalties from Napa Restaurant for Reckless Child Labor Law Violations

"An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the restaurant allowed minor employees as young as 14-years-old to work outside of permitted hours during school days and operate hazardous equipment, in violation of the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act."

Tucson Starbucks Employees Join in Union Strike

“Unionized Starbucks workers around the country began a strike over the weekend, and picketers were present today at a location on Speedway Boulevard and Park Avenue. Among the striking employees is Taylor Moat. Moat said the strike is a response to a 2% wage increase offered by the company."

Tempe Apartment Developer Hit with More Worker-Safety Fines

"An inspection in May at an apartment development called The Pier found what state regulators say are violations of safety standards, resulting in fines of $17,517."

What Mass Deportations Could Mean for Arizona Hotel Prices

"The hospitality sector, which includes hotels and other lodging, restaurants, recreation and entertainment, could lose one in every 14 workers through mass deportations, according to an October study from the American Immigration Council."

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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]