John, 

Each year on April 28th, we gather in solemn remembrance of the workers who tragically lost their lives on the job—and we renew our shared commitment to fight like hell for the living. This year, the Maricopa Area Labor Federation invites you to join us for a powerful Workers’ Memorial Day event under the theme: Fight for Our Lives: Safe Jobs Now

As working people across Arizona face rising dangers on the job—from extreme heat to inadequate safety protections—our message is clear: enough is enough. It’s time for enforceable standards, real accountability, and the dignity of a safe workplace for every worker.

📍 Location: IUPAT Hall, 210 N. 24th St., Phoenix, AZ 85034
📅 Date: Monday, April 28, 2025
🕙 10:00 AM – Press Event
Hear from labor leaders, elected officials, and safety advocates as we call for:

• ✅ Enforceable heat safety standards

• ✅ Comprehensive workplace protections

• ✅ Stronger accountability from employers and policymakers

🍽️ 10:30 AM – Breakfast & Panel Discussion
Join us for food and a dynamic panel exploring:

• Real stories from Arizona workers and beyond

• Best practices to keep our coworkers safe

• Bold, life-saving policy solutions

If your union has lost a member due to a workplace incident, we invite you to honor their memory by sending us their name and any details you'd like shared to [email protected]. We will recognize and remember them during the program.

Let’s grieve with purpose, lift up the voices of the fallen, and recommit to the fight for the living.Together, we will build a safer, stronger future for all workers.

Fred Yamashita

Secretary-Treasurer

Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

AFSCME & Allies Town Hall

What Retirees Need to Know About the Social Security Administration Changes

The Social Security Administration is facing unprecedented threats and rapid changes – and retirees need clear fact-based information now more than ever.

AZ AFL-CIO Congressional District Town Hall

The Arizona AFL-CIO, Pima Area Labor Federation, and Maricopa Area Labor Federation will be hosting a Labor Union Town Hall during the Congressional Recess.Congressman Juan Ciscomani and other elected leaders are invited to talk with their constituents about our concerns and the future of our country.We will also have speakers from the community and labor.

Event Details:

📅Saturday, April 26, 2025

⏰ 2:00-3:00PM

📍 IBEW Local 570, 750 S. Tucson Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85716

Upcoming Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) Meetings & Events

📅 LCLAA Phoenix Meeting - Monday, April 22, 2025

🕔 5:00 PM | 📍 UNITE HERE Local 11, 1021 S 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85007
Join us to prepare for May Day, organize our community, and build collective strategy.

📅 May Day March - Thursday, May 1, 2025

🕘 9:00 AM | 📍 Arizona State Capitol
Join workers, unions, immigrants, and allies across Arizona for International Workers’ Day. We will march in force to defend labor rights, immigrant communities, and the freedom to organize.

May Day is not just a tradition—it’s a call to action. We march to defend:

• Union rights and collective bargaining
• Dignity and safety for immigrant workers
• Good jobs, fair wages, and respect on the job

This is our day to say: Arizona’s working class is organized, united, and ready to fight.

📅 LCLAA Annual Cinco de Mayo Mixer - Friday, May 9, 2025

🕕 6:00–8:00 PM | 📍 UNITE HERE Offices, 1021 S 7th Ave, Phoenix
After May Day, we gather to celebrate our cultura, comunidad, and lucha with food, music, and deep connection.

Workers' Memorial Day 2025: Fight for Our Lives - Safe Jobs Now

The Maricopa Area Labor Federation will be hosting this year's Workers' Memorial Day event where we gather to remember the lives of workers who tragically died on the job and renew our fight for safer working conditions.

This year we'll focus on the urgent need to protect workers from rising dangers.

Join us at 10:00 AM for a press event where we will hear from labor leaders, elected officials, and advocates followed by a Breakfast and Panel Discussion at 10:30 AM. 

Bring Local 100 Brother Home and Give Him Due Process

Please take a few minutes to send a pre-written letter to your representative and senator: Tell them to demand SMART apprentice Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia's return to the United States so he can receive due process!

On March 31, 2025, the Trump administration conceded in a court filing that it had mistakenly deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a legally protected Maryland resident and father, to El Salvador “because of an administrative error." Like many of us, Abrego Garcia works full-time to support his wife and his five-year-old son. SMART is demanding that he is returned to his family. Please take a few minutes to ask your congressional representatives to do the same! 

Take Action: Contact Your Member of Congress and Tell Them to Bring Abrego Garcia Home

Collecting Stories About Heat

The Heat Standards Coalition, is collecting stories about how Arizonans are affected by heat. Rising temperatures in Phoenix makes it harder to do our jobs, get to the places we need, and access valuable resources. We want to launch a heat ordinance offering more protections for workers and residents alike. Please help us by sharing your story of how you are affected by heat!

⤵️Click on the button below and fill out the form or Email [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions.  

Arizona Needs Reliable Internet Service & Good Jobs

$42 billion in public funding for internet infrastructure is on the line, and we need your voice! While CWA members have fought for investments in reliable fiber broadband that create good, union jobs, satellite company CEOs are pushing to redirect these funds to unreliable satellite services. Satellite internet lacks the necessary speeds, employs fewer workers, and has a short lifespan that leads to repeated investments. 

⤵️Click on the link below and tell Governor Hobbs and the Arizona State Broadband Office to stand up to pressure to redirect funds to unreliable satellite internet service and continue to create good, union jobs by investing in reliable, high-speed fiber internet. ⤵️

FREE State-Registered Apprenticeship — Line Cook Training for Your Members & Community

The Hospitality Training Academy (HTA), in collaboration with UNITE HERE, is offering an 8-week, no-cost Line Cook Training Program in Phoenix, which leads directly to union jobs with benefits. This program is now officially recognized as an Arizona State-Registered Apprenticeship Program.

HTA has a strong history of preparing individuals for success in union jobs, offering fair wages, dignity, and opportunities for career advancement in the hospitality industry.

Who is this for?
✅ Anyone aged 18 or older
✅ Proficient in English with a reading level of at least 10th grade
✅ Interested in starting a career in a growing industry

Why it matters:
This apprenticeship serves as a vital pathway to help workers escape poverty and secure stable, union-backed careers. With your support, we can reach individuals in your community and membership who are ready for this opportunity.

Next steps and details:
UNITE HERE will be hosting informational sessions soon, and only those who attend will be eligible to enroll. Please share the attached flyer with your members, their families, and neighbors to help spread the word.

Urge House Members to Cosponsor the "Protect America's Workforce Act"

Send a message to your member of Congress to stand up for federal workers.

Every Member of Congress depends on hardworking federal workers in their states and districts to deliver the services their constituents depend on.

Take action NOW to urge House members to cosponsor H.R. 2550, the "Protect America's Workforce Act."

26th Annual Joe Standley Golf Tournament - May 23, 2025

The Arizona Building Trades Council (AZBTC) invites you to join their annual fundraising event that supports Labor's Community Service Agency (LCSA).

LCSA is a nonprofit arm of the AFL-CIO, and provides human services to Arizona's most vulnerable populations since 1974. Your participation will directly support affordable housing, transportation assistance, and financial aid support to those in need.  

➡️Click HERE to download/print flyers.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rebekah Friend at (602) 622-5361 or [email protected]. 

68th Annual Grace Carroll Rocky Mountain Labor School (GCRMLS)

Registration is now open! This year GCRMLS will be coming to Las Vegas, Nevada July 6 - July 12, 2025.

Founded in 1956, GCRMLS is the only remaining regional labor school in the nation! It is a renowned educational program dedicated to providing high-quality labor education to union members, activists, and leaders all while being able to share real life successes, challenges, and best practices around the labor movement.

For further information, you can visit the GRCMLS website at gcrmls.org.

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].

AZ AFL-CIO's Book Club: A New Chapter Begins!

We're back—and better than ever! The Arizona AFL-CIO Labor Book Club is now  formatted as an end-of-the-month book review, offering fresh perspectives on thought-provoking reads that resonate with our movement. 

📖This Month's Book: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Join Our Weekly Meetings

Join us every Friday at 9:30 AM via Zoom as we prepare for the upcoming 2025 Legislative Committee Meetings. This is an important opportunity for union members to learn about the key issues and topics that will be discussed during the 1st Regular Session of the 57th Legislature.

Stay informed and engaged as we navigate the legislative landscape together and ensure that our voices are heard in the decision-making process.

I'm A Climate Activist. Yes, I'm Proud My Dad's an Airline Pilot

"As a climate activist fighting for a Green New Deal, green union jobs, stronger public schools, and worker power, I’ve learned that this tension isn’t a barrier to solutions but a pathway to them."

Closing OSHA Offices Will Increase Worker Injuries, Illnesses, Deaths

"Take the closing of the Baton Rouge, La. office, the only area office in Louisiana. The experienced safety and health professionals at that office will be forced to choose between leaving the agency or relocating their families to another city hundreds of miles away. Working in the area called “Cancer Alley”, these federal Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) have developed valuable expertise in process safety management – the system to ensure hazardous plants don’t explode, catch fire, or release toxic chemicals into the environment."

AFL-CIO Supports Lawsuit Challenging Cuts to Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs

"This legal action is an important step to hold the Trump administration accountable for violating federal law by eliminating programs that combat child labor, forced labor and unsafe working conditions abroad—while also protecting good union jobs and fair competition here at home."

Democratic Kingmaker Calls for Clean Break from Silicon Valley

"If Newsom or any other California Democrat wants to take on a bigger role in national politics, they’ll have to reckon with Gonzalez, who says she’s tired of the party taking labor’s support for granted and rarely holds back from speaking her mind."

Equator Coffees Workers in California Join local 770

"The workers, who are employed as baristas, shift leads, and prep cooks, joined our union because they were concerned about insufficient pay and scheduling and wanted a voice in the workplace. The campaign to organize these workers included in-person meetings about the benefits of belonging to a union, including around the better wages and benefits that come with a union contract."

New Federal Policy Leaves NOAA Scientists to Clean Up the Mess

"Hazardous waste removal at a Seattle lab has stopped after the feds failed to renew several services, which could delay research on endangered salmon."

Boeing Teamsters Bargaining Contract

"Teamsters at Boeing began contract negotiations last week with the company, bargaining a new agreement covering the drivers that move parts for Boeing facilities in the Puget Sound."

Arizona Museums, Libraries Could Lose $3.8M in Grants From Federal Cuts

"The IMLS administers grant programs, conducts research and offers resources for improving library and museum services. Since 2020, the Arizona State Library has distributed more than $18 million in IMLS funds."

Armed Robbery of USPS Carrier Leads to Man's Arrest in Arizona

"A 21-year-old arrested in Arizona is facing federal charges in a case where he and another man are accused of robbing a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier at gunpoint."

Arizona's Plan to Impose Work Requirements for Medicaid is Moving Along

"The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on April 10 confirmed receipt of Arizona's application to impose work requirements and other enrollment conditions on the government health insurance program that primarily covers low-income Arizonans. A mandatory federal comment period on the proposal will be open until May 9."

HCR 2025 Would Require 60% of AZ Voters to Change the State Constitution - With One Massive Exception

"HCR 2025 would increase the threshold for voters to change the state’s constitution from a simple majority to a supermajority. That means it would require citizen-led ballot initiatives to pass with 60% of the vote, instead of 50% plus one."

Thank you for reading the Arizona Labor Dispatch! Can you help us grow our readership by sharing our sign-up form? 

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]