John,

As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 Omicron variant surge, I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy.

Today, I'm excited to announce the launch of the Arizona Labor Dispatch — a weekly email newsletter for union members, pro-worker activists, and supporters of Arizona's labor movement. Each week, this newsletter will aim to keep our readers informed on the latest union news, upcoming events, and the work we're doing to uplift union voices AZ.

To be sure, our movement has a lot of work ahead of us in 2022. From pressuring our leaders in Congress to pass pro-worker policies, to defending voting rights at our state capitol, we are committed to working shoulder-to-shoulder with our union brothers, sisters, and kin statewide in the fight to keep Arizona workplaces safe and equitable.

If you are a labor leader or union member and would like to highlight an upcoming meeting, event, or action in this newsletter, please email our Communications & Operations Director Drake Ridge at [email protected].

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

Support Union Effort at Mesa Starbucks
 
The union election for Starbucks workers at the Power and Baseline store has officially begun! To support the workers, the Starbucks Mesa workers’ committee has asked that as many supporters do the following:

1. Go to the store on Power and Baseline and buy a coffee.
2. Ask that the worker write “Union Yes” on your coffee cup.
3. Post a photo on social media and tag @sbworkersunited.

APRI Meeting
 
The Phoenix Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute will be meeting next Thursday, January 27th at 7:00 PM. For Zoom details, email President Joe Diggs at [email protected].

Free COVID Tests

Free at-home COVID tests can now be ordered via the United States Postal Service. Each residential address is allowed four at-home tests. Request your free tests below:

The Fight for Voting Rights is Far from Over: Statement from National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler

"It is deeply disappointing that just days after our nation paid homage to the great civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., critical legislation that would have strengthened our elections and ensured the right of every person to cast their vote was actively blocked. It is unfathomable that our democracy is dangerously fragile because of the obstructionist tactics of senators who refuse to sideline an outdated rule conceived during segregation.

These were the same tactics that some, as Dr. King put it, “misguided senators” used to block civil rights legislation more than 50 years ago. We should expect that our leaders are capable of learning from the past and do not get in the way of progress. Voting rights should not be a tough vote, and we will remember those senators who chose to stand on the wrong side of history...."

Number of Workers Represented by a Union Declined in 2021, Showing Why We Must Reform Our Broken Labor Law

“The decline of union membership in 2021 is a wakeup call to lawmakers that we must reform our broken labor law,” said Heidi Shierholz, EPI President. “The Biden administration and Congress must adopt policies that make it easier for workers to form a union, including the PRO Act. Not only are these policy changes crucial to restoring a fair balance of power between workers and employers, they are also essential to an equitable recovery from the coronavirus pandemic...”

Rail unions initiate steps to strike

"Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation union (SMART-TD) initiated steps to go on strike January 13 following the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway’s announcement of its "Hi-Viz" attendance policy..."

Will the Starbucks union victories ignite organizing across the country?

"Last Monday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that Workers United... had won a second union election at a Buffalo-area Starbucks store — after a historic victory last month — meaning the union was victorious in two out of three elections, thereby creating the only unionized Starbucks stores in the United States. Starbucks workers are now organizing in Boston, Chicago, Seattle and also at stores in several states which have historically had weak union movements, including Arizona, Colorado, Tennessee, and elsewhere, thus raising the question of whether this represents a pivotal moment in the history of American unions..."

Phoenix APRI President Joe Diggs: Sideline the filibuster to protect American voting rights and democracy

"In a world in which members of political parties seem more interested in defeating the will of the electorate, if it means defeating their political rivals than improving the lives of countless Americans, the filibuster has become the weapon of choice. The filibuster, a Senate procedure, has been used to sideline and stop bills without there ever being an actual vote on the substance of the proposed legislation..."

Martin Luther King III Calls for Voting Rights Support from AZ Senator Sinema during Weekend Demonstration

"The event highlighted the importance of solidarity between marginalized communities in the face of oppression. 'We will not allow a few radical extremist politicians to take away a right that generations of Black, Brown, and Indigenous activists have bled and died for,' said Fred Yamashita, Executive Director of the Arizona AFL-CIO..."

Arizona: Starbucks tries to crack down on union drive

"Terrified that their so-called 'partners' are uniting across the US, the infamous corporate coffee chain is flooding the small Mesa store with snooping managers to intimidate workers ahead of a vote to unionize with the SEIU..."

Union nurses claim 'unsafe' conditions at two Tucson hospitals

"Roughly 80 nurses and their supporters gathered Thursday to protest what they say are unsafe and unsustainable conditions in Carondelet Health Network's two Tucson hospitals. Three registered nurses spoke at the National Nurses Union news conference near St. Joseph's Hospital, 350 N. Wilmot Road. They said staffing shortages and restricted communication with hospital administration have made their jobs extremely difficult and patients are at risk..."

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If you'd like to promote an event for your union in our weekly newsletter, email AZ AFL-CIO Communications & Operations Director Drake Ridge at [email protected]