john,

I’d like to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. I’m happy to report that on Friday alone, nearly 50 people took action to join our growing list of subscribers!

To our readers who are new to the labor movement, thank you for making the decision to support working Arizonans. To our union siblings who have stood with us over the years, thank you for sharing our view that this weekly publication brings value to our common cause.

There is no doubt that our movement’s momentum is growing. From a wave of work stoppages in 2021 to a surge of successful organizing campaigns at the onset of this year, working people are standing up and demanding better from their employers in every corner of our state.

As further proof of our growing power, last week the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the rate of union membership in Arizona increased since 2020 by a small but discernible margin of .1%. While this growth is incremental, it goes to show the incredible internal organizing efforts of our affiliated unions in spite of a litany of anti-union state laws.

Nationally, however, the rate of union membership actually declined from 2020 to 2021 by about 0.5%. The fact that the unionization rate fell nationally after an exciting year for our movement goes to show how easy it is for anti-union employers to exploit our weak and outdated labor laws.

The solution is clear: It’s time for the Biden administration and Congress to institute policies such as the PRO Act, the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, and other legislation to ensure that all working people are able to join a union, free of intimidation.

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

Sign the Petition: Pass the PRO Act

Strong unions mean higher wages, safer working conditions and dignity for all people who work. Passing the PRO Act is our first step to getting there. Add your name to the National AFL-CIO's petition today to urge our leaders in Congress to pass the PRO Act.

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].

‘Our labor laws are designed to make joining a union as difficult as possible’: Fewer workers are unionized, even as pandemic shines light on poor working conditions

"'In 2021, workers forcefully rejected low-wage, thankless jobs after a year of being called essential,' said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO. 'In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clearer now than ever that our labor laws are designed to make joining a union as difficult as possible. Across this country, workers are organizing for a voice on the job and millions of Americans are standing in solidarity with union members on strike. If everyone who wanted to join a union was able to do so, membership would skyrocket...'"

Workers at a Wisconsin hospital sought new jobs with higher pay — then the hospital sued to stop them from leaving

'It is Ascension Wisconsin's understanding that ThedaCare had an opportunity but declined to make competitive counter offers to retain its former employees,' the hospital said in a statement to a local ABC affiliate. 'Given the unfortunate decision by ThedaCare to file a lawsuit to enjoin competitive labor practices, we will not be commenting further as this matter proceeds through litigation...'"

AFL-CIO’s Department For Professional Employees Urges Congress To Approve Increased Funding For The Arts & Public Broadcasting

"The AFL-CIO’s Department for Professional Employees is urging Congress to increase federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to $565 million in fiscal year 2022 and the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities to $201 million each – funding levels that were passed by the House of Representatives in July...”

REI Retail Workers in Manhattan File to Form Company’s First Union

"Workers at an REI store in New York City filed to form a union among the location’s 116 employees on Friday. If the effort is successful, the store would be the first of the outdoor recreation equipment company’s 168 locations and 15,000 employees to unionize. The workers have filed for representation by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). They have also requested voluntary recognition of the union by their employer, which would bypass the need for a vote."

United Campus Workers of Arizona Urge ASU, U of A Leadership to Protect Students and Staff amid Omicron Surge

"Throughout this pandemic, the University of Arizona and Arizona State University have made important contributions to public health by providing and promoting testing and vaccinations. We cannot abdicate our responsibilities now by refusing to acknowledge the scale and severity of the Omicron threat to our university's operations, our local healthcare system, and the people who make up our communities. For successful, safe learning and work to continue this spring, our universities must demonstrate true leadership by implementing improved mitigation strategies that are sufficient to meet this challenge..."

Starbucks Seeks to Halt Arizona Union Vote Count in Appeal

“Starbucks Corp. is asking the U.S. labor board to overturn a ruling allowing store-by-store unionization in Arizona, where ballots were already mailed to employees last week. In a Monday filing with the National Labor Relations Board, the coffee chain sought to overturn a regional director’s ruling that deemed the employees of a single store in Mesa an appropriate potential bargaining unit. As it has in similar disputes across the country, the company argued that any election should include a larger group of workers in the region, meaning the union would need many more votes to prevail…”

Op-Ed: OSHA has long failed to protect some of our most vulnerable workers

"Long before the pandemic, greenhouse workers — such as those handling the hothouse tomatoes that brighten many American salads — suffered from a slew of health and safety violations, including lack of protective gear for handling toxic chemicals and lack of water breaks in temperatures above 100 degrees. When COVID-19 hit, greenhouses in Cochise County, Ariz., for example, did not require virus-related precautions, as my clinic learned while providing legal services to workers..."

Arizona bill would allow legislature to overturn election results

"The bill, introduced by state Rep. John Fillmore (R), would substantially change the way Arizonans vote by eliminating most early and absentee voting and requiring people to vote in their home precincts, rather than at vote centers set up around the state. Most dramatically, Fillmore's bill would require the legislature to hold a special session after an election to review election processes and results, and to "accept or reject the election results..."

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