John,

Since the conclusion of the 2020 election, the Arizona legislature's majority party has been hard at work to undermine our democracy and perpetuate the “Big Lie.” As a result, state lawmakers have introduced, considered, and -–thankfully–- rejected dozens of dangerous, anti-democracy bills throughout this legislative session. Unfortunately, one of the most restrictive voting bills has made it to the governor’s desk and will have devastating consequences for working and retired Arizonans if it becomes law. I thought it important to keep our readers in the loop.

On Wednesday, the Arizona Senate passed HB2492, a bill that would retroactively require voters who registered before 2005 to provide proof of citizenship whether by birth or by naturalization in order to maintain voting eligibility. If signed into law, HB2492 will nearly cut our state’s electorate in half, as registrants will have a mere 30 days to provide either a birth certificate or a certificate of naturalization to the Secretary of State’s office before being removed from the voter rolls.

The disastrous implications of HB2492 cannot be understated. Although several states including Arizona already require voters to provide proof of citizenship upon registration, this retroactive requirement would be the first law of its kind. No doubt, this will set a dangerous precedent nationally and pose a significant threat to democracy in Arizona.

The solution is clear: In order to truly protect the integrity of our elections, we must take urgent action to prevent HB2492 from being codified. In the “Upcoming Events and Actions” section of this week’s issue of the Dispatch, we ask that you please join us in emailing Governor Ducey and demand that he vetoes HB2492 immediately. If you’d prefer to make a phone call, you can reach Governor Ducey’s office at (602) 542-4331 and press 4 to leave a message.

Thank you for standing with us in this fight.

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

URGENT ACTION
Tell Governor Ducey: Protect our Voting Rights and Veto HB2492

HB 2492 would require all voters who are registered before 2005 to re-register to vote, which will purge countless senior citizens from the voter rolls. Join the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans in taking action to protect our right to vote by emailing Governor Ducey and demanding that he veto HB2492 today!

LCLAA and UFCW 99 to Host Union Power Training

Join the Arizona Labor Council For Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and UFCW 99 on April 2nd at 10 AM for an in-person membership sign-up training. Seating is limited, so please register ASAP. Must be vaccinated to attend.

Women in Organized Labor Virtual Celebration

Ms. Huerta’s work is the focus of the exhibit that was recently on display at the Capitol Museum through March 11, 2022. This special virtual event will feature an interview of Dolores Huerta by Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, followed by remarks from Arizona AFL-CIO Executive Director Fred Yamashita, a virtual tour of the exhibition from María del Carmen Cossu, project director for Latino Initiatives for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, and a Q & A. The event will take place at 6 PM MST.

Google Fiber workers successfully unionize in Kansas City

"In a tally with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this afternoon, Google Fiber customer service workers — employed by staffing agency BDS Connected Solutions, which is subcontracted by Alphabet — voted 9 to 1 to form a union. They'll be represented by the Alphabet Workers Union, an arm of the Communications Workers of America (AWU-CWA)..."

Amazon Union Efforts: What to Expect from Votes This Month

"A vote on unionizing starts at a New York Amazon warehouse on Friday, and another vote at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama will be tallied next week, adding to a trend of increased labor organizing across the country. The count in Bessemer, Alabama, comes a year after workers at the facility voted not to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. After the defeat, the union successfully alleged that Amazon had interfered with that vote. Federal officials ordered a new election, finding that a mailbox installed by Amazon looked like a voting booth and could've given workers the false impression that Amazon itself was running the election..."

DOE Announces $5 Million to Launch Lithium-Battery Workforce Initiative

"The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Labor and the AFL-CIO, today (March 18) announced the launch of a national workforce development strategy for lithium-battery manufacturing. As part of a $5 million investment, DOE will support up to five pilot training programs in energy and automotive communities and advance workforce partnerships between industry and labor for the domestic lithium battery supply chain..."

America’s next union battlefield may be on campus

"On paper, Asia Leeds had the perfect career. As an assistant professor at Spelman College in Atlanta, she could focus on her passion of studying Afro-Latin American culture. In reality, she felt like she was doing at least seven jobs — teaching, research, writing, applying for grants, advising students, running a minor, serving on committees — while getting paid for one.

The stereotype of the highly paid professor who delivers an occasional lecture and spends the rest of the time reading books 'is an idea that for 90 percent of people doesn’t exist,' Leeds said. 'It’s this fantasy you’re sold because it was what your professors were doing when you went to college.'

Now, not long after they were recognized for helping keep their universities and colleges running during the pandemic, faculty are coming under new pressure to prove their value while dealing with attacks on job security, demands for greater productivity and criticism over what and how they teach. They’re also squaring off to fight back. A planned affiliation of two labor unions promises to expand their bargaining positions by uniting full-time professors with part-time adjunct instructors, graduate assistants and others..."

Maintenance workers unionize at private Arizona prison run by CoreCivic

"Maintenance workers at a private prison in Florence, Arizona, say they have voted to unionize, despite attempts to thwart the organizing effort by CoreCivic. CoreCivic, a Tennessee-based company that manages private prisons and detention centers, acknowledged the vote but denied any attempts at union-busting. Seventeen maintenance workers at the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex joined the UA Local 469 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union after a vote last week with the National Labor Relations Board, according to union organizer Chad Jessee..."

Second Starbucks location in Mesa, Arizona, votes to unionize

"A second Starbucks cafe in Mesa, Arizona, has voted to unionize, continuing the coffee chain's losing streak as its baristas organize. On Tuesday, workers at a Starbucks location in Seattle voted unanimously in favor of a union, dealing a blow to the company in its own hometown. The Crismon and Southern location in Mesa is now the eighth company-owned U.S. Starbucks cafe to vote to unionize. That tally includes another Mesa location and six Buffalo, New York-area stores. Only one location that has held an election has voted against unionizing under Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union..."

Arizona Legislature Passes Restrictive Proof of Citizenship Law

"Yesterday, the Arizona Legislature passed House Bill 2492, a bill that requires all Arizonans to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote, endangering the voter registrations of large numbers of Arizonans... Since Arizonans have only been required to prove citizenship since 2004, millions of Arizona voters who registered to vote before then likely do not have sufficient proof and could have their registrations improperly canceled..."

Arizona Legislature Moves to Ban Abortion After 15 Weeks

"The Arizona Legislature on Thursday joined the growing list of Republican-led states to pass aggressive anti-abortion legislation as the conservative U.S. Supreme Court is considering ratcheting back abortion rights that have been in place for nearly 50 years. The House voted on party lines to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, mirroring a Mississippi law now being considered by the nation’s high court.

The bill explicitly says it does not overrule a state law in place for more than 100 years that would ban abortion outright if the Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that enshrined the right to abortion in law. The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, an abortion opponent who has signed every piece of anti-abortion legislation that has reached his desk since he took office in 2015..."

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