john,

As we prepare to launch our Labor 2022 program, I wanted to update you on our plan to build power for working Arizonans this election cycle and beyond.

The Labor 2022 program is where union members contact other union members about the importance of voting for Arizona's pro-worker candidates for elected office. We know that by talking to union households about our shared values, we can elect champions for Arizona's workers and in turn, make real progress for working people.

In 2020, we saw firsthand what the power of collective action could accomplish. Arizona’s labor movement mobilized in unprecedented numbers and as a result, we secured historic funding and investment in our nation’s infrastructure, helped striking workers secure better contracts, and kept our country moving forward through a global pandemic.

Now, we are tasked with bolstering the infrastructure that delivered wins for workers in 2020. In order to build on our momentum, we are working with the national AFL-CIO to hire six full-time organizers statewide and will be implementing state-of-the-art organizing tools that will pave the way for a stronger, more united labor movement in Arizona and across the country.

As we work to build a program that will strengthen our movement, we want to hear from you. What are the issues that you are most concerned about in 2022? Please fill out the national AFL-CIO’s 2022 union member survey, which can be found in the “Upcoming Events & Actions” section of this week’s Dispatch issue, and help us ensure that our work focuses on the issues that most impact Arizona’s working families.

It is an honor to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in our collective fight for economic justice and safety at work. Let’s get to work!

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

2022 Union Member Issue Survey

Union members worked together across the labor movement to win many important victories for working people last year. But there’s still so much we can do together. Passing pro-worker laws will strengthen us at the bargaining table so we can care for ourselves and our families. Union members need to be talking to each other about the issues so we can work together to advance our shared agenda. That’s why we’re asking: “What do you care about?” Please click below to fill out the survey and together we can improve the lives of working people across the country!

TOMRROW: Stamp Out Hunger with NALC

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its annual national food drive this Saturday, May 14. NALC's food drive, first held in 1993, helps feed millions of Americans. The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the country's largest one-day food drive, provides residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need. Customers simply leave their donation of non-perishable food items next to their mailbox on Saturday, May 14. Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes, and distribute them to local food banks, pantries, shelters and churches.

UFCW Women’s Network Presents “Effectively Communicating Your Voice” Webinar

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its annual national food drive this Saturday, May 14. NALC's food drive, first held in 1993, helps feed millions of Americans. The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the country's largest one-day food drive, provides residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need. Customers simply leave their donation of non-perishable food items next to their mailbox on Saturday, May 14. Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes, and distribute them to local food banks, pantries, shelters and churches.

NWU Tucson Open Mic

The National Writers Union will be hosting a reading and open mic on Monday, May 16, starting at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in person (we also hope to have a Zoom component, information on that will follow). The featured reader this month will be Tucson-based journalist and author Miriam Davidson, who will read from and discuss her new book, The Beloved Border: Humanity and Hope in a Contested Land (University of Arizona Press, 2021).

The meeting will be held at the Pima Area Labor Federation Office at 5630 E Pima St. in Tucson, which is a block east of Craycroft Road (Pima is between Grant and Speedway). It is on the south side of the street and ample parking is available both behind the building and on its east side. There is also limited parking directly in front of the building. Per Pima County Health Department guidelines, masks are recommended but not required, and face masks will be available for use. The size of the room should also be adequate for social distancing

“Communicating Directly,” “Partners,” “Values": Your Guide to New Age, Anti-Union CEO Speak

"For some time now, a particular brand of CEO doesn’t want to be your boss, but rather, your mentor, your advocate, your friend. Sure, they may make 10,000X what you make, have billions, own seven houses, ski by jumping out of helicopters in Aspen. But, they assure you, they truly care about your best interests. Relatedly, the most essential purpose of public relations, as an industry, is making the bad seem good, the rough palpable, the gross sanitized, the cynical idealistic, and the anti-worker equitable. When these two ethos combine, we get the modern New Age Corporation: a hip, “progressive” institution that Does Things Differently..."

No more union-busting. It’s time for companies to give their workers what they deserve

"This year, workers at Amazon, Starbucks and other major corporations are winning a wave of union elections, often in the face of long odds and employer resistance. These wins are showing it’s possible for determined groups of workers to break through powerful employers’ use of union-busting tactics, ranging from alleged retaliatory firings to alleged surveillance and forced attendance at anti-union 'captive audience meetings.' But workers should not have to confront so many obstacles to exercising a guaranteed legal right to unionize and bargain for improvements in their work lives and livelihoods...."

Amazon fires 2 union organizers tied to first U.S. labor win

"Amazon has fired two employees with ties to the grassroots union that led the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giant’s history. The company confirmed Tuesday that it fired Michal, or ‘Mat,’ Cusick and Tristan Dutchin of the Amazon Labor Union on Staten Island, New York. But it claims the 'cases are unrelated to each other and unrelated to whether these individuals support any particular cause or group.' Cusick, who worked at a nearby Amazon warehouse from the one that voted to unionize last month, said he was fired due to COVID-related leave. He said he was informed by an agent from the company’s employee resource center that he was allowed to go on leave until April 29 but was later fired because leave period extended only until April 26..."

U.S. labor board says Starbucks unlawfully fired seven for union efforts

"The U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has asked a court to order the reinstatement of seven former Starbucks Corp employees in Memphis, Tennessee who it said were unlawfully fired for exercising their right to form a union. New Orleans-based NLRB Regional Director Kathleen McKinney filed a petition on Tuesday in federal court in Memphis seeking injunctive relief, saying that Starbucks after learning about the organizing effort 'directed a wide variety of coercive measures at its employees.' A judge on Wednesday set a hearing on the NLRB's petition for a temporary injunction for Friday..."

GM hikes Mexico plant wages by 8.5% in landmark deal with union

"General Motors Co. will raise wages 8.5% for workers at its giant truck factory in central Mexico in a deal struck with a new union that swept into power through a landmark labor vote backed by the U.S. The labor agreement at the plant in Silao, Guanajuato, also includes quarterly bonus increases of 1,600 pesos (about $79), the union said in a statement Thursday..."

United reaches new contract deal with pilots' union, the first of the major airlines in pandemic

"United Airlines and its pilots' labor union have reached an agreement on new contract terms, the first of the major carriers to strike a deal since the start of the Covid pandemic. The crisis roiled the industry and exacerbated a pilot shortage and training backlog. The Air Line Pilots Association and United didn't disclose the terms of the deal on Friday, but they will likely include higher pay and other improvements. United has had perhaps the least contentious relationship with its pilots' union of the major carriers and struck early deals during the pandemic to keep aviators on staff and trained..."

The Mining Act of 1872 is 150 years old. Grijalva says it's time for an update

"Congressman Raul Grijalva marked the 150th anniversary of the Mining Act of 1872 during a press conference in Washington on Tuesday, but he did not celebrate its passage. Grijalva called the anniversary a stark reminder of the law’s shortcomings. He said that mining is essential to the U.S. economy and will play an important role in the nation’s efforts to build clean energy infrastructure. But he said that a 21st century economy shouldn’t be regulated by a 19th century law. Grijalva has introduced legislation that calls for reforms such as stronger environmental safeguards, royalties and tribal consultation..."

Arizona AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, IBEW 640 Business Manager Dean Wine re-elected to serve on IBEW International Executive Council

This week, IBEW 640 Business Manager Dean Wine was re-elected to serve on IBEW International Executive Council at the 40th annual IBEW convention in Chicago. Click below to watch his acceptance speech.

CODE-CWA Workers Demand Fair Contract at Evoque Data Center in Mesa

On Wednesday, CWA data center techs at Evoque Data Center in Mesa held an informational picket with fellow Local 7050 members demanding a fair contract.

Subway vowed to help Arizona worker with autism — but fired him after 4 shifts, feds say

"A Subway in Arizona promised to accommodate a worker with autism but fired him after a few shifts, federal officials said. The man was hired in March 2019 as a sandwich artist at a Subway in Buckeye and operated by RCC Partners, LLC, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a news release on May 10..."

Graphics

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 Drake Ridge at [email protected]