John,

I first want to start off congratulating Liz Shuler, who was just elected president of the national AFL-CIO, as well as Fred Redmond, who was elected Secretary-Treasurer. President Liz Shuler is the first female AFL-CIO president and will be an incredible leader of AFL-CIO unions in the years to come.

It was an honor and privilege to meet with fellow union leaders at the AFL-CIO convention in Philadelphia. Guest speakers such as Stacey Abrams , Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and President Joe Biden gave amazing speeches and also reemphasized the goals of the AFL-CIO.

Stacey Abrams powerfully advocated for childcare and care workers at the convention, along with other speakers. Care workers are often women of color, and therefore are marginalized in their communities despite doing so much to help their patients and clients which is why it is essential we continue to include these workers in our unions and labor organization.

President Biden believes that unions are key to building and protecting the middle class. One of the goals of President Biden is to help pass the PRO-Act which would make it easier to unionize, however it is currently stuck in the Senate. The PRO-Act is an important piece of legislature that would allow worker's to better advocate for themselves which would lead to competitively paying jobs and safer work environments.

Lastly, President Biden reminds us that the working class is the most important one in America. Not only did the working class build America as a strong foundation in formative years, but the working class continues to support our country today.

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

Juneteenth Concert

Celebrate Father's Day and Juneteenth this upcoming Sunday the 19th at the Phoenix Center for the Arts. There will be a variety of fun events and

"Proud Union Home" Signs

Don't leave all your union pride at work and make sure to bring some home! The Arizona AFL-CIO will soon make available yard signs that confidently state "Proud Union Home" in order to make sure you state an advocate for unions even after work. We appreciate all your support and home you bring your union pride home!

Celebrate Pride this month at events across the state!

Join in at Bisbee Pride on June 17th-19th, Pride in the Pines- Flagstaff on June 18th, and Navajo Nation Pride June 20th-26th.

‘This is our time’: How women are taking over the labor movement

“The pandemic has created an opportunity for new movements in industries that haven’t organized before — movements also led by women.”

Axios interview: Inside the plans of the country's top union leader

“The new leader of the AFL-CIO is zeroing in on the tech sector as one of organized labor's top targets and plans to shift more of the powerful union's resources to organizing and growing its members, she and her deputy told Axios in a joint interview.”

Feel the benefit: union workers receive far better pay and rights, Congress finds

“Study shows unionized workers earn 10.2% more than non-union peers, amid wave of organizing at some of largest US employers”

Amazon seeks to overturn historic Staten Island union victory at labor hearing

“A hearing is underway to consider whether the Amazon Labor Union's historic union victory on Staten Island should stand — or whether a re-do election is warranted.”

Microsoft Pledges Neutrality in Union Campaigns at Activision

“The accord could ease the path for thousands of workers to unionize at the game company Microsoft is acquiring and addresses an antitrust objection.”

Laundry workers to rally in Los Angeles for higher wages

“Laundry workers from California and Arizona who say they’re struggling to get by on poverty wages plan to rally in Los Angeles on Monday, June 13 to get their message out. About 50 employees — most of whom are Latina women working at off-site laundry facilities that contract with hospitals, restaurants, hotels and other workplaces — will speak for an estimated 5,000 laundry workers in California, Arizona and New Mexico.”

Arizona judge declines GOP request to block mail voting

“An Arizona judge on Monday declined a request by the state Republican Party to block most mail ballots for the 2022 election, preserving the voting method used by the overwhelming majority of voters.”

Arizona GOP lawmakers seek big spending increase in budget; schools would get less than requested

“A spreadsheet with details of a possible spending plan, negotiated by Republican leaders and the Governor's Office, was distributed to lawmakers Monday. But the $16.8 billion in state spending for next year contained in those documents — a massive increase over the current $12.4 billion budget — is widely viewed as far from the final product.”

How Arizona’s housing shortage puts state’s red-hot economy at risk

“Could failure to solve Arizona’s housing shortage puts Arizona’s red-hot economy at risk? By every metric, the Arizona economy continues to fire on all cylinders, as evidenced by several recent studies and statistics. A recent deep dive into U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics by Skynova ranked our state third in the nation for workforce gain, with a 7.8 percent increase in jobs added between 2017 and last year. Meanwhile, Arizona’s unemployment rate sits at 3.2 percent, a level of employment success not seen for most of the past half-century. And Moody’s “Back to Normal Index,” which tracks how quickly state economies have recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, puts Arizona’s economy at 99 percent of where the state was in March 2020. That ranks eighth out of the 50 states.”

"Hot labor summer" rolls into Phoenix as workers demonstrate solidarity with Amazon Labor Union

"Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls made himself heard, loud and clear, at the 2600 Tower's locked back entrance. 'We've got to walk out of these buildings. We shouldn't be working in 100-plus degrees — that's ridiculous. We've got to get (Amazon) workers to that point where they're militant enough to say 'we're not going to work until they get some proper AC in this building,' Smalls said. 'We're going to get involved. That's why we came here today. We want to make sure that we are connected with the community ... we're not stopping. This is just the beginning.'"

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