John,

As Unionists our lives revolve around the fight for worker’s rights, to combat the disrespect, injustices, violence, sexual harassment and exploitation of workers in different industries and workplaces across the country.  We abhor the mistreatment of workers around the world in sweatshops, the maquiladoras and mines of every type.  

But who in Labor is protecting our children?  We have to look no further than our own backyard to see that children as young as 8 or 9 years old are working in our fields, some up to 10-12 hours per day, picking the produce that we consume every day.  The Department of Labor suggests that there are some 500,000 child farmworkers in the United States.

“This can’t be legal?”, many will ask.  Well in the early 1900’s-1920’s, corporations and the Supreme Court argued about how best to maximize the profits of child labor during our so called ‘Industrial Revolution’.  In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed, which addressed Child Labor but under certain conditions still allowed it.  Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta of the United Farmworkers fought for reform of the Child Labor laws during the ‘60’s and the ‘70’s but unfortunately the laws remain the same and the struggle continues.

Just recently it was discovered that a factory in Alabama was suspected of hiring migrant children as young as 12 years old to work in the plant which produces and provides parts for a major auto manufacturer.  Maybe dozens of migrant children, and in my opinion, it’s no coincidence that the exploitation involves immigrants and the children of immigrants. This is probably not an isolated situation; where there’s smoke, there’s fire. 

There is no easy answer or quick fix to this systemic abuse of children, but we must end it.  Things we can do towards that end, like comprehensive immigration reform and passing the PRO Act to help protect workers in the workplace and hold corporations accountable for violations of the law.  Ultimately, let’s not turn a blind eye to the obvious exploitation of our children.  Would you send your 12 year old to work in the fields or at an auto plant?  

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

2022 AFL-CIO Member Survey

The National AFL-CIO wants to know what issues are important to you-- good jobs, a strong economy, secure rights, and more.

Please let us know by taking our brief survey, and share it with your friends, family, and coworkers.

Labor 2022 Day of Action - Saturday, August 6th

The Arizona AFL-CIO will be having our first action at the Painters Local 86 hall in Phoenix on Saturday, August 6th, from 10am to 4pm.

You will have the opportunity to phone bank, canvass, and meet and mingle with fellow members of the Arizona labor movement, as well as participate remotely.

Arizona AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast

After a two year hiatus it is my honor to invite you to join the Arizona AFL-CIO as we celebrate Labor Day with a breakfast on Friday, September 2nd, 2022. Yet again we find Arizona the center of attention of national politics; as always, with your support, we will deliver for Arizona’s working people.

For more information, please email [email protected]. Sponsorships are available for your local to take part; checks can be made out to the Arizona AFL-CIO, or we can take payments via paypal at the link below.

Labor in the Pulpit 2022

Last year, members of the Arizona labor community took part in Labor in the Pulpit over Labor Day weekend, where we spoke with faith communities about our shared values. This year, we’re hoping to reach more people than ever, from even more traditions, and we proudly invite you to take part by signing up below.

Sign up to volunteer for Labor 2022

The Labor 2022 program is where union members contact other union members about the importance of voting for Arizona's Labor's endorsed candidates. We know that when we have these important conversations with voters, we can win elections. 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. Sign up today to join our Labor 2022 program.

"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!

Please email our Political Director, Joe Murphy, to reserve your Proud Union Home sign at [email protected].

Positions Open at the Arizona AFL-CIO

Communications Director: manage the internal and external communications from the state federation, MALF, PALF, and constituency organizations with the Arizona AFL-CIO. More information here.

Local Organizing Specialist: work with the state federation on organizing members, stewards, and leadership throughout the state. More information here.

US sees union boom despite big companies’ aggressive opposition 

“After years of decline, the American labor movement is experiencing a resurgence, with an increase in popularity of unions and of workers organizing.  But the corporate pushback in America has been fierce, and has come amid allegations of union-busting, and brutal campaigns to try and discourage workers from organizing.”

Booming US cannabis industry seen as fertile ground for union expansion 

“As cannabis legalization has spread throughout the US, workers in the now booming new industry are pushing to unionize, seeking to ensure the sector provides good-paying union jobs with benefits throughout its supply chain.  In 2020, the cannabis industry grossed between $17.5bn and $21.3bn in revenue, providing between 240,000 and 321,000 full-time jobs, and is expected to grow to $41bn by 2026. Nineteen states in the US have legalized adult recreational cannabis use, with Rhode Island most recently legalizing adult recreational use in May, and 38 states have legalized medicinal use.”

Boeing union cancels strike set to start Monday 

“The union representing Boeing employees canceled a planned strike that would have started Monday, announcing they will instead vote on a modified contract. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) hammered out negotiations with Boeing over the weekend and will vote on the modified contract Wednesday, the union said in a press release. Close to 2,500 workers from the St. Louis region, part of IAM District 837, will participate in the vote.”

Starbucks union asks coffee giant to extend pay hikes, benefits to unionized stores 

“With pay increases set to kick in at Starbucks cafes around the U.S. on Monday, labor organizers are asking the coffee giant to extend the benefits to unionized stores as well without going through the bargaining process.  The request comes after Starbucks announced in May that it would hike wages for workers and add other benefits such as credit card tipping by late this year. But the Seattle-based coffee chain said it wouldn’t offer the enhanced benefits to workers at unionized stores because it needs to go through bargaining to make such changes.”

Railroads will be required to maintain two-person crews, a key issue in union contract talks 

“Railroads will be required to maintain two-person crews under a new rule announced this week that will thwart the industry’s efforts to cut crews down to one person.  Railroads will be required to keep using two-person crews in most circumstances as they haul all kinds of cargo, including hazardous materials, across the country. But there will be an exception to allow short-line railroads that have already been using one-man crews to continue using them and railroads can apply for permission to use smaller crews if they can prove it is safe.”

Massachusetts Trader Joe's workers approve labor union 

“Employees at a Trader Joe’s supermarket in Hadley, Massachusetts on Thursday became the latest workers at a major company to approve a labor union.  The store is the first Trader Joe’s with an employees union.  The union vote passed 45-31.  Organizers at the store launched the effort in May in an open letter to company CEO Dan Bane citing concerns about pay, benefits and safety. About 80 non-supervisory employees were eligible to vote, including what the company calls crew members and merchants, who are customer service specialists.”

ARIZONA'S RUNNING DRY- As water rights in the Valley become harder to come by, food and beverage makers scramble to find alternatives

“At full build out, Rauch Fruit Juices said it will have invested nearly $1 billion and generated 1,000 jobs in the West Valley with its large beverage manufacturing plant just north of Luke Air Force Base. The European company behind the popular Red Bull energy drink said it chose to build its North American headquarters in the arid region because it could secure water at its site — an important factor for businesses in Arizona amid an unprecedented drought and Colorado River shortages.”  

Phoenix could soon become uninhabitable — and the poor will be the first to leave 

“As climate change continues to bake the Earth, it is not merely the presence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that is heating our cities. In many cases, human-made infrastructure is exacerbating or even making our cities more uninhabitable.   Indeed, as the world warms, something called the "heat island effect" is a major threat to countless cities. The heat island effect is a phenomenon in which urban areas experience higher temperatures than the areas adjacent to them. It is typically caused by infrastructure, like buildings and roads, absorbing excess heat; they retain that heat that they absorb during the day and keep cities hot, even at night time. This is why the summer overnight low in cities like Phoenix, Ariz., is often 90° Fahrenheit or higher.”

Cannabis Unions Gain Steam: Marijuana dispensary workers are unionizing, while Big Cannabis throws up roadblocks 

“Unionization for workers in the cannabis industry is gathering steam in Arizona, as budtenders at the Curaleaf Dispensary in midtown Phoenix recently voted to unionize, while workers at several other dispensaries are poised to vote on the issue within the next few weeks.  ‘(This) election marks an important milestone for cannabis workers in Arizona and across the country,’ United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 99 President Jim McLaughlin said in a July 2 press release. ‘As cannabis companies like Curaleaf continue to see record profits, the time to share their prosperity with workers is long overdue.’”

Arizona makes millions selling imprisoned and unpaid laborers to companies 

“After 15 months of gathering and analyzing more than 11,000 documents and building a computer program that downloaded tens of thousands of public profiles about prisoners that the Arizona Department of Corrections refused to provide, reporters at The Arizona Republic and KJZZ News found that prison labor—during the past 10 years—has become ubiquitous across the state.  Prison work, for example, is in places that many people would never have realized: Prisoners make the custom woodwork at hip bowling alleys; they construct trusses, cabinets, wall frames at well-known private home developments and luxury apartment buildings; they work inside kennels for pet adoption shelters; they build confessionals in churches; they act as janitors and groundskeepers at schools—but are told to keep out of sight of staff and students so no one knows they're there.”

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