John,

Election day is almost here and as our Senator Mark Kelly would say, "Four days and a wake up"! Remember, your vote is your power -  make it count. Whether you voted by mail, drop off your ballot or vote in person, be sure to make your plan and vote by November 8th because voters pick our leaders. If you have already had the opportunity to vote; thank you. Now you can be an advocate, reach out to minimum 3 friends and family and ask them about their voting plan. 

With that being said, here are some encouraging words from President Liz Shuler, "Just five days to go until Election Day, we have to recognize that, fundamentally, this election is about who has a plan, and who is invested in helping lower costs and lifting working people up. And we need to help people understand that. On one hand, we have extremist candidates who traffic in absurd conspiracy theories and attack our rights because they want to distract us from the reality that they don’t have a plan to lower costs or create jobs. On the other hand, we have pro-worker candidates who know that our economic plans have to focus on the working people who make our economy run, creating opportunity, widening the path to the middle class and adding more good union jobs. The choice is clear". 

Check out how we have been building worker power in Arizona this election season:

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

GOTV Canvass with UA

Come join us and bring your family and friends! We need your help in getting out the vote! Election day is right around the corner and we need all hands on deck to make sure we are electing labor-friendly candidates! We will be launching canvasses at 10am and 2pm both days. Phone-banking will also be available.

When: Saturday, November 5th 

Where: Painter's Hall - 210 N 24th St #3, Phoenix, AZ 85034

PALF GOTV Canvass 

We’ll have coffee and donuts, treats for the road, and lunch to go! Let me know if you can make it, so I can get an accurate headcount for our lunch order!

If you are interested, please contact Ryan Kelly at [email protected] 

When: Saturday, November 5th 

Where: PALF Office - 5630 E. Pima St., Tucson, AZ 

NALC GOTV Canvass

We invite you, your family and friends to come join our Letter Carriers! We need your help in getting out the vote! We will be launching canvasses at 10am. Phone-banking will also be available.

When: Sunday, November 6th 

Where: N.A.L.C Branch 1902 Union Hall - 262 W. 2nd Ave., Mesa, AZ, 85210

AFSCEME 449 & PALF Canvass

All our labor family is invited, and it’d be nice to have a good turnout as a show of thanks for AFSCME 449’s prominent role this campaign cycle. Together, AFSCME 449’s volunteers and release staff have knocked more than 900 doors and made more than 4,000 calls to union members across Southern Arizona in the last month. That’s brag worthy! Let’s show them some love!

If you are interested, please contact Ryan Kelly at [email protected] 

When: Sunday, November 6th @ 10:00 am 

Where: AFSCME Local 449 - 3819 S. Evans Blvd., Suite #305, Tucson, AZ 

Election Protection: Unions at the Polls 

Do you want elections to be fair, safe and accessible to all? Poll workers are our first line of defense to make sure casting a ballot is available to anyone who wants to vote. Volunteer to be a poll worker for your community today. Learn More!

Like we do every day, union members have been stepping up and leading to protect our rights and our democracy. The AFL-CIO and Arizona AFL-CIO are proud to partner with Power the Polls, a nonpartisan initiative to recruit poll workers to ensure a safe, fair, efficient election for all voters.

Labor 2022 Daily Phone Banking 

Election Day is November 8th! The Arizona AFL-CIO is working to get pro-labor candidates elected. Phone banking available daily at the Painter's Union Hall or call remotely. Sign up for one or multiple phone banking shifts. Please invite your friends and family as well!

• Phone Bank Shift 1: 10 AM - 1 PM
• Phone Bank Shift 2: 1 PM - 4 PM
• Phone Bank Shift 3: 4 PM - 8 PM

Sign up for one of our daily phone bank shifts Saturday and Sunday:

• Phone Bank Shift 1: 10 AM - 1 PM
• Phone Bank Shift 2: 1 PM - 5 PM

I AM A VOTER 

Sign the pledge to vote in November! Organized Labor will combat the power of organized money. We're voting to protect our freedoms- and our voices will be heard. 

"Proud Union Home" Signs

Don't leave all your union pride at work and make sure to bring some home! The Arizona AFL-CIO has available yard signs that confidently state "Proud Union Home" 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].

Kari Lake's Economic Plan Would Be a Disaster for Arizona

Two Arizonans representing retirees detail why they think Kari Lake's economic plan would be a disaster for the state.

Your Vote for Proposition 310 Can Fix the State's Fire District Crisis

“Since the first fire district was formed in Arizona in 1918, firefighters have proudly provided service to the citizens in, around, and passing through the rural areas of our state—those areas not covered by cities or towns. 

Stakes Are High for Workers, So Unions Are Mobilizing for Midterms 

“We look at the high stakes of the midterm elections for workers, including in key battleground states. Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, says they are campaigning to empower working people, especially infrequent voters of color and new immigrants, to vote in their best interests. “We have got to make our votes a demand, and not a show of support for candidates that are with us one day and against us the next,” says Henry."

AFL-CIO Bashes Federal Reserve Over Rate Hike

“AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on Wednesday criticized the Federal Reserve for issuing another interesting rate hike, warning that the move will have a "direct and harmful impact" on working families."

Shell Announces $4 Billion Share Buyback As Profits Double

"Shell will buy back $4 billion worth of shares and increase its dividend by 15% after posting another gigantic quarterly profit thanks to strong oil and gas prices. The UK company posted net income of $9.45 billion in the third quarter, more than double the $4.1 billion it recorded a year ago. The result was driven by a strong performance in its oil exploration and production business, Shell said.”

Hundreds of Gannett Staffers Stage Daylong Strike to Improve Wages

“More than 200 Gannett Co. staffers are staging a one-day strike Friday to push for better wages and benefits and protest layoffs and furloughs, among other cost-cutting measures at the news publisher."

How Working America Brings People Together & Supports Working Families

“Working America is the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO. We work to organize community members, who don't have the benefit of a union on the job, around issues that affect working families.”

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: UNITE HERE Hits 1.5M Doors in Battleground States of Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia

“Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Judge Restricts Arizona Ballot Watchers

“A temporary restraining order was granted Tuesday in a suit aimed at keeping an election watchdog group in Arizona from intimidating the state’s voters. The order by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi bars Clean Elections USA from coming close to drop boxes, open-carrying guns near drop boxes and yelling at people putting ballots in those boxes. Liburdi, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, had previously refused to bar the monitors but gave the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans another chance to argue why the poll-watchers should be restricted”

Arizona Schools Once Again Facing 'Massive Cuts' Because of Spending Limit

“Arizona schools are once again at risk of having to slash their budgets because of a decades-long spending cap. The Arizona Department of Education sent a letter to state lawmakers on Tuesday, notifying them that K-12 public schools across the state will have to cut their current spending by $1.38 billion this spring. That’s if state lawmakers don’t vote to lift the aggregate expenditure limit, which sets how much money schools can spend every year.”

GOP-backed Arizona Ballot Measures Target Voter Initiatives

“Arizona voters who began mailing in their ballots after simply signing and dating the envelope in recent weeks might be doing so for the final time with that simple process. That’s because one of 10 measures they’ll decide in the Nov. 8 midterm elections would change the rules for verifying that the people who mail in such ballots are who they say they are. Proposition 309 would also change how in-person voters are allowed to prove their identity. Three other measures also placed on the ballot by Republicans who control the Legislature would make major changes to the citizen initiative process by making it harder for voters to bypass lawmakers and write their own laws. One would carve out major exemptions to the Voter Protection Act, which prevents the Legislature from changing voter-approved laws in most cases. The four measures target early-voting and voter ID laws in the name of election security. They are priorities for Republicans, who have long chafed at the citizen initiative process.”

8 Arizona Districts Receive Federal Funds for Cleaner Buses

"Eight Arizona school districts are receiving over $11 million in federal funds to purchase low- and zero-emission school buses, according to the Environmental Protection Agency."

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  Executive Director Fred Yamashita at [email protected]