The Arizona labor political program was unlike any in history. We’re confident the foundation we built through our new 365-day-a-year political organizing campaign drove union members to the polls Tuesday. The Arizona AFL-CIO represents 140,000 workers, many of whom mobilized to win key races for pro-working family candidates.
Over all, 38 percent of our members and their families casted their ballots during Early Voting, outperforming the general public by 8 percent. We also knocked on over 38,000 homes and had over 14,000 phone and walk conversations with voters.
As anticipated, many of our races in Arizona are too close to call tonight. This is a clear sign our democracy is working as intended. Believe me, you would be hard pressed to find a group other than our labor movement as eager to hear the results but we believe every vote needs to be tabulated. We know election deniers will use this moment to sow distrust in our systems that time and time again proves to be unfounded. We will have union members mobilized to ensure every last vote is counted. Thank you to our poll workers ensuring our elections are fair, free & secure.
Thank you to everyone who was apart of this campaign and to everyone who got out and voted.
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Fred Yamashita Executive Director Arizona AFL-CIO
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UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIONS
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"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].
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Workers Right Amendment Would Be Good For Public Budget
"By growing wages, increasing revenues, reducing government assistance costs and relieving pressure on tax rates, the Workers’ Rights Amendment is a valuable policy tool for our state."
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Over 40 Black Leaders in Arizona on Why They Support Katie Hobbs for Governor
“Black leaders in Arizona say that out of the two candidates running for governor, only one has a vision for Arizona that is based on truth and unmatched experience."
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The Final Push: The Working People Weekly List
“Voters: “On Saturday morning, Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, the largest labor union conglomerate in the country, rallied in South Philadelphia with gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro and a bevy of local elected officials who spoke to 150 workers preparing to knock on doors through the city. ‘All these important labor leaders, national people, are coming into Pennsylvania because this race is the race,’ Shuler said, pointing to the Senate campaign. ‘And you all are the most important people that will make this victory happen.’"
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Peasant Storm the Castle: Medieval Times Workers in Buena Park Vote 27 to 18 to Unionize
"Workers at the Buena Park castle sought better pay and working conditions, more clearly defined job responsibilities and a greater voice in the workplace.”
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Mets Lays Off More Than 11,000 Employees
“Since Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004, the Silicon Valley company has steadily hired more employees. At the end of September it had amassed its largest-ever number of workers, totaling 87,314 people. But on Wednesday, the company — now renamed Meta — began cutting jobs, and deeply. Meta said it was laying off more than 11,000, or about 13 percent of its work force, in what amounted to the company’s most significant job cuts. The layoffs were made across departments and regions, though some areas, like recruiting and business teams, were affected more than others."
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Opps. Twitter is Already Trying to Rehire Workers Elon Musk Fired Days Ago, Sources Say
“Twitter Inc., after laying off roughly half the company on Friday following Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition, is now reaching out to dozens of employees who lost their jobs and asking them to return.”
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Labor Rights Are on the Ballot
“Seventy-one percent of Americans now say they feel favorably about unions, the highest level of support for organized labor since the 1960s. Unfortunately, in much of America, workers who would love to be in a union face barriers to organizing, getting first contracts, and collectively bargaining. Even in historically pro-union states such as Wisconsin and Michigan, legislators have passed anti-labor “right-to-work” laws. Backed by corporate interests, these laws prevent employees from obtaining necessary representation in the workplace and deny workers opportunities to amplify their voices in political debates."
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Voters Approve Medicaid Expansion and a Minimum Wage Increase in These States
“Voters in several states have approved progressive measures that could not get through a Democratic-led Congress or Republican-dominated statehouses. More low-income South Dakota residents will have access to Medicaid, and Arizona residents with medical debt will get more protections. Minimum wage workers in Nebraska will get a boost in pay."
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Voting Goes Mostly Smoothly on Election Day as Baseless Fraud Claims Swirl
“State and local elections officials said Tuesday’s voting in the midterm elections went smoothly overall, with a few isolated problems reported, including in the key swing state of Arizona where issues with voting machines sparked baseless claims about fraud. In Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous, Republicans filed a lawsuit seeking to keep polls open three hours after they were scheduled to close, claiming there were excessive delays and long lines due to ballot tabulator malfunctions. A county judge, however, denied the request, saying that while some voters may have been confused or faced difficulties, he “does not have any evidence” voters were unable to vote.”
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Election Results for Arizona's 10 Ballot Measures
“Ten propositions appear on this year’s ballot, including three that would impact the voting process in Arizona if passed. Learn more about the propositions below, including the latest numbers once counting begins after the polls close on Election Day.”
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Why More Than Half a Million Ballots Remain Uncounted in the Arizona Governor's Race
“The polls closed in Arizona on Tuesday, but voters will likely have to wait several more days before they know whether their next governor will be Republican Kari Lake or Democrat Katie Hobbs. That’s because more than 570,000 ballots have yet to be counted, most of them in Maricopa County, where more than 60% of the state’s registered voters live.”
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