john,

A message from President Liz Schuler: 

"Union organizing is on the rise, and America has taken notice. Workers see what it looks like when we stand up to major corporations, go to battle and win despite every hurdle thrown our way. And it is moving more working people to act and to organize. Big corporations have taken notice, too. They see worker power growing, and they want to stop it in its tracks—so they are trying to bully their way out of workers exercising our freedoms on the job. But, together, we have the power to stand up to them. We have the power to fight back. And we have the power to win" 

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

Pima Country Community & Workforce Development Toy Drive

This will benefit recently evicted children staying in hotels. Let's make this holiday season a little brighter for them by making sure they have a little something special!

They will be accepting gifts until December 21st, 2022

Here's how you can help:

1. Purchase gifts for the children - click red button below!

1. Bring new, unwrapped toys of your choice to the AFSCME Local 449 Union Hall, M-F 8:30am-4:30pm, 3819 S. Evans Blvd., Tucson

1. Attend our gift-wrapping party on Wednesday, December 21 at 6pm at the AFSCME Union Hall.

For questions, please email [email protected]

2023 Union Plus Scholarship

Since 1991, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $5 million to students of union families. Over 3,500 union families have benefited from our commitment to higher education.

This program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation, which is sponsored by Union Privilege.

The Union Plus Education Foundation is funded in part by donations from Capital One N.A., the provider of the Union Plus Credit Card (You do not need to be a Union Plus Credit Card holder to apply for this scholarship.)

Deadline: 12:00 PM (Noon, Eastern Standard Time), Tuesday, January 31, 2023.

LCSA Santa's Helper

Labor's Community Service Agency is in full swing for the 2022 holiday season. They are providing holiday gift tags of children in the programs they offer to participating sponsors and also providing gifts for families.

Each tag will list a gift in the amount of $30-$50. Sponsors may choose one tag, or as many as they want. Financial donations for gifts are also welcome.

Sign up by emailing [email protected] Financial donations can also be made by check or use PayPal on their website www.lcsaphx.org by using the large DONATE Button on any page. 

The NLRB is Underfunded by $94 MILLION

The National Labor Relations Board is in a funding crisis. We need a fully funded NLRB to investigate unfair labor practices and conduct union elections. Without the NLRB, we can't hold corporations accountable o build worker power through stronger unions.

Take two minutes to send a letter to your senators to demand funding from the NLRB.

2023 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference

There is still so much work left to be done to advance civil and human rights, both across the country and inside our own labor movement. We hope you will join us for this engaging, inspiring and educational experience.

When: January 13-16, 2023

Where: Washington, D.C.

Union Events and Action

We want to uplift what you are doing for our members and our community!

Please fill out all the required information to have your Local's event uploaded to our Arizona AFL-CIO website or featured in our next Labor Dispatch. If you have any questions please reach out to Alina Cordoba, Communications & Operations Director at [email protected].

There's a Reason There Aren't Enough Teachers in America. Many Reasons, Actually

"Here are just a few of the longstanding problems plaguing American education: a generalized decline in literacy; the faltering international performance of American students; an inability to recruit enough qualified college graduates into the teaching profession; a lack of trained and able substitutes to fill teacher shortages; unequal access to educational resources; inadequate funding for schools; stagnant compensation for teachers; heavier workloads; declining prestige; and deteriorating faculty morale."

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema: Why I'm Registering as an Independent 

“Opinion: The Arizona senator explains why she has left the Democratic Party"

Starbucks Workers Plan a 3-day Walkout at 100 U.S. stores in a Uninization Effort 

“Starbucks workers around the U.S. are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain's stores. More than 1,000 baristas at 100 stores are planning to walk out, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing the effort. The strike will be the longest in the year-old unionization campaign. This is the second major strike in a month by Starbucks' U.S. workers. On Nov. 17, workers at 110 Starbucks stores held a one-day walkout. That effort coincided with Starbucks' annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink."

New Penalties for Companies that Illegally Fire Workers Who Unionize  

"The ruling could make companies liable for expenses, such as health insurance and credit card late fees, incurred by employees fired for union activity"

UAW Wins Key Vote to Represent Ohio Electric Car Battery Factory 

“The vote happened at Ultium’s first-ever plant in Warren, Ohio, which started production of batteries for GM’s new line of electric vehicles in September. Early Friday morning the union announced 710 had voted in favor of the union and only 16 opposed, with about 900 workers eligible to vote in the election."

Labor Costs Point to Corporate Profit as Main Inflation Driver 

"The continued drop in labor costs has economists pointing to private sector profits as a main driver of inflation, undercutting arguments from the Federal Reserve regarding its plan to bring down consumer prices that remain around 40-year highs."

What's Wrong at the Times 

“New York Times employees and journalists participate in a 24-hour contract walkout, the first such strike in more than 40 years, December 8, 2022, in New York City. The business side of The New York Times has a lot to crow about. Consider the following and forgive me for throwing all these numbers at you, dear reader. After having an operating profit of $176 million in 2020, the Times estimates that its operating profit will jump to around $325 million this year, a very impressive 84 percent increase. Digital subscriptions have soared to eight million (not including The Athletic), five times as many as the 1.6 million in 2016.nThe Times has increased its dividend per share by 33 percent from two years ago and more than doubled its dividend from four years ago. In February, the Times announced a $150 million stock buyback plan for this year, a move designed to please investors by boosting the company’s stock price.”

Arizona to Invest $6.75 Million to Expand Free School Meals

“The pandemic fund investment, which will begin in January and last through the end of the 2023-2024 school year, means those families will no longer be required to pay. It comes after a pandemic-related policy that afforded two years of universal free school lunch expired this summer.”

The Recount That Could Decide the Fate of Abortion Rights in Arizona 

"The midterm elections produced scores of close results—especially in contests for seats in the US House of Representatives—and they have led to their share of objections, complaints, and calls for reviews of the numbers. But only a handful of races were so close that they triggered automatic recounts. One of them is in Arizona, and how it plays out will matter, a lot, for abortion rights."

Arizona May Soon Restrict Kingman Area's Farm Expansions in Bid to Protect Groundwater

“The state's department of water will soon form an Irrigation Non-Expansion Area in Mohave County, a move that will restrict the irrigation of new acres of land."

US Sues Arizona Over Shipping Containers on Mexico Border

“The U.S. government sued Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and the state Wednesday over the placement of shipping containers as a barrier on the border with Mexico, saying it is trespassing on federal lands.

The complaint filed in U.S. District Court comes three weeks before the Republican governor steps aside for Democratic Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs, who has said she opposes the construction."

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]