John,

As the end of 2022 is upon us, when we look back at yet another challenging year, we can hold our heads high because of the work we all did. Working to get Joe Biden and Kamala Harris elected in 2020 has paid dividends for working families across the country, especially here in Arizona. Key appointments to crucial positions like fellow Union Member Marty Walsh as Labor Secretary or worker-friendly Lauren McFerran as Chairwoman of the National Labor Relations Board.

The American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Bill, the CHIPS Act, reducing prescription costs, bringing manufacturing back to America, and creating a more worker-friendly environment are all part of what union members set out to achieve with the candidates we help get elected.

During a recent visit to TSMC; the Taiwanese microchip plant in north Phoenix, by President Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, an announcement was made that the original $12 billion dollar investment was going to be increased to over $40 billion, and the commitment to Labor was that the project would be covered by a Project Labor Agreement guaranteeing union members work for 10 years on this project.

And now we have another worker-friendly candidate in the Executive Office in Governor-Elect Katie Hobbs, the first Democratic Governor since Janet Napolitano, who was elected in 2003. Even though we did not flip a chamber at the legislature, we have the most important office, the Governorship.

With Labor stepping up at unprecedented levels this year in PAC money investments and boots on the ground, make no mistake about it; Labor's fingerprints are all over the victories up and down the ballot. Now, Labor has to hold our elected-officials accountable to their promises to Union Members that our interests will be their PRIORITY!

With Union popularity as high as it’s ever been across the country, we must strike now while the iron is hot! Organize, Organize, Organize! Young workers at Starbucks, Amazon, university professors and staff, newspapers, political campaigns and party offices have all been sites of successful organizing campaigns.

As Labor continues to flex its collective muscles, let’s stand in Solidarity with each other, whether it’s around the environment, the economy, voting rights, education or our collective human rights. Let’s support each other, build on our successes and continue to grow the Labor movement for all Workers.

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

2023 ALF-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil & 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.

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.

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.

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].

Vietnam Putting Market Forces Above Worker Rights 

"Vietnam's long-overdue 6% regional minimum wage increase came into effect on July 1, 2022, after two and a half years of delay due to covid-19 . The delay shows the neoliberal logic underpinning policy change by a self-proclaimed socialist state."

Tennessee Sets Example for Rest of the Country on Forced Unionization 

“On November 8, Tennesseans overwhelmingly voted to enshrine right-to-work in the state constitution. For 75 years, Tennessee law has protected its workers from being forced to join a union and pay dues as a condition of employment."

Between the Lines of Last Week's NLRB Decisions 

“For several weeks, Shift has said that the five members of the National Labor Relations Board would rev their engines as Republican appointee John Ring’s term comes to an end. They certainly delivered, issuing a daily drumbeat of 3-2 decisions to closely watched cases. These rulings are interesting — to reporters, labor unions and employers alike — both on their own terms as well as for what clues they contain about the board’s ideological direction. Last week in two cases — Bexar County II and American Steel Construction — the Democratic majority unwound precedents set during the Trump era when the board was controlled by GOP appointees. In both instances, the present board returned to earlier benchmarks, rather than coming up with new ones."

UC and Labor Union Reach Tentative Agreement Over Academic Worker Strike 

"The University of California academic workers strike that began November 14th and, at it’s peak, affected 48,000 workers across the UC system, ended on Friday when a tentative agreement was reached between UC and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union representing the remaining 36,000 student workers. The strike first began over a month ago on November 14th. Months of negotiations between the University system and the UAW, which represents the four different academic bargaining units, including postdoctoral scholars, academic researchers, academic student employees (such as teaching assistants) and graduate student researchers, fell flat going into that weekend. Issues such as better pay to find affordable housing nearby campus, better benefits such as childcare subsidies, expanded healthcare for dependents, and receiving public transportation passes for work, as well as lowered tuition costs for international students and better accessibility for the disabled all went unresolved."

At Labor Rally in D.C., Rail Workers & Progressive Allies Vow to Push Biden on Sick Days 

“While the congressional imposition of an unpopular rail contract on the nation's 115,000 workers who lacked paid sick time, in order to prevent a strike, may have faded from the headlines, a series of high-energy union rallies across the country on Dec. 13 are adding pressure on President Biden to issue an executive order mandating paid sick days for rail workers. At the same time, in an additional sign of increasing militancy within the rank and file of the rail industry, a longtime president of the 28,000-member Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, who pushed for the controversial deal, was just voted out of office. The rank and file of eight rail unions voted for the deal, with four, including one of the larger units, rejecting it, in large part over the issue of paid sick days. Despite a 24 percent pay raise, many the workers rejected the contract because of the lack of sick time for a workforce that's on call 24/7."

Advancing the Migrant Worker Protection Goals of the USMCA 

"On Dec. 18, we observed International Migrants Day – a day dedicated to highlight the contributions of migrant workers and advocate for the full realization of their rights. We at the U.S. Department of Labor are committed to ensuring that all workers in the U.S., including migrant workers, have quality working conditions and their rights on the job are protected."

Ohio Puts Skilled Workers First with Goldwater's Universal Recognition Reform

“Senate Bill 131 not only expands the benefits of licensing recognition to skilled professionals but provides for an additional pathway to licensure through private certification. This approach will ensure that hardworking Americans aren’t locked out of work in Ohio simply because some state legislatures may approach regulation differently. Additionally, the reform includes a 60-day deadline by which boards are required to issue a decision for an application submitted under universal recognition, helping workers get to work faster. The Goldwater Institute was pleased to join the Ohio coalition working to advance this important reform, and is grateful for the diligent efforts of the Buckeye Institute, the Institute for Justice, Americans for Prosperity-Ohio, Americans for Tax Reform, the Foundation for Government Accountability, and the National Taxpayers Union. We applaud the efforts of Senator Roegner, Senator McColley, Representative Jenna Powell, and all the other champions of this important reform, and thank the Ohio General Assembly for its decisive action on Senate Bill 131”

Valley Contractor Ordered to Pay $2.6M for Unpaid Overtime

“The U.S. Labor Department is looking for current and former workers of a Tempe-based construction contractor that allegedly withheld overtime wages and falsified time records."

Arizona Judge Dismisses Finchem's Election Challenge in Secretary of State Race

“An Arizona judge on Friday dismissed Republican Mark Finchem's lawsuit seeking a new secretary of state election after he lost the race in November to Democrat Adrian Fontes. In her ruling, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian dismissed Finchem’s lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, and Fontes, confirming Fontes' election win. Following the midterm elections, lawyers for Finchem, a prominent election denier, filed the lawsuit earlier this month requesting a redo of the election and alleging that Hobbs had engaged in misconduct.”

Conservation Programs Get $20 Billion in Climate Bill. What Are the Benefits for Arizona? 

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture has offered incentives for conservation practices for almost two decades, but making technical and financial assistance available to more farmers and landowners has been slower in some states than others, and funding has been very limited. Now a historical investment could reshape and expand these programs across the country."

One Governor's Border Wall Is Another Governor's Headache

“The Biden administration went to court last week seeking to tear down Mr. Ducey’s wall, saying the governor had no power to unilaterally reshape federally managed public lands. There were no environmental reviews or public hearings before work crews began widening roads and tearing down oaks and junipers."

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