John,

On January 6, 2022, the one year anniversary of the insurrection at our nation’s capital, in Arizona a group of community allies were at the Arizona state capital declaring the sanctity of the vote. The idea that voting and the democratic process should be a peaceful process, one where voters and poll workers alike, should feel safe. The coalition led by the League of Women Voters included immigrant rights, the faith community, Tribal representatives, Labor and more. Yet there were those among us that day that were sowing fear of violence as we exercised our freedom to assemble and speak! They were there to intimidate us, with guns, megaphones and a German Shepard to harass us, to scare us. The Capital and State police did nothing to stop them from trying to discourage us from sharing our message.

As we planned, in anticipation of the protesters being there, we did not engage with them and tried to ignore them as best we could. Our people stood strong and speaker after speaker delivered a powerful message of peace and resolve and belief in our democratic system. Delivered a message stating that we would not be intimidated by hate and fascist ideology, nationalism, racism, authoritarianism or violence. Before our program ended, the protesters left us, I believe, because they knew we were not intimidated by them, they left defeated and we stood strong ready to move forward!

So here we are today, one year later, celebrating our victories, celebrating the fruits of our labor, celebrating the commitment, the resolve, the dedication to our beliefs and to one another. Here we are, a year later as the first democratic governor of Arizona in 20 years, Katie Hobbs, delivered the State of the State address to the 56th Arizona State Legislature, while Republicans sat not applauding, some turned their backs on her. Here we are celebrating the victories of Mark Kelly for U.S. Senate, Adrian Fontes for Secretary of State and Kris Mayes for State Attorney General.

As we celebrate though, we also understand that our work continues. We understand that the attacks on voting rights have continued, the attacks on many of our core civil rights have continued. That’s why organized labor stepped up in this election cycle in Arizona and across the country like we never have before, with more investment, with more texts and phone calls and with more boots on the ground. Union members volunteered as poll watchers and to help cure ballots, helping to see this fair and safe election all the way through to certification!

Historically Union Members vote at a higher percentage than the general public, with unions as a trusted messenger communicating and educating their members to help inform them of who supports working people. Though we may have lost the messaging battle in 2016 and to a lesser extent in 2020, when a large number of union members actually voted for Donald Trump. We were successful in turning that around in these mid-terms when we saw that union members overwhelmingly supported our union endorsed candidates!

As the celebrations are winding down and we are all rolling up our sleeves for the upcoming legislative session. We would encourage all of you to continue to do the work, to be engaged, to not lift our feet off the gas! We must build on our successes to flip the State House and Senate, to elect a new Lieutenant Governor and another Senator in 2024.

Our Political Director, Joe Murphy hosts a legislative meeting every Friday morning during session at 9:30am, it’s open for all of you to attend. Get live up to the minute reports from State Representatives and Senators as well as an overview of important bills from Joe every week! Sign up for RTS; Request To Speak to weigh in on bills, so our Legislators know where we stand on the issues. We can show you how to sign up! And if you’re not registered to vote, REGISTER! That goes for your friends, family members, fellow Union Members get them all registered! Thank you!

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

Arizona MLK Celebration Festival

Join the Arizona AFL-CIO and A. Philip Randolph Institute - Phoenix Chapter at our informational booth as we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and learn more about APRI to win some raffle prizes after the Commemorative March through Downtown Phoenix!

2023 Legislative Committee Meeting Alerts

Complete this form to be up on a list to get updates and alerts on the 2023 Legislative Session .

For additional questions, contact our Political Director; Joe Murphy at [email protected] 

Request to Speak at Legislative Committee Meetings

Sign up and 'Request to Speak' to weigh in on bills directly with State Representatives and Senators during our Legislative Committee Meetings every Friday morning at 9:30 AM!

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.

I Will Support Workers. I Will Protect Union Values.

As we start a new year, we know corporations and billionaires will be up to the same old tricks -- union-busting, stealing wages, and prioritizing profits over worker safety and health. 

That's why we have to keep fighting, join picket lines, send letter, and make calls. We'll do what it takes to support our fellow workers. Will you join us? 

Take the pledge that you'll support workers and protective union values.

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].

This MLK Day, 'We Won't Go Back'

"As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day, many in our country still fight against recognizing, much less honoring, the sacrifices of our civil rights legends. Those who understand the meaning of MLK Day may feel disenfranchised by the current state of our country and the performative appreciation, at best, for King and those who fought for civil rights."

No Water? Schools Facing a Fiscal Cliff? Hey, Arizona, Let's Cut Taxes!  

“We have no water and Arizona's schools are about to fall off a fiscal cliff. But sure, let's cut corporate taxes here in the state that already has one of the nation's lowest tax rates."

Even As New York Nurses Return to Work, More Strikes Could Follow 

“Even as 7,000 nurses return to work at two of New York’s busiest hospitals after a three-day strike, colleagues around the country say it’s just a matter of time before frontline workers at other hospitals begin walking the picket line. Problems are mounting at hospitals across the nation as they try to deal with widespread staffing shortages, overworked nurses beaten down by the pandemic and a busted pipeline of new nurses."

Graduate Students Win Pay Raises as Union Efforts Surge 

"Graduate students across the country are voting to unionize and securing pay increases from their colleges — a movement that got a major boost from the recently settled strike that disrupted finals across the University of California system. The UC strike, which included grad students, postdocs, and academic researchers, was the largest in American higher-ed history. Under their new contracts, graduate teaching assistants will soon each receive a minimum of $34,000 for part-time work, and postdocs will each receive a minimum of $70,000 for full-time work. UC-system officials said the salaries would make their students and postdocs among the best paid in the country."

The Supreme Court Hears a Case That Endangers Worker's Ability to Strike

"The Supreme Court hears a labor dispute on Tuesday involving striking truck drivers who walked off the job to try to secure a better contract from their employer, a company that provides premixed concrete for construction projects. Yet, while Glacier Northwest v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a fairly unremarkable case, the stakes for unionized workers could be enormous."

More and More Employers Are Using an Overtime Loophole to Pay People Less

"Employers are increasingly giving workers phony job promotions and creating lofty-sounding managerial titles to avoid paying overtime wages. That’s according to new research from a trio of economists at Harvard University and the University of Texas-Dallas who reviewed online job postings and compensation data from 2010 through 2019. The same Depression-era law that established a national minimum wage and a 40-hour work week created overtime pay regulations to discourage companies from overburdening employees and encourage job creation. There’s a bit of a loophole in the Fair Labor Standards Act, however, and in its current form the regulation allows businesses not to pay overtime wages to employees who are salaried managers, making more than $455 per week (or $23,660 per year)."

Apple's First US Labor Union, Based in Towson Reaches New Milestone for Tech Industry 

“Apple store workers in Towson, Maryland, who made history in June by voting to form the first union at one of the tech giant's US stores, started contract negotiations with Apple management on Wednesday morning. The worker group, based out of a mall near Baltimore, is organized with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) union."

AZ Governor Katie Hobbs vows to Tackle Education Reform in 2023 State of the State Address

“Hobbs spoke at the State Capitol in downtown Phoenix, hours after state Democrats presented their 2023 legislative plan and ahead of unveiling this year’s budget on Friday.

The eight-part plan noted the importance to finding a solution to the school spending limit by March 1 and building toward nationally competitive teacher salaries."

Auto Parts, Logistics Firm Pays Arizona Delivery Workers $5.6 Million 

"The government agency says New York-based company Parts Authority Arizona LLC and Phoenix based company Arizona Logistics Inc., operating as Diligent Delivery Systems, classified their workers as independent contractors, which meant the companies “failed to meet minimum wage requirements, paid straight-time rates for all hours worked, failed to pay at time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek, and failed to keep required timekeeping records.” The companies also required workers to use their personal vehicles instead of company vehicles, which the agency says denies the employees’ drivers’ rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act." 

Gov. Katie Hobbs Wants to Eliminate Sales Tax on Feminine Hygiene Products

“According to Arizona law, menstrual products are deemed non-essential goods, and when taking local and state taxes into account, menstrual products in the state are taxed between 7% and 10%. That’s a hefty price, and Gov. Katie Hobbs understands that burden. "

Saudi Farms are Sucking Arizona's Groundwater Dry. The State's New AG Vows to Stop Them

“Newly Elected Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes Plans to repeal a land deal with a Saudi farm company in La Paz County ”

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