John,

I would like to introduce you to the AZ AFL-CIO’s newest staff member; Rasean Clayton. He is the Organizing Specialist for Maricopa and surrounding areas and you will undoubtedly be hearing and seeing from Rasean soon and often!

We are excited to be working with Rasean and want you to meet him here virtually and have him share a few words with you all!

“Solidarity is the most important word in the working class. The labor movement gives hope and prosperity to all working class people. That is why I am so passionate about this work that we do. We work with our lawmakers at all levels, city, state and federal to pass laws to protect and benefit all workers, to improve the working conditions and wages for all working people. We must continue to stay diligent in the work we do as labor leaders, organizers, mobilizers, and representatives. We are redefining the state of Arizona each election cycle and letting them know that labor is here.  I have been a proud union member for many years, as well as a Navy veteran. While with CWA I served as VP of Local 7050.  I was a member of the District and National Civil Rights and Equity Committee, organizer, shop steward, and a political activist.  My primary goal in this role is to increase the membership and power of our affiliated unions by recruiting new members, increase the level of their engagement and continue to build support for all working people. This will include conducting outreach and educational efforts, building relationships with workers and community leaders, and negotiating with employers. I look forward to meeting you all and working with you to build Worker Power!” - Rasean Clayton, Organizing Specialist, AZ AFL-CIO

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

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.

UCW Arizona Demands a Dignified Wage for ALL Workers at Arizona State University

Sign their petition in support of increasing workers' wages to $25 an hour by the year 2025 at Arizona State University 

"We need your support to ensure dignified jobs and fair wages. UCWAZ believes that all workers must be paid thriving wages in Arizona."

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].

What is the Lunar New Year? Traditions and Celebrations Explained 

"Sunday Marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit and more than a billion people from mainland China to South Korea and Malaysia will celebrate. "

New BLS Data: Union Membership Grows by More than 200,000 in 2022

“Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today showed union membership in the United States grew by more than 273,000 in 2022, despite fierce and often illegal corporate union-busting."

Economic Data is Often Misunderstood, Hurting Black Workers: AFL-CIO Chief Economist 

"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."

AFL-CIO's MLK Conference Emphasizes Protecting Democracy, Politics, Organizing 

"For the hundreds of unionists attending the AFL-CIO’s annual Martin Luther King Civil and Human Rights Conference, the right-wing threat to democracy—and to workers’ rights—isn’t over. And, though he wasn’t a scheduled speaker at the event, “Claiming Our Power, Protecting Our Democracy,” this weekend at the Washington (D.C.) Hilton, it’s a threat recognized by the late civil rights leader’s family, too, as his son Martin Luther King III told a D.C. crowd a week ago."

REI's Cleveland Workers File to Unionize, Following California and New York Colleagues 

"Trailing decisions to unionize in Berkeley, California, and New York City's SoHo, workers at Cleveland's REI location made the decision Wednesday to file for union election. The move, which follows roughly one year of deliberation, comes among complaints of "irregular scheduling" and unfair wages during what workers say is REI's largest profit margin in its 84-year history. According to a press release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a "majority" of REI Cleveland's 55 workers leaned towards filing with RWDSU, which represents 100,000 workers across the U.S."

University of Illinois at Chicago Faculty Members Strike

“University of Illinois at Chicago faculty members began striking Tuesday after their union said 12 hours of negotiations with administrators on Martin Luther King Jr. Day didn’t produce an agreement."

Arizona Universities Union Demands $25 Minimum Wage for Workers

“A union at the University of Arizona is demanding that the campus-wide minimum wage increase to $25 per hour by 2025. The petition by the United Campus Workers of Arizona states that "all campus workers in Arizona, whether university employees or contracted laborers, must be paid a thriving wage, not a poverty wage. This goes hand in hand with the University of Arizona’s mission to continuously improve and innovate.'”

Arizona Lawmaker Seeks to Outlaw Mail Voting and Make Other Election Changes

“A newly elected state lawmaker who wants to overturn the 2022 election is now trying to get colleagues to outlaw voting by mail. The proposal by Rep. Liz Harris, R-Chandler, says anyone who wants to vote should have to go to the polls. HB 2229 says the only exception would be those who are physically unable or those in the military who are overseas. But that’s only part of her agenda. Harris also is sponsoring HB 2232. It not only would preclude early voting — even in person — but also require that all ballots be counted by hand. And her HB 2233 seeks to expand the grounds on which anyone could sue to overturn election results and give them and their allies the power to inspect each and every ballot. Current law permits the review of only a random sample."

Education cmte OKs Arizona Senate Bill Banning Unapproved Use of Pronouns in Classrooms 

"Senate Bill 1001, proposed by Republican state Senator John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills, would prohibit employees and contractors of public schools from referring to students younger than 18 by pronouns not aligned with their biological sex and calling students names that aren’t their given name or a derivative nickname without written permission from the student’s parents." 

'Rent is Too High': Progressives in Congress Urge Biden to Act on Corporate Price Gouging

“Congressman Raul Grijalva of Tucson signed on to a letter with 49 other lawmakers urging President Joe Biden to take action on rising rent across the country. "Simply put, the rent is too high and millions of people across this country are struggling to stay stably housed as a result,” the letter states. "

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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  Communications & Operations Director Alina Cordoba at [email protected]