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For National Women’s History Month, the AFL-CIO has a long list of amazing leaders that they will feature throughout the month. The AZ AFL-CIO would like to highlight someone on that list in celebration of this month.

When, then, Field Director Joe Murphy and I first started at the State Fed in the fall of 2017, we were definitely two deer in the headlights! The calendar for 2018 quickly filled up, and two of our national constituency groups were going to have their national conferences here in Phoenix: the A. Phillip Randolph Institute and Pride At Work. The first one up was APRI. We were fortunate to have AFGE International Organizer and Phoenix APRI Chapter President, Joe Diggs, at our office. It helped keep an open line of communication with the national group. But the first contact that we had with National APRI President Clayola Brown put us right at ease. She let us know right from the beginning how much she appreciated our assistance and made us feel like we were part of their convention. Joe Murphy and I were invited to dinner one night with their leadership team, and President Brown even invited me to be one of the convention’s speakers—an honor indeed!

Upon meeting President Brown, she made you feel like you'd known her forever. The quality of the speakers and the turnout for the conference, indicative of her leadership, was impressive. AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre and Civil Rights Leader Pastor William Barber headed the list of speakers.

President Brown, a Civil Rights leader and Union organizer, has earned the respect of a nation with her work and activism, and here at the AZ AFL-CIO, we are proud to know her and share her story.

An AFL-CIO press release stated, "Today, the AFL-CIO announced Clayola Brown’s appointment as Civil, Human and Women’s Rights director, tasked with guiding the federation in our fight against America’s legacy of systemic racism, exclusion and injustice. A lifelong civil rights and labor activist, Brown has served as president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) since 2004.

"From her first days organizing textile workers to her service on the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council to her unparalleled leadership at the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Clayola has always recognized that the struggle for worker power is intrinsically linked to the fight against racial and social injustice," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. "The labor movement is stronger for her decades of committed activism, and I’m thrilled to have such an accomplished trade unionist taking on this critical role."

After getting her start organizing textile workers alongside her mother in Charleston, South Carolina, Brown served in key leadership positions with UNITE (now UNITE HERE) and Workers United. She went on to make history as the first woman to lead APRI, an organization of Black trade unionists dedicated to fighting for racial equality and economic justice. Brown also has served on the AFL-CIO Executive Council and the NAACP National Board.

"I’m thrilled to be coming on board," said Brown. "The labor movement has always been essential to the advancement of Americans’ most fundamental civil and human rights. As our movement continues to surge forward, the demands of working people are going to be heard loud and clear. We’re bringing everything we have to the fights ahead, and we intend to win.”’ (AFL-CIO, 2021). 

Reference: 

Longtime Labor Activist Named AFL-CIO Civil Rights Director. (2021, February 3). AFL-CIO. Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://aflcio.org/press/releases/longtime-labor-activist-named-afl-cio-civil-rights-director.

In solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

Saturday Canvass to Support Kevin Robinson

MALF invites you to join AFSCME and other hard-working families in support of Kevin Robinson; Phoenix City Councilman candidate for District 6 to canvass March 4th at 10 AM.

Click the button below to register! 

An Evening With John Nichols

Join Pima Area Labor Federation for a conversation with Jon Nichols co-author of It's Okay to be Angry About Capitalism, a book co-authored with Senator Bernie Sanders. Nichols is the National Affairs Correspondent for The Nation Magazine and a staunch union supporter. Doors will open at 6:00pm, program to begin at 6:30pm at IBEW Local 570.

Find more information here: https://bit.ly/3KW31zI

Day of Action Volunteers Needed!

Monday April 24th, 2023, Arizona AFL-CIO will be hosting it's Day of Action at the Capitol and are looking for volunteers during and leading up to the event.

AARA Celebrates Women In Organized Labor

In Honor of Women's History Month, AARA invites you to celebrate labor leaders who are making history.

We will hear the stories of three women who gained leadership positions through hard work, determination, and dedication in the labor movement.

Come hear their stories on Friday, March 24th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

*Registration Required

Petition to Abolish Grad Fees NOW!

The graduate student employees of Northern Arizona University, call upon the Graduate College and university administration to take immediate action and eliminate student fees for all graduate employees. Charging essential employees of the university fees on the premise that they are students first directly contributes to the financial insecurity and vulnerability of members of this community. Furthermore, NAU administration is capricious and inconsistent in how it determines us students versus workers. Remission of fees for student employees would not only alleviate financial instability, but would also begin to establish clearer communication between administration and graduate student employees across campus.

Add your name if you agree! 

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 at 9:30 AM!

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] 

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].

Why Everyone Wins With More Women In Leadership 

"The reality is we need more women in leadership positions. It's not just good for women—it's good for business. Let's take a closer look at why."

If You Know All These Labor Department Facts, We'll Be Really Impressed 

"President William Howard Taft signed the act creating the U.S. Department of Labor in his final hours as president on March 4, 1913. In the decades following, the department has supported the interests of workers, jobseekers and retirees across the country. We’ve reduced workplace fatalities and recovered billions of dollars in stolen wages and benefits. Here are a few things you might not know about the Labor Department."

Biden To Tap Julie Su As Next Labor Secretary

"President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he would nominate Julie Su to be his next Labor secretary, moving swiftly to fill a coming vacancy within his cabinet. “It is my honor to nominate Julie Su to be our country’s next Secretary of Labor,” Biden said in a statement. “Julie has spent her life fighting to make sure that everyone has a fair shot, that no community is overlooked, and that no worker is left behind. Over several decades, Julie has led the largest state labor department in the nation, cracked down on wage theft, fought to protect trafficked workers, increased the minimum wage, created good-paying, high-quality jobs, and established and enforced workplace safety standards.”'

Apprenticeship Program Between Teamsters, United Airlines Will Grow and Diversify Aircraft Technician Pipeline 

“The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and United Airlines proudly announce the launch of Calibrate, an in-house apprenticeship program for non-licensed Teamsters to acquire new skills and become FAA-licensed Airframe and Powerplant Technicians at United."

Searching For the Faces of Child Migrant Labor

“In the last two years, more than 250,000 children have entered the United States by themselves, many of them from Central America. I found that thousands of them had ended up in punishing jobs that flouted child labor laws. Children as young as 12 and 13 year olds are working in commercial laundromats, industrial bakeries and sock mills.”

Delta Pilots Approve New Contract with 34% Raises

"The ratification makes the Atlanta-based airline the first of the largest U.S. carriers to finalize a labor agreement with its 15,000 pilots since the pandemic began."

Sen. Bernie Sanders Calls Vote on Possible Subpoena for Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz

"Sanders said Wednesday that the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, or HELP, Committee will vote March 8 on whether to issue a subpoena for Schultz, who previously declined to appear in front of the committee. Sanders said in a statement that Schultz has denied meeting and document requests and refused to answer questions from him and his fellow senators."

How A Giant Egg Farm Made Money Off Women Prisoners In Dangerous Conditions 

“During the pandemic, in an unheard-of experiment, incarcerated women in Arizona were moved to a prison camp on a multimillion-dollar private farm, where hazardous, meagerly paid work changed their lives forever."

Navajo County Approved $20-Million Broadband Plan 

“The Navajo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $20-million plan to improve broadband throughout the county.

The supervisors approved a shift in the contractor to design the “Middle Mile” of a much faster, self-backing-up, reliable internet backbone system, funded with state and federal grants."

Arizona Senate Advances Bill Eliminating Food Tax, Now Heads to House

“The Arizona Senate has advanced a bill that could save you money every time you go to the grocery store. But moving forward, the future of the bill is shaping up to be a major partisan fight."

Senate Passes Bill to Cut Unemployment Benefits

“Currently, Arizonans who qualify for unemployment can receive up to 24 weeks of benefits when the unemployment rate is 5% or less. The proposal by Phoenix Republican Sen. Steve Kaiser would slash that time in half, to 12 weeks, if the previous quarter’s unemployment rate was 5% or less. The measure, Senate Bill 1167, cleared the Arizona Senate on March 2 by a vote of 16-14, along party lines. It next moves to the House of Representatives for consideration."

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