John,

“We’ve already had some truly amazing and powerful moments—from rallying with workers fighting for union recognition to holding lawmakers accountable for policies that harm working families. Our big bus has been uplifting labor’s fight across the country.”

Fred Yamashita

Secretary-Treasurer

Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

"It's Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness, and Security" Bus Tour Stops in Arizona

📍Window Rock - Labor Union Fair on Monday, August 4th

Hosted by the NAL-NiSHii Federation of Labor 

📌RSVP Here: https://www.mobilize.us/aflcio/event/818248/  

📍Phoenix - Press Event on Wednesday, August 6th

Hosted by AFSCME 

📌RSVP Here: https://www.mobilize.us/afscmewesternregion/event/815972/   

📍Tucson - Roundtable on Friday, August 8th 

Hosted by the Pima Area Labor Federation 

📌RSVP Here: https://mobilize.us/s/VtylEp   

Stand Up for Social Security - in Tucson!

The Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, Honest Arizona, and Healthcare Rising Arizona are hosting a town hall event featuring Senator Mark Kelly and former Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley.

Join them to discuss how the Republican Tax Bill threatens Social Security and what's needed to protect the future of the program for all generations.

*Resgistration is required to attend 

Join the AZ Alliance For Retired Americans & Honest Arizona to Protect Social Security

Join as they are hosting "Silver Sit-Ins" on Thursday, August 14th, in both Phoenix & Tucson to call out Reps. Schweikert and Ciscomani for turning their back on seniors and voting to cut the Social Security benefits we earned.

Get more information by clicking on the links below⤵️

📍PHOENIX -  https://shorturl.at/Upnxz 

📍TUCSON - https://shorturl.at/syWjk 

AZ AFL-CIO's 13th Annual Labor Day Lunch

You are cordially invited to this year's Labor Day Luncheon with the theme, "It's Our Time: Standing in Solidarity."

Event Details:

🗓️Friday, August 29, 2025

📍Hilton Phoenix Resort at the Peak, 7767 N. 16th St., Phoenix, AZ 85020

⏰Program Begins @ 11:00 AM

👚Attire: Business Casual

Ticket Prices & Sponsorship Options:

• Individual Tickets: $150

• Solidarity Sponsor: $12,000

• Unity Sponsor: $6,000

• Ally Sponsor: $3,000 

🎥 Want to see what last year’s luncheon was all about?
Explore the 2024 virtual program, highlights, and honorees here:
👉 View the 2024 Labor Day Luncheon Site

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].

AZ AFL-CIO's Book Club: A New Chapter Begins!

We're back—and better than ever! The Arizona AFL-CIO Labor Book Club is now formatted as an end-of-the-month book review, offering fresh perspectives on thought-provoking reads that resonate with our movement. 

📖July' Book Review: Augustus by John Williams

Check out this week's review, written by Esau Gutierrez, for a deeper dive:  

John Williams’ Augustus shows that beneath the marble politics lies hard labor. Through letters and diaries, we hear rank-and-file soldiers march across deserts on stale bread, never sure if tomorrow brings land or a grave. Their reward is often a seized Italian farm that boots another family into the road. 

In Rome, bakers, dockhands, and porters feel every power shuffle at the market stall: grain prices jump, lines lengthen, then Augustus throws a flashy feast to keep tempers cool. Provincial clerks sweating in dusty offices learn that a coin slid across the desk outweighs any legal seal. New temples and crowded arenas rise over the city, paid for by fresh taxes lifted from the same backs cheering in the stands.

Williams reminds us that the celebrated 'Pax Romana' was calm bought on credit and built on the backbreaking labor of ordinary people who never got to choose the terms.

Read Along the Month of August: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson⤵️

About this book: In 'The Devil in the White City,' Erik Larson masterfully brings to life the events of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair by intertwining the experiences of architect Daniel H. Burnham and serial killer H.H. Holmes. Burnham faced immense challenges, including the death of his partner, while successfully creating the iconic "White City" for the fair, featuring notable figures like Buffalo Bill and Thomas Edison. Meanwhile, Holmes, who constructed a sinister hotel near the fairgrounds, exploited the event and his charm to lure numerous victims, showcasing the contrasting allure and darkness of 19th-century Chicago. 

Medicaid and SNAP Benefits are a Lifeline for Many Arizonans

"When I was working, I couldn’t afford my family’s health care, just like nearly 13 million other working women. Since losing my ability to work through no fault of my own, the health care burden remains, and my son and I simply couldn’t make it without our health care from Medicaid."

Labor Unions are a Lifeline

"Both my mother and grandfather were actively involved in unions during their careers, so as soon as I developed a concept of what work was, I was familiar with what a union was. To a young me, the idea just made sense. Why wouldn’t people band together to represent themselves if they had problems with their work?"

IAM Union Leaders Condemn Texas Redistricting Push

"Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers), IAM Union Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin and IAM Texas State Council President Taylor Rehmet issued the following statement in response to efforts by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Texas lawmakers to redraw congressional districts during a special legislative session."

Labor Federation, Unions, File New Lawsuit to Defend Federal Workers' Collective Bargaining Rights

"Organizations representing working people across the federal government, including professional and technical employees, overseas teachers, and workers in shipbuilding, maritime and construction trades, sued the Trump administration today over its union-busting attack on the collective bargaining rights of federal workers."

Organized Labor Bus Tour Comes to Indianapolis as Kroger Workers Negotiate for Higher Wages

"Kroger employees are asking the company for more money and negotiations for a new contract continue between those employees and the grocery chain."

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Keep Call Centers and Customer Service Jobs in the U.S.

"The bill has drawn support from organized labor, including the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which represents thousands of call center employees nationwide."

This Company's CEO Made 6,666 More Than Its Typical Worker

"Niccol, who took over the company’s helm last September, received nearly $98 million in compensation, compared to the typical Starbucks worker’s pay of less than $15,000, according to the report, which drew from corporate filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission."

It's the 60th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. For Some Advocates, It's Bittersweet

"Linda Somo is the president of the Arizona Alliance of Retired Americans. Somo says she’s worried about how deep cuts to Medicaid will hurt Americans.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Workers Speak Out About Extreme Heat Dangers

"Some workers at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport say their employers are not complying with a city ordinance to protect them from the extreme heat."

Arizona: BLET Reaches First Tentative Agreement for AZER Membership

"The tentative agreement would establish many basic rights that BLET members working at other railroads already enjoy: a seniority roster with prior rights protections; grievance procedures and union protection from discipline; guaranteed work weeks with rest days; a process to promote engineers; a formal training process; paid personal time off; and other work rule and safety improvements. Additionally, the contract provides general wage increases and a signing bonus."

Alfredo Gutierrez, Migrant-Rights Activist and Political Consultant, Dies at 79

"He worked with César Chavez organizing farmworkers in California. In 1969, Gutierrez and other activists co-founded Chicanos Por La Causa, a key social service organization in the Valley."

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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]