labor unions Archives - ��

PRO Act: Pro-Union, not Pro-Worker

Diego Píña — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 19:17:31 +0000

A bill is currently being discussed in the Senate that would not only impose dangerous alterations to over 85 years of labor law, but is also a series of reckless policies that would favor unions at the expense of employers and the economy.

The proposal in question is the (S. 420/H.R. 842). Proponents of the PRO Act claim it would “,” but a closer look at the proposed legislation illustrates it only ensnares employers in unrelated labor disputes and would severely damage Arizona workplaces and competitiveness.

Right-to-Work Elimination

A bipartisan research firm, recently conducted , and the results reveal serious concerns Americans have about the PRO Act.

Among the litany of bad ideas within this proposed legislation would be the effective repeal of right-to-work protections that currently exist in 28 states, including Arizona.These right-to-work laws provide assurances to employees that they do not have to pay labor union dues in order to keep their job. According to the poll, this specific issue alone was a serious concern for. Moreover,, “these results did not vary much based on party either: 68 percent of Democrats, 65 percent of Independents, and 74 percent of Republicans said they had concerns over repealing right-to-work laws.”

Currently, employees can elect not to join a labor union at their workplace — it is entirely their choice. The PRO Act would change that and allow unions to disregard established state law and collect dues from employees who have decided to opt out of a union. Additionally, in a state without right-to-work laws, an employer would more than likely be required by the labor contract to terminate an employee who refuses to pay union dues. This is why more and more states have adopted right-to-work laws.

“If the PRO Act were to pass, it would do tremendous damage to Arizona’s workplaces and its overall competitiveness,” said David Martin, President of the Arizona chapter of the Associated General Contractors in a �� article last month. “We’re so fortunate to have a right-to-work law in Arizona that ensures that the decision whether to join a labor union is left up to the employee. Our workplaces are largely free of hostility and intimidation. We want to keep it that way.”

Revival of the card check, eliminating secret ballots

The PRO Act will also undermine the use of secret ballot elections. Instead, allowing labor unions to use a “card check” where workers would sign a card to authorize a union rather than privately voting a ballot. These secret ballot elections, which are overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, provide protections to workers from coercion and/or intimidation by either the labor union or the employer.

According to the poll, this specific issue alone was a serious concern for. Moreover,, “these results did not vary much based on party either: 68 percent of Democrats, 65 percent of Independents, and 74 percent of Republicans said they had concerns over repealing right-to-work laws.”

The potential for union organizers to abuse this information in order to pressure workers is concerning. Workers could become subject to coercion and intimidation within their workplace, home, and out with their family. It’s not clear how this “levels the playing field and brings more fairness to working Americans”.

Economic Impact

Some might not oppose this proposed act at first glance, but many American workers would reconsider if they knew long term it would hurt their jobs and their wallet.

Unions’ demands for mandated wage packages and stringent staffing rules would effectively kneecap the competitiveness of American companies.

This fact is a large reason unionization rates in the country have., “The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.3 million in 2020, was down by 321,000, or 2.2 percent, from 2019.”

If the PRO Act really were pro-worker, more Americans might support it. But the recent polling data is revealing. American workers don’t want dollars from their paychecks diverted to labor unions, and they don’t want to stifle job growth, especially in a post-pandemic economy. Let’s hope Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly and the rest of the Senate are paying attention. For more information on the PRO Act click .

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Phoenix councilmembers push package to crush already reeling hospitality industry

Joe Pitts — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 13:00:00 +0000

The Phoenix City Council today will consider a package of ordinances targeting the city’s struggling hospitality industry with mandates on hiring, leave policies, cleanliness and more.

The ordinances are proposed by pro-union Councilmembers Betty Guardado, Carlos Garcia and Laura Pastor.

Branded as the “Phoenix Healthy Tourism and Hospitality Measures,” the three items contain a host of new regulations that the city’s tourism sector is concerned will harm an industry already reeling from the financial fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Included in the proposal are strict rules for employers regarding how and when to bring furloughed employees back on the job; how many square feet a worker may clean during the workday; the establishment of a “public hygiene training program” to be conducted by a third-party organization that will deliver no less than six hours of instruction and preside over an examination of hospitality workers; paid leave provisions that go far beyond anything already in state or federal law; and much more.

Kim Sabow, the president and CEO of the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association, says the proposal will hurt an industry that has been the hardest hit during the pandemic.

“Now is not the time to be adding costly regulatory burdens on businesses that are trying to make payroll and keep their doors open,” Sabow said. “Each one of the items makes it more difficult for hoteliers and the rest of the hospitality industry to recover. We are extremely disappointed that the Phoenix City Council decided to fast-track a series of job-killing ordinances that will place onerous regulations and increase costs on an industry that is struggling to financially survive the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The ordinances will not apply to entities that enter into a collective bargaining agreement with a labor union.

Guardado is an organizer for Unite Here Local 11, a labor union for the hotel, airport and food service industry. The union’s political action committee supported Guardado’s successful 2019 campaign.

Arizona �� of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Glenn Hamer the union exemption sends the message that organized labor believes it is powerful enough to dramatically alter the business environment of the state’s largest city.

“If they can get away with this for the hotel and lodging industry, good luck for Arizona getting these great conventions. Good luck for great groups to be able to sell Arizona if we have those types of regulations,” Hamer said.

The proposal, which was only made available to the public for review on Friday, will appear before the Council without input from other councilmembers or from members of the affected industry.

“These proposed laws were only posted on Friday with no industry engagement or time to review. This is after the Arizona Restaurant Association had sent all members of the Phoenix City Council a letter seeking to engage in any process impacting the hospitality industry,” ARA COO Dan Bogert said. “This request was clearly ignored, and the plan is to push the ordinance through with as little public input and notice as possible.”

Hamer says the rest of the Council should strongly reject the proposed ordinances.

“It’s terrible process, terrible policy. It’s time for Mayor (Kate) Gallego and the Phoenix City Council to say no,” Hamer said. “Come on. In the middle of a pandemic to put this thing last second into an agenda, and then to have that exemption—give me a break.”

The Phoenix tourism industry is organizing its opposition to the proposal at, where users can send emails to their councilmembers to voice their opinion.

The Council will meet at 10:00 am today.

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Experts: Health care ballot initiative from out-of-state labor union likely to increase patient costs

Graham Bosch — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 18:00:02 +0000

Supporters of a ballot measure proposed by a new advocacy group in Arizona claim it will make health care more accessible by holding providers to new standards, but health care leaders in the state are having none of it.

Healthcare Rising Arizona is an advocacy organization backed by California-based labor union Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers (SEIU-UHW).

The group announced recently that it has filed a it says will improve Arizonans’ health and hospital care by addressing four main areas: patient billing, requiring providers to offer refunds if patients are overcharged; infection control, holding private hospitals to national safety standards; new wage mandates for hospital workers, with annual wage increases for four years; and pre-existing conditions.

“This package of improvements will fix a number of major problems in our state’s health care system to ensure that everyone can get the affordable coverage and safe care they need,” said Jenny David, registered nurse and chair of the ballot committee running the initiative, Arizonans Fed Up with Failing Healthcare. “These are sensible, important changes that we need to protect ourselves and ensure quality care.”

But top health care organizations disagree, warning of rising costs and dismissing the initiative as out-of-state meddling.

“This proposal by a California-based union is the beginning of the effort to replace our quality health care provider workforce with a government-run system in Arizona,” said Jennifer Carusetta, executive director of the . “It will undoubtedly raise health care costs and threaten access to quality care for Arizona residents.”

According to the , the measure would increase patient costs across the board; mandate an increase in health care workers’ salaries regardless of performance; and claim responsibility for improvements already being made by the federal government, the state and local health care providers.

SEIU-UHW backed an initiative in 2016 to put strict limits on the compensation of hospital executives, but the proposed measure never made the ballot after the labor union was unable to secure enough valid petition signatures.

“This California-based union, famous for picketing hospitals, is asking Arizonans to vote for an initiative that won’t improve their health care and will end up costing them more,” said Ann-Marie Alameddin, president and CEO of AzHHA. “Moreover, it has a track record of using ballot initiatives not to improve health care in Arizona but to leverage its bargaining position with California hospitals.”

Arizona hospitals directly employ nearly 90,000 Arizonans and support another 120,000 jobs in the state, according to the American Hospital Association. Hospitals are often the largest employers in their respective communities, paying competitive salaries and benefits.

“Arizona has internationally renowned hospitals and specialty providers that serve our residents with the world’s best care,” said Carusetta of the HSAA. “They are on the cutting edge of medicine and helping to save the lives of thousands of Arizonans every day.”

The average wage of a full-time employee at an Arizona hospital was more than $75,000 in 2018, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. That’s 52 percent more than the average Arizona wage of $49,290, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Healthcare Rising Arizona wrote in a release that the ballot initiative is designed to reduce deaths and lower costs, allowing hospitals to focus on improving patient care, but Carusetta said the move is just posturing by an organization that wants to increase its involvement in Arizona.

“[The ballot initiative] is another reckless attempt by to harm one of the brightest industry segments and largest economic drivers in the state,” Carusetta said. “This is not about improving the health care system; this is just pure union politics.”

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