It seems everyone knows about and is working to gather signatures for the Arizona for Abortion Access Initiative (AAA), which is fantastic and centrally important to our electoral strategy for 2024.
But that is only half of the picture of what we are offering to empower voters to choose this year. We are also proposing to free them of the union-busting, wage, rights destroying, and legally disempowering effects in their workplaces of Arizona’s constitutional so-called ‘right to work’ clause. Now, all Democrats know that the so-called ‘right to work’ is really the right to work for less with fewer rights and more arbitrary exploitation. But we can do something to stop this and end decades of worker exploitation and union-busting activities by employers in this state.
It’s called the Arizona Works Together (AWT) Initiative and everyone who is carrying an AAA petition, should also be carrying an AWT petition. You can learn more and sign up to get involved in gathering signatures at their website: https://www.azworkstogether.com.
The initiative is almost as simple and straghtforward as the AAA’s language. Here’s the operative portion of the amending language:
Section 1. Article XXV, Constitution of Arizona, is amended to read:
Art. 25. Right to workor employment without membership in labor organizationTOGETHERNo person shall be denied the RIGHT TO SELF-ORGANIZE, TO FORM, JOIN, OR ASSIST LABOR ORGANIZATIONS, TO BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY THROUGH REPRESENTATIVES OFTHEIR OWN CHOOSING, AND TO ENGAGE IN OTHER CONCERTED ACTIVITIES FORTHE PURPOSE OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING OR OTHER MUTUAL AID OR PROTECTION, INCLUDING THE opportunity to obtain FROM THEIR EMPLOYER
AWT Constitutional Amendmentor retain employment because of non-membership ina CLAUSE IN THE COLLECTIVELY BARGAINED AGREEMENT REQUIRING MEMBERSHIP IN, OR ALTERNATIVELY FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF, THE labor organization OF THE EMPLOYEES ACTING COLLECTIVELY TO BARGAIN FOR THE AGREEMENT, nor shall the Stateor any subdivision thereof, or any corporation, individual or association of any kind enter into anyINTERFERE WITH OR RESTRICT EFFORTS BY EMPLOYEES ACTING COLLECTIVELY TO OBTAIN SUCH AN agreement, written or oral, which excludes any person from employment or continuation of employment because of non-membership in a labor organization. ALL PERSONS SHALL ALSO HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFRAIN FROM ANY OR ALL OF SUCH ACTIVITIES EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH RIGHT MAY BE AFFECTED BY AN AGREEMENT REQUIRING MEMBERSHIP IN, OR ALTERNATIVELY FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF, A LABOR ORGANIZATION AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT.
It essentially turns the anti-worker ‘right to work’ language on its head and instead enshrines the right to organize in the workplace into our constitution, where it belongs.
TheDGT.org recently had the sponsor of the intitative to a Monday Zoom event to talk about the intititative. If you want to learn more, the recording of that event is certainly worth a watch:
The AWT petition should be available at your local party offices, or through the RWT website.
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So it gives everyone the right to refrain from joining a union except when a union negotiates a contract that says you must join or you cannot work. Forced associations are not democratic.
John Government Checks Kavanagh doesn’t know what words mean. Prolly a problem with New Jersey schools.
John, please look up “democratic” and then review the difference between “forced” and “job requirements”.
My employers have all kinds of job requirements for my position, but I am not “forced” to take the job.
And you clearly do not know what ‘democratic’ means. Quell embarrassing!
RaicesTexasDotOrg
And now the “big boys” are trying to get the NLRA declared unconstitutional:
“I haven’t addressed the case of many of our Capitalist Overlords deciding to file a case to ask to get the entire NLRA thrown out as unconstitutional. Jeff Bezos and Amazon have now joined Elon Musk and Trader Joe’s in being so outraged by the threat of unions that they are going to this extreme measure. This is the early stages of this. The focus is primarily on the National Labor Relations Board, but without the NLRB, there functionally is no NLRA in terms of allowing unions to actually form and then win a contract.
Will the courts go down this road? It would be a big step. It would be overruling the New Deal. I know this is the conservative dream. I know very well that at an absolute minimum, Scalia, Thomas, and Gorsuch would be on board. To my knowledge, SCOTUSBlog has not covered this at all, so it’s unlikely it will happen too soon. But this Court is so outright hostile to unions that it would almost be surprising if, at the very least, the NLRB’s authority is not somehow reduced. I am not a labor lawyer, so I am speculating, yes. But the issue is worth addressing.” (WB note: Believe he meant Alito/Scalito).
https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/02/will-the-courts-overturn-the-national-labor-relations-act
To paraphrase the recently departed Mojo Nixon: I hate Repugs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9qEi_PCi4M
Please keep us informed about places we can go to sign the petition.
How bout sending the petitions out to all of the PCs??
B Warren
If you work for a larger company, and lots of smaller businesses as well, they are a member of one or more trade groups, and donate massive amounts to political campaigns and PACs.
Those trade groups and lobbyists do not lobby for you to get a fair wage for a days work, or to keep your job in Arizona or the USA.
Unions are just the employees leveling up the playing field.
Crank up some Woody Guthrie and remember, This Land is Your Land.