Our Priorities for the 57 Legislative Session

The Arizona AFL-CIO advocates for workers' rights in the 57th Legislature of the Second Regular Session, our priorities focus on ensuring safe workplaces, fair wages, and access to essential services, all while upholding the democratic rights of Arizona's workforce.

1. Protecting Workers (Heat, Safety, Health): Protecting workers is the number one priority of the Arizona AFL-CIO. In our desert climate, this means fighting for strong heat safety standards, mandatory access to shade and water, and ventilation to protect against dust and dangerous air quality.
2. Defending Democracy: Unions are democratic institutions by nature. Protecting democracy in Arizona is central to protecting working people. We support efforts to expand access to voting and oppose efforts to restrict access or silence workers’ voices.
3. Repealing “Right to Work”: Arizona was one of the first states to implement “right to work” in both law and the state constitution. Arizona can join the growing number of states that have repealed the unsecured shop.
4. Relief for Workers (Unemployment Insurance): Unemployment insurance is a vital lifeline for working families. It helps keep food on the table while searching for a new job. We support expanding the benefit amount and the time that workers can receive benefits so that unemployment does not lead to financial crisis or destitution.
5. Protecting & Expanding Workers’ Rights: We work with our allies at every l level of government to expand worker protections – and to stop rollbacks of the protections workers have already won. This includes opposing efforts to reclassify workers, weaken worker safety and health regulations that exist because of death and injury on the job, and attacks on union funding and elections.
6. Raising Wages & Stopping Wage Theft: working people in Arizona deserve pay that keeps up with the rising costs of living. We support raising wages, strengthening enforcement of wage theft laws, and holding employers accountable. 
7. Good Union Jobs & Workforce Development:public investments in infrastructure, clean energy, manufacturing, and transportation should create high-quality union jobs with strong wages, benefits, and safety standards. We support prevailing wage policies, project labor agreements, and registered apprenticeships that build real career pathways.
8. Affordable Healthcare for Working Families: Access to affordable, quality healthcare is essential. We support policies that expand access to healthcare, protect Medicaid, and prevent medical debt.