10/23 Weekly Email
Hi all,
I have a few updates this week. Old information and reminders are below the horizontal line.
Newsletter: The newest version of our quarterly newsletter is out now - you can view the copy attached to this email, the copy on our website, or copies on our City bulletin boards (coming in the next week). We’re trying out some new sections in this newsletter - let us know if you like any in particular or have suggestions for future versions.
October Member Meeting Minutes: I’ve attached a copy of the meeting minutes from today’s member’s meeting at TMOC. You can also view them here on our website. Please remember that you need to record your attendance as “UB” time if you plan to attend and are not using break or lunch time. We have a pool of hours we can send to any member who wants to attend - we just need to know in advance with an rsvp so we can transfer over the UB hours to your time bank. Speaking of rsvps…
November Meeting RSVP: Our final member’s meeting of 2025 will be held on November 20th at the Apache PD substation from 5-6pm. Please rsvp here by November 13th at 5pm.
New Citywide Representative: I’m excited to announce that former Resolutions Director Sandra Jaramillo has decided to return to UAEA to serve as a Citywide Representative (filling our long-term vacancy). Sandra worked for many years as the main contact and coordinator for all of our resolutions and cases - she will now be using her knowledge and expertise to help out members one-on-one in disciplines. Sandy provided a brief (re)introduction below:
“Hi, everyone! I’m currently assigned as an Administrative Assistant out of the Hardy Police substation. I’ve been an active member of UAEA since its inception and joined UAEA so that we can have higher wages, better healthcare, and improved job security through collective bargaining. UAEA gives workers a stronger voice to negotiate improved working conditions, and a more balanced work-life balance by pooling our strength and acting as a united front. This leads to a more equitable and respectful workplace.”
As a reminder, don’t forget that Natalya Ennels is our current Resolutions Director - if you need our help, please reach out to her at resolutions@uaeatempe.com.
Personal Day Payout: Please see the attached email from HR for some reminders about year-end payout programs. You have until December 14th to use your Floating Holiday Leave (FHL) and Personal Day (BD). Unused FHL time will be forfeited but you can get paid-out for not using your Personal Day.
Employee of the Quarter: Our next round of Employee of the Quarter closes on December 1st (finalists will be announced in our January newsletter). If you would like to be considered (or would like to nominate a peer), please fill out the application (it takes 5 minutes) before the end of day on December 1st. The UAEA Board had a nice selection of candidates to choose from for Q4 - we’d love to see even more nominations to start off 2026. If you would like a refresher on program rules, check out this blog post.
Prostate Screenings: Tempe is offering free prostate exams to eligible employees throughout the month of November. I encourage all eligible members to take advantage of this - prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and the second-most common hazardous cancer (behind lung cancer). 1 in 44 male deaths are due to prostate cancer but it is something that can be managed or even completely treated if caught early. Please see the attached email for more information.
UAEA Holiday Party: This is a Save the Date for the UAEA annual holiday party. We will be at Spokes on Southern from 430pm to 7pm on Thursday, December 4th. Rsvps will open the first week of November. Please note that this is the first year we will be allowing plus ones - you can bring a friend, partner, or family member as long as they are above 21 (Spokes has restricted entry for underage individuals).
Adopt a Path: UAEA will be cleaning up our Adopt-a-Path trail on Saturday, November 8th, We meet in the Tempe Parking Lot on the southeast Corner of Curry and Miller (approximate address is 1325 E Curry Road, Tempe AZ 85281, see attached photo), then walk north up our path to Mckellips Rd. Breakfast, drinks, safety gloves, trash pickers, and trash bags will be provided. Please bring a hat and/or sunglasses. This event normally takes 1.5 hours to complete, is eligible for community wellness points (I’ll also sign children and teen’s volunteer forms if you need volunteer hours), and is a great opportunity to meet members of the board and your fellow union members. If you’d like to attend, please sign up here by Thursday, November 6th, at 5pm.
Thanks for a great week, everyone!