4/2 Weekly Email
Hi all,
I know this is a condensed week for some people, so I’ll keep this email short.
March Holiday Suggestions: The 6-sided Partnership will be meeting on April 6th to discuss a permanent replacement for the Cesar Chavez holiday. UAEA has received a variety of names from members and would like to know everyone’s preferences - I’ve attached a brief survey to allow people to provide feedback. Please keep in mind that 5 other employee groups, City management, City Council, and the Tempe community will also have an opportunity to provide feedback on this day - while we can make a strong recommendation, it may not be what Tempe eventually comes up with as a final replacement. The below suggestions are what UAEA has received so far - there is also a survey option to make additional recommendations.
Dolores Huerta Day
Hispanic Heritage Day
Farmworker(s) Day
Luisa Moreno Day
Bert Corona Day
International Workers Day (celebrated May 1st)
Maria Guadalupe Evangelina de Lopez Day
Upcoming Employee Development Classes: Here are a few of the upcoming ED courses in April and May. If you are thinking about promoting in the next few months I would strongly suggest that you attend the Interview Preparation class or review the interview prep materials on our website - it’s a tough job market and a little bit of extra preparedness or poise can go a long way in an interview.
April
4/8
Presentation Skills: Purposeful PowerPoint
4/8
Growth Mindset: Progress of Potential (New)
4/14
Interview Preparation Workshop
4/16
4/21
Clifton Strengths Discovery: Enhancing Your Unique Strengths
May
5/13
5/27 & 5/28
Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue
Community Resources: UAEA is aware of rising fuel prices and how this is impacting members. We are having some internal city discussions about possible workplace changes, but also wanted to post some resources for members who may be struggling to make ends meet. This is a similar list to what we posted in November with a few new additions. Please feel to reach out if you have additional recommendations about local resources.
AZ Food Bank Network: This link contains information about dozens of food banks and assistance sites across Arizona. You can search by the directory and the zipcodes they provide services for to find food banks in your areas.
AZ Medical and Nutrition Assistance: This is an Arizona-State run program that can help connect people with Arizona State programs that provide assistance for people who need medical coverage, WIC support, or additional access to nutrition. I do not know all that the program entails.
Maricopa County Utility Support: This is a Maricopa County program that can help people receive assistance paying for utilities. Some cities have unique offerings while others are covered under one umbrella program.
AZ 211: This is a Arizona-State run help line that can help people connect with a variety of resources and support they may be unaware of in their area.
Tempe Employee Relief Fund: This is a Tempe-run program (paid for by employee donations) that can provide support of up to $1,200 to assist Tempe employees with unplanned emergency bills (housing, mortgage, utilities, etc).
Employee Assistance Program: If you have insurance through the City of Tempe, you can take advantage of the EAP, a group of resources which can provide free therapy, legal consultations, or classes on stress management.
Cheap Recipe Guides: These are two free cookbooks designed for cooking high-nutrition and easy meals on a budget. Even if you’re not a fan of the recipes, there are some good tips on stocking a kitchen with affordable and long-lasting staples.
Free Transit Pass: This contains information on how to obtain your free bus, streetcar, and lightrail pass as a Tempe employee.
UAEA College Scholarship: The 2026 Jackie Awosika Scholarship Competition is now open. This annual competition is an opportunity for UAEA members and their families to win some funds for college or trade school - all they need to do is fill out a quick application with some background information, copies of their transcripts, and answers to a few essay questions. Members, their children, and direct relatives who are entering college or already in college may apply from now through April 30th - $2500 in scholarship awards are distributed to those who have the strongest applications. Winners will also be recognized at the June 4th, 2026, Tempe City Council Meeting. Members can find the full list of rules at this link, and apply to the contest here.
UAEA Affiliation Survey: The UAEA Board is interested in learning more about ways we can recognize members, connect members with other members in their workgroups, and give members an opportunity to show off their UAEA affiliation. If you have strong feelings about any of those things, please fill out this survey, which has several questions about how you would like us to protect your membership status and what forms of UAEA giveaways you would be interested in. This information will help us develop new communication strategies in 2026 and beyond.
Work Scheduling Survey: Do you think your work week is too long? Would you be interested in working a 4x10 schedule or remotely if the options were available? Please fill out this survey if that is the case - UAEA would like to know which areas are still working on a 5x8 or 9x80 schedule and which members would like to see compressed work weeks. Please note we cannot guarantee that member interest is enough to change schedules - some departments may require 5-day work weeks to ensure some level of access to the public or for other coverage reasons - but UAEA is interested in following up on member interest if the opportunity arises. If applicable, please fill out the attached survey in the next few weeks - I’ll probably keep it open indefinitely, but would like to start looking at the data and having conversations within the month.
CARE7 Prom: I was asked by one of our members in CARE7 to plug their ongoing donation event, Prom Without Borders. Some students in the Tempe community are unable to go to prom because they cannot afford fancy clothing or cosmetic supplies - this clothing drive is collecting clothing from City of Tempe and Tempe HS staff to reduce barriers and make the option of attending prom even easier.
If you have gently used professional attire or beauty supplies for either men or women, please reach out to CARE7 Supervisor Maria Gonzalez (maria_gonzalez@tempe.gov), who can coordinate pickup. A full list of accepted items is below. Donations will be accepted through April 6th.
Valley Metro: April is Bike Month and Valley Metro is offering a variety of prizes for people who bike and log their trips on the SharetheRide app. You can check out the competition here. As a reminder, the SharetheRide app offers a variety of discounts and incentives for people who log clean-air commutes (biking, taking the bus or lightrail, walking, carpooling, using an electric vehicle, etc) and Tempe offers giftcards each month to employees who do the same
Thanks for a great week, everyone!