6/18 Weekly Email

Hi all, 

I have some announcements about Juneteenth, some UAEA Board updates, an update on Employee of the Quarter recognition, information on IT Training, information on some free summer activities, meeting minutes from today’s member meeting, and a signup for our July member’s meeting.  

Juneteenth Holiday: Tomorrow, June 19th, is Juneteenth, a City Holiday. Please don’t come to work if you’re not scheduled. Thanks again to everyone who needs to work the holiday to keep the City functioning. 

Tempe has a comprehensive writeup on the history of Juneteenth which can be found here - it goes into the origins of the holiday, why it commemorates June of 1865 when the Emancipation Proclamation took effect in January of 1863, and how the holiday is celebrated in the modern day. This is an important holiday to celebrate and reflect upon - slavery was an unfathomable evil that harmed millions of people over hundreds of years of our nation’s history, leaving deep scars in families, communities, and our collective culture. Emancipation was an incredibly important step forward for our country but also did not mark the end of racial discrimination in our country - people may forget, but segregation of society was still legal in many parts of the country until the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Acts of 1964, and still practiced, even illicitly, for years afterwards. Even today the patterns of discrimination can be seen across our country and in basic statistics about inequality - it is important we continue to talk about how it manifests in our world and work actively to address it, in every form. Let’s be clear - I don’t think Juneteenth needs to be a holiday where upsetting facts about the world are shared and people feel bad. Juneteenth ultimately is a holiday about joy and liberation, and keeping frustrations about the world alive in conversations presents opportunities to brainstorm and discuss and envision and then actualize a better world in which these divisions don’t exist. 

Civil Rights are important in of themselves, but let’s also not forget that civil rights and labor rights are inseparable concepts. People can only have fair working conditions, benefits, and wages if there isn’t an underclass of society that can be forced to work at cheaper rates (or for free). Our job as unions is thus to make sure every single worker has the same basic rights guaranteed - attacks on any marginalized groups are attacks on all workers.  

If you’re interested, there is a family friendly Juneteenth event happening this Saturday, June 20th, at the Tempe History Museum from 11AM-3PM - find more information here. If you’re interested in learning more about past African-American labor leaders and activists, check out the writeups I did for Black History Month in 2025 and 2026. 

UAEA Board Updates: As an update to my 6/4 email, the UAEA Board is now fully staffed! The Board met on Tuesday and re-appointed Sophia Flocken as our Communications Director and Annette Betancourt as a Citywide Representative for another term. 

The Executive Board for the 2026-2027 Year will thus be as follows: 

President: Joel Guy (term ends June 30th, 2028)

Vice President: Brittainy Nelson (term ends June 30th, 2027)

Secretary: Victor Diaz (term ends June 30th, 2028)

Treasurer: Brian Gonzales (term ends when Treasurer would like to leave the role)

Resolutions Director: Natalya Ennels (term ends June 30th, 2027)

Communications Director: Sophia Flocken (term ends June 30th, 2028)

Membership Director: Jeremy Hopf (term ends June 30th, 2027)

Citywide Representative: Jacob Epps (term ends June 30th, 2028)

Citywide Representative: Annette Betancourt (term ends June 30th, 2028)

Citywide Representative: Leah Sergeant (term ends June 30th, 2027)

Citywide Representative: Sandra Jaramillo (term ends June 30th, 2027). 

We will get bulletin boards updated with the above information in the next few weeks. 

Employee of the Quarter Updates: UAEA had the opportunity to share the last year’s worth of Employee of the Quarter winners with City Council and the public at the June 11th meeting last week. Thank you to all of the winners who were able to attend. 

Keep in mind that the Employee of the Quarter nomination form is open year-round for entries. Entries received between now and September 1st will be considered for our 4th Quarter Newsletter (releasing in early October). Entries are also maintained from quarter to quarter - if you nominated someone already and haven’t seen them, it is possible they will be considered again in a future EoQ discussion by the UAEA Board. 

IT Training Classes: IT has offered software training courses for many years, but they’ve recently introduced “Learning Pathways,” multi-week courses that help someone move from basic understanding of software programs to proficiency in a relatively short time frame. These include an intro to Microsoft programs, an intro to Excel, and a guide to creating and operating a City Sharepoint site. These classes can still be taken piecemeal, or someone can sign up for the whole experience. 

You can find more details on this page.    

Free/Discounted Summer Activities: If you’re looking for free or discounted things to do with friends or family this summer, this webpage has a list of activities in and around Phoenix. 

Besides free days at certain museums, don’t forget about the Culture Passes offered by Maricopa County libraries. These offer free entry for up to 2 people at places like the Desert Botanical Garden, the Arizona Heritage Center, Reid Park Zoo, and the Phoenix Art Museum. Passes are first-come, first-served, for library patrons, but I just learned that their websites can tell you which are available at every branch. 

June Member Meeting Minutes: I’ve attached the meeting minutes from today’s meeting at the Kyrene Water Plant. 

Our next member meeting will be July 16th, from 5:30-6:30AM at the Tempe Municipal Operations Complex (TMOC), at the first floor conference room of Building 1. You can enter this site off of the intersection of South 48th St and West 1st St - there is plenty of parking in the employee parking area. Enter the southern building in the parking lot through the main entrance - the conference room is just to the right as you enter. You can rsvp here until Thursday, July 9th. 

Member Recruitment Drive: UAEA is running a Member Recruitment Drive from June 1st through August 1st of this year. Every current member who refers a new member and every new member who signs up will receive $25 giftcards. New members and members who recommended new members will also be entered into a giftcard drawing at the end of this promotion - the more people who sign up, the more giftcards will be drawn. A full list of the promotion rules can be found here. 

Kiwanis Event: UAEA is hosting a pool party event at Kiwanis Recreation Center on Sunday, July 19th, from 11-1PM. We will be providing free entry, food, and drinks for attendees. My understanding is that the pool is reserved just for us during our first time slot, then will be open to the public afterwards - attendees are welcome to stay past 1PM if they’d like. We currently have 150 spots available for members and their families and may be able to secure additional slots if there is significant interest. If you’d like to attend, please fill out this rsvp form by Thursday, July 9th.

Gas Prices Survey: UAEA is trying to gather more information about how fuel prices are impacting our members and what solutions, if any, the City could provide staff to help ease their burdens. Please fill out this survey whether you commute by car or public transportation and whether you are being impacted or not - we’d like a representative sample we can bring to City  Management. Please also fill it out if you have additional suggestions about how the City can use its resources to best support staff. 

Summer Reading Program: The Maricopa County Summer Reading Program is running between June 1st and July 20th of this year. Adults and children can participate for a chance to win a variety of prizes, including free food, books, basketball tickets, and a variety of gift packages. 

Mill Avenue Closures: Tempe employees should be aware that chunks of Mill Avenue will be closed for construction from late May to early July. You can see a complete list at this link, with photos of each section and the impacted intersections. 

Phase 2: Intersection of Mill Avenue and Fifth Street to south of Third Street, June 8 – 21 

Phase 3: Third Street and Mill Avenue intersection to south of Rio Salado Parkway, June 22 – July 8 

HSA/FSA Deadlines: Just as a reminder, employees have until June 30th, 2026 to use funds from their FSA and HSA accounts. You can carry up to $680 from one plan year to another, but you will lose any additional funds in your account above that amount. 

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. 

Sun Bucks: This program offers direct payments in the summer to families whose children receive free or reduced cost school lunches