8/20 Weekly Email + UAEA at 15
Hi all,
I have a lot of new information, in the following order this week.
UAEA at 15 Years
What’s Next for UAEA
Office Hours
Ice Cream Social Schedules
Employee of the Quarter Reminder
Photography Contest
Temp Family Day
1. UAEA at 15: UAEA celebrated our 15th anniversary yesterday on August 19th. This is an important milestone and one we’re happy to promote - many unions never get off the ground and few, outside of national groups, tend to last for more than a few years. Unions have been under attack in America for decades, a combination of federal lawsuits, state and national policy, and turbulent economic conditions. We and other public sector groups in Arizona have also faced legal restrictions and setbacks in just the last 2 years that have forced us to make major structural adjustments to how we operate - that said, despite those attacks we’re still here, and we have no plans to go anywhere any time soon. Work is noble and workers deserve all of the protections and support we can provide to ensure they have safe working conditions, top-tier pay and benefits, and plentiful opportunities for growth and advancement.
What has UAEA done over the last 15 years? Well, just focusing on some of the top-level work, UAEA has grown from 80 members to 280 members, we’ve quadrupled the length of our MOU (and associated benefits and protections), we’ve represented hundreds of staff in disciplines, investigations, and inquiries, we’ve vastly improved the fairness of Tempe’s pay structure, we’ve fixed toxic and abusive work environments (sometimes through litigation), and we’ve weighed in on (and improved) dozens if not hundreds of City policies, contracts, and RFPS. There are many people to thank for these successes and I would be remiss to not mention every person who has served on UAEA boards over the years - their time, passion, and commitment has allowed our organization to grow and thrive far beyond the original aspirations of the founders. I apologize in advance if I am missing anyone, but our historic files indicate the below 56 people have served on UAEA boards at different points in the past 15 years, and I want to individually recognize these employees, past and present, for all they have done to keep our organization running.
Alisha Diaz
Angela Jackson
Annette Betancourt
Barbara Blue
Bianca Gallego
Billy Vickers, Jr.
Brent Pugmire
Brian Gonzales
Brittainy Nelson
Brooke Myers
Chris Hester
Corey Lines
David Boivin
David McAllister
David Zazueta
Dee Hodson
Elaine Patterson
Elizabeth Guzzo
Evelina Wilson
Jackie Awosika
Jeff Stocker
Jennifer Routhier
Jeremy Hopf
Jerome Guzman
Joel Guy
Josh Roffler
Kathy Johnson
Katie Riemersma
Keith Smith
Keith Stepp
Kelly Taylor
Kimberly Miller
Laura Truett
Lauri Vickers
Leah Sergeant
Lisa Johnson
Lynn Fletcher
Marvin Carter
Matt Plemmons
Michael Ulmer
Michelle Fedor
Natalya Ennels
Nathan Porter
Olivia Calderon
Peter Verdugo
Ray Hagen
Royce Horn
Rufino Uribe
Sandra Jaramillo
Sandra Miller
Seth Lewis
Sophia Flocken
Susan Giger
Sylvia Whittle
Valorie Smith
Wally Torres
I also don’t want to forget to mention the importance of our members for our success. Arizona is a right-to-work state and there are many incentives for workers to not join unions - this is why many of our sister cities across the Valley lack employee bargaining groups. It is only when employees come together for mutual benefit that actual change can occur, and your membership in UAEA is what has allowed us to continue to operate and grow over time. The lesson of labor history is that it takes organized groups to tackle systemic issues - individual labor fights have never yielded nearly as much success as collective group action.
UAEA doesn’t have a huge number of available resources to throw a big shindig, but we did at least want to commemorate the occasion with a few public recognitions. Tempe City Manager Rosa Inchausti mentioned us in her update newsletter from last week - if you missed that, I’ve attached it to this email. Tempe’s Mayor Corey Woods will also be reading a proclamation about UAEA at the 8/31 Council meeting around 6PM. Members are welcome to attend and there is free parking at the City Hall garage (one hour free, longer periods with free validation in the Council Chambers). Finally, the UAEA Board is producing some limited-edition variants of our logo and will be printing these on some nice high-quality stickers that can go on water bottle or electronics. We do not plan to replace our current logo with these, but are open to feedback - if members really like specific designs, we can definitely consider making some logo tweaks to separate our next 15 years from our first 15. Please see the attached file (produced by our amazing Communications Director Sophia Flocken) to review all those variants.
I’ll talk in the next section about where we go from here, but wanted to wrap up this initial section first. UAEA has survived for 15 years and has no plans to go away anytime soon. We have established a solid business structure, transcribed most of our existing processes and procedures, reduced our legal exposure, and are working on clear succession plans to further strengthen our organization, ease transitions, prevent future litigation, and maintain operational continuity regardless of who sits on the board. But thinking of our organization as the only defense against worker abuses is perhaps the wrong perspective to take. Regardless of whether or not we exist in 15 years, worker power will not go away. Workers will always have the ability to dispute their working conditions whether or not there is a formal structure advocating for them, and none of our members should think that this power disappears if we disappear. Unions are an answer to the question “Is there any way to make work better?,” but they are certainly not the only answer, and as labor fights continue into the 21st century we should continue to explore and experiment with additional ways of tackling the shared concerns that bind us together. Structures and institutions make these fights easier, but their absence does not and will not mean labor struggles are concluded.
Thank you for a great 15 years, everyone!
2. What’s Next: UAEA has changed a lot of our policies and procedures in the last few years and we’re looking at some additional changes before the end of the year. Some of these things have been discussed before, others may be completely new to our members. Many of the below options are also things we will be experimenting with and tweaking or removing based on interest - if you start interacting with any of the following and really enjoy them, please let us know
New private members-only chat
I’ve mentioned this in a few emails and see that 14 people have already signed up to participate. We’ll keep signup open for another week or two, and then launch the chat in late August to early September.
Educational Resource Summaries
While there is not a set deadline, we are still working on summaries of some important educational resources that we believe will be beneficial for members. We will eventually have quick guides that summarize the main tips of books like “Crucial Conversations” and turn them into resources that members can use to stand out and excel in their daily work.
These summaries will be posted on our member exclusive resource page along with our interview prep tips, our resume template, our list of Valley support resources, and our guide to disabilities.
Virtual Member Meetings:
The UAEA Board is looking at adding an additional virtual-only members meeting every month. This meeting would have similar content to the physical meetings but would be a little more accessible to members who can’t easily leave their work sites and would be recorded for future viewing. We need to figure out some of the logistics, but we may be ready to do a practice run of this in September.
UAEA Podcast Audio:
We are still working on creating, editing, and hosting podcasts to keep our members in the loop on UAEA’s activities. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on what they’d like to see - this has given us a very good idea of how to develop this.
Text and Email Message Updates:
UAEA has heard additional feedback from members about text-message updates and are reworking that as an option. Members who would like to receive text-message weekly updates about UAEA can fill out this survey. Members who would like to receive weekly emails at their personal emails can also fill out this survey (same one as above) and we’ll add you to our current distribution list.
Retirement Cards/Exit Surveys:
UAEA plans to start recognizing member retirements this month. If you are retiring and would like a card when you depart, please fill out this survey. UAEA unfortunately does not have a way to independently identify retirees in the status quo but still want to recognize our members - feel free to reach out even on behalf of your fellow members who may not be aware that we’re doing this.
Office Hours
I’ve included more details below, but I am going to start doing office hours at various centralized locations around Tempe. These will be semi-frequent opportunities for staff to connect with UAEA outside of official events and will start in early September
Website updates
Finally, we are working on a refresher for our website to make it more streamlined, user-friendly, and accessible. Those edits should be complete by Winter and I’ll highlight them once everything is updated.
Again, many of these new efforts are on a trial basis and we may revise them over time, but we’re committed to the general idea of building up our community and communication capabilities - if members have additional ideas for how we can continue to do that, please let us know.
3. Office Hours: I have put together a preliminary schedule with a list of locations I will be visiting for “office hours” over the next few weeks. The intent of office hours is to offer additional engagement opportunities to members - I won’t have anything formal planned, but will simply hang out in a break or conference room doing work and will be happy to chat to anyone who stops by.
This list was developed partially based on “ease of access” to the spaces, partially based on our desire to connect with more work groups that spend most of their days offline, and partially based on feedback about certain areas wanting more in-person connection opportunities. This is a starting point and not set in stone - we will likely move things around based on further feedback in coming months about what is working and where I am needed.
4. Ice Cream Social Schedules: The following ice cream social events will be occurring in the next week and more will be coming from now through the first weeks of September. We will have non-dairy, gluten-free, and no-sugar-added options at all events - if you are planning to attend a specific event and have an additional need, please let us know in advance.
8/20 - Apache PD Community Room, 4:30PM
8/24 - TMOC Building 1, First Floor Conference Room, 2PM
8/27 - Tempe Transportation Center, Don Cassano Room, 2:30PM
8/28 - Tempe Center for the Arts, Carter Lounge, 2PM
Please note that we are happy to schedule additional events if we get members from different workgroups reaching out and requesting our attendance at worksites not on this list. Please let us know if you are interested and provide some details about the best weekdays/time to schedule a visit.
5. Employee of the Quarter: Nominations for the Employee of the Quarter (Q4 2026) will be accepted until Tuesday, September 1st, 2026 (finalists will be announced in our October 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 September 1st. If you would like a refresher on program rules, check out this blog post. As a reminder, winners receive recognition in UAEA publications, a certificate of accomplishment, a $25 giftcard, and the opportunity to be highlighted at a future City Council meeting. I am also happy to contact winner’s supervisors and directors to highlight their accomplishment (but only with their permission).
6. Photography Contest: UAEA is running a photography contest between now and August 27th. If you need some quick tips on how to take nice photos with your camera, check out these links. If you’re interested, a full list of rules can also be found here. Members can submit entries at this link from now until the deadline (next Thursday). Winners will be announced in our 4th Quarter Newsletter.
7. Tempe Family Day: Tempe is hosting a Family Day again this year on Wednesday, October 7th. Parents can bring their children in from 8-4:30PM to participate in a wide range of activities and learn more about the City. I’ve attached a flyer with more details - if you are interested in signing up, there’s a link in the attachment.
Holiday Party: If you have strong feelings about the potential holiday party date in December, please fill out this survey by August 20th. If relevant, please note that we plan to allow members to bring a plus one again this year.
UAEA Anniversary: Tempe’s Mayor Corey Woods will be reading a proclamation about UAEA at the 8/31 Council meeting around 6PM. Members are welcome to attend. There is free parking at the City Hall garage (one hour free, longer periods with free validation in the Council Chambers).
Events Survey: UAEA would like to look into doing more events on a consistent basis (budget and resources permitting) but would appreciate some feedback on what people are interested in. If you would like to provide feedback on this, please feel free to fill out this Events Survey where you can indicate your preferences and provide feedback on possible week days, times, and event types.
Photography Contest: UAEA is running a photography contest between now and August 27th. If you need some quick tips on how to take nice photos with your camera, check out these links. If you’re interested, a full list of rules can also be found here. Members can submit entries at this link from now until the deadline. Winners will be announced in our 4th Quarter Newsletter.
Group Chat: If you are interested in being a part of a UAEA group chat, please fill out this form. Please make sure you have reviewed our rules and policies concerning conduct and content. Signups will be open indefinitely and we will put out some resource guides showing how people can download, install, and use the app once we have a better idea of how many want to participate.
UAEA Member Retirements: UAEA’s Board would like to start recognizing the retirements of UAEA members. If you’re planning to retire, please feel free to shoot us an email or fill out this form and we’ll send you some nice thoughts to close out your time at the City. If you’d like, we’d also appreciate if you could fill out our exit survey before you go - there’s an option to indicate interest in that in the survey as well.
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.
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
Discount Grocery Stores: This link provides a few examples of discount/salvage grocery stores around Phoenix that resell food that supermarket chains don’t want (everything is still good, usually stores get rid of items that are out of season or past their best-by date, even if still viable).
Thanks for a great week, everyone!