9/10 Weekly Email + Non-profit
Hi all,
I have a few new updates and reminders, in the following order this week.
UAEA Nonprofit
Deferred Comp Updates
Sales Tax Meeting
Veterans Day Parade
Photo Contest Voting
Employee Development Day
Tempe Healing Field
1. UAEA Nonprofit: The UAEA Board has been tentatively exploring the possibility in recent months of creating and running a nonprofit (501c3) in tandem with our existing organization. Nonprofits offer several advantages that our current corporate structure cannot provide, including the ability to accept tax-deductible donations or gifts and the ability to run many of our annual events and initiatives tax-free. Many Police and Fire Unions around the country have non-profit wings that they use for fundraising, and we think establishing one would greatly assist our organization’s resilience in the long term.
With that said…nonprofits are also a lot of additional work, and would require an additional governing board beyond the current UAEA Board. While there could be some overlap between our current board members and the board of a non-profit, the non-profit would need to have some additional people sitting in board seats. Before we make any major organizational changes we would like to see if any of our members are interested in participating on the non-profit board - if we can’t get interest, we’ll probably table the idea for the time being.
Non-profit participation would be a great resume builder as well as an opportunity to positively shape UAEA for years to come. While we couldn’t guarantee this in the first year, our long-term plan would be to get all board members both a monthly stipend and UB hours to do union business. We estimate the total time commitment would be no more than a few hours per month, and major responsibilities like accounting would be handled by a professional accountant serving as the treasurer.
If interested in sitting in a UAEA non-profit board, please fill out the following form by Thursday, October 1st. If you have any additional questions about our tentative nonprofit plans, please feel free to reach out to president@uaeatempe.com and vicepresident@uaeatempe.com.
2. Deferred Comp Updates: I attended a quarterly deferred compensation (DC) update meeting last week with the other members of Tempe’s 6-sided Partnership and Tempe’s financial advisors (Innovest and Galloway). These meetings provide union representatives updates about the state of Tempe staff’s retirement savings as well as general trends in US markets. There were not a lot of new updates but I heard a few interesting pieces of information that I wanted to pass along. As usual, I am not a financial advisor and this is not financial advice.
First, the Tempe plan has lower fees than median DC plans across the United States. The median fee for retirement management is 0.5% each year - Tempe pays only 0.43% (when all fees are included), which is 14% less than the median rates other municipalities are paying. This is mainly due to our success in opening a RFP last year and managing to renegotiate our contract to reflect below-market rates. A 14% difference isn’t jaw-dropping, but it does reflect our commitment to making sure your retirement savings remain in your pockets, and not in those of fund managers.
Second, per Innovest’s research, one of the biggest economic drags at this point in time is housing prices. Half of adults under the age of 30 now live with their parents, a 12% jump since 2019. Homes are more expensive but interest rates are close to all-time highs as well, hovering between 6 and 7% - this makes it both more expensive to purchase a home outright and then more expensive to pay off a home over the length of a mortgage. Housing reflects 15-18% of US GDP, so impacts in this sector ripple out into the overall health of our economy
Third, consumer sentiment is at 49.5%, a decline of 18.5% in a single year. Many people feel they cannot afford essentials, and this is reflected in polling. That said, the stock market has consistently been at or around all-time highs. While this may seem strange, our advisors note that consumer sentiment and economic growth are not directly linked, and provided the below chart which shows how periods of low consumer optimism were followed by massive economic growth in the following year (and how periods of high consumer optimism were sometimes followed by low or negative growth in the following year). The point is not that the stock market is invincible and will keep growing no matter how people are feeling about the economy, but rather that there are additional factors to consider outside of consumer sentiment when evaluating whether or not the economy is healthy/prosperous.
The next DC meeting will be in November. I am happy to pass along any questions members have about retirement accounts and deferred compensation at or before that meeting if you get them to me in the next few weeks.
3. Sales Tax Meeting: Tempe will be doing a presentation on the November Sales Tax Ballot Measure today from 12-1PM. All staff are invited to attend this meeting. If you can’t make that session, there is additional information on Tempe’s webpage, as well as details about additional opportunities to learn more at in-person or virtual sessions in the next few weeks.
4. Veteran Day Parade: UAEA is tentatively interested in marching in this year’s Tempe Veteran’s Day Parade. Before we formally commit to anything, we would like a better idea of whether any members (veterans or otherwise) would be interested in participating. Please fill out the attached form by Thursday, September 17th if you are interested and would like to come by yourself or with family members.
5. Photo Contest Voting: The 2026 Photo Contest wrapped up last week and the UAEA Board was pleasantly surprised by the number of entries. Given the quantity, we’ve opened up voting on the winners to all UAEA members. All contest submissions can be viewed on this page of our website. Most pictures have been reduced in size to fit on the page - you can view the originals by right clicking any image and selecting “Open Image in New Tab.”
Voting can be done at this link until Thursday, September 17th. Voting is done by photo name, so make sure you get those from the submission page. Winners will be announced in our Q4 Newsletter in early October.
6. Employee Development Day: Tempe’s Employee Development Day is coming up on Wednesday, September 16th, from 12-4:30PM at Tempe Center for the Arts. This event will include keynote Speaker Jess Pettitt discussing how to implement change in your workplace, a series of breakout sessions covering financial wellness, internal leadership, and ethical AI, free professional headshots (book in advance), and a Fair with Tempe’s various Educational Partnership partners. For more information, check out the Bridge Page. If you’d like to attend, make sure you ask your supervisor soon to ensure they can find proper coverage.
7. Healing Field: Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Tempe is once again hosting the “Healing Field” event at Tempe Beach Park from today, September 10th, through September 13th (Sunday). More information can be found on the official website.
September UAEA Meeting: Our next physical meeting will be at the Tempe Historical Museum’s front room (809 E Southern Ave, Tempe AZ, 85282) from 12-1PM on September 17th. You can rsvp here until tonight at midnight (please make sure you request UB time if you need UB time to attend). We will also be hosting our first completely virtual meeting the following week, from 12-1PM on September 24th. The same information will be discussed at both meetings, but we imagine there will be different questions/comments from staff. We are figuring out the logistics, but the intention is to record the virtual meeting and provide a link of the recording to members. You can rsvp for the virtual meeting here.
Adopt a Path Signup: UAEA is currently planning to do our next Adopt a Path Cleanup on Saturday, September 26th, from 7-9AM. 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, sun block, and/or sunglasses. This event normally takes 1.5 hours to complete, is eligible for community wellness points, 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, September 24th, at 5pm.
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. Click on the link for more information and to signup.
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.
Personal Cellphone/Email: If you would like UAEA updates to be sent to your personal email or phone number, please fill out this survey. We’ll get you added within a week or two to our contact lists.
Flu shots: Tempe is once again offering free flu shots from September 2nd to September 24th. If you are on the City’s health insurance you can schedule an appointment at this link. You can also usually get free flu shots at your local drug store, but this method does it on City time, during your work day, not your personal time.
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!