9/4 Weekly + NLRB + Reference Guide

Hi all, 

I’ll keep this email short - I know a lot of people are off this week for the Labor Day holiday. I have a new announcement of a UAEA resource and then some reminders. 

NLRB: I wanted to quickly address some concerns members brought to my attention about the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB is a federal agency which helps regulate labor law and union petition drives. There have been a number of recent changes at the NLRB which have limited its powers - one example is that they no longer have a large enough board of directors to have a quorum so a number of federal investigations into labor violations have been paused. There also are some ongoing court cases which have challenged the constitutionality of the NLRB’s existence. 

Several members expressed concerns to me that changes to the NLRB will harm UAEA’s ability to operate in the near future. I want to assure you that is NOT the case. The NLRB governs private sector unions under the National Labor Relations Act - it has not ever provided protections or support to public sector unions like UAEA. UAEA’s existence is instead guaranteed through the Tempe City Charter which mandates the City recognize and negotiate with unions for each major employee group (Non-supervisors, Supervisors, Police, and Fire). You can read more in the City Charter starting in Article VI, Division 1, Section 2-400.

Changes to the powers of private sector unions may have ripple effects on public sector unions. I don’t want to underplay that. That said, it is hard to predict what those might be especially since the removal of the NLRB might actually empower private sector unions - the NLRB is broadly considered to be a compromise that gave private sector labor groups more negotiating power but also forced them to de-emphasize their militant strike tactics. Without the NLRB it’s hard to say what will happen and I don’t want to worry about hypotheticals. The important thing to know right now is that we are empowered through the Tempe City Charter, not the federal government, and giant chunks of the charter would have to be erased or rewritten in order for us to disappear. That’s not something any of the employee groups are worried about at this point in time. 

One Sheet Reference guide: UAEA has put together a quick reference guide for members that tells you where you can find information as well as the resources that we can provide. I have a few printed copies and can give them to members if we meet in person, but please see the attached pdf and save/send a copy to your personal computer so you have something to reference. I will also be uploading this to our website in a new section of member resources - you can access this area with the password “uaeatempe2025.” Besides the reference guide there is a copy of our application tips and tricks and a formatted resume template. 

Employee Forum: For those who didn’t see Rosa’s email from last Friday, there will be an employee forum at Tempe Center for the Arts on Thursday, October 2nd, from 9 – 11:30 a.m. Rosa and Deputy City Managers Keith Burke and Lisette Camacho will be present to answer questions from employees. If you’d like to ask a question, please do so in advance of the meeting at this link. 

September Job Fair: The City of Tempe and Maricopa County are holding more job fairs in September. If a friend or family member is looking for work these should be a good opportunities to connect with employers. Some details are below and more are in the attached flyers. 

·        Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025 10 AM- 1 PM at the City of Tempe EnVision Center (1310 E. Apache Blvd. Tempe, AZ 85281)

·        Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025 at 11 AM- 2 PM at Arizona Mills Food Court (5000 S Arizona Mills Circle Tempe, AZ 85282)

September Member Meeting:  Our next member meeting will be at the Tempe Fire Station 1 (1420 E Apache) on Thursday, September 18th, from 12-1PM. One update from last week - our attorney, Kathryn Bailie, will be present if you have questions for her. You can rsvp here until Thursday, September 11th, at 5PM. Please remember that we now need rsvps 1 week in advance to give people union business time for our meetings. 

Family Day: I don’t know if everyone saw Rosa’s email but Tempe is putting on a “Take Your Child to Work Day” event for employees with children on October 7th. You can find out more information (and sign up) here. Children from ages 6 to 17 are allowed to attend. UAEA has been pushing for more City-sponsored employee events for a while - please sign up if you’re interested to show that the demand is there. 

Flu Shots: I’ve attached an email from HR about upcoming opportunities for free flu shots. You can get shots on your own time at your favorite pharmacy but you’ll probably pay a copay - going on City time also means you get paid while doing it. There will be upcoming events at the 525 Building, TMOC, Apache PD, and the Tempe History Museum. 

Thanks for a great week, everyone!