When I originally reported on the AFL-CIO Day of Action, I said four bus-loads of unionists were going to the Capitol to lobby Legislators and demonstrate against the anti-labor bills. Correction: that’s four buses just from Tucson. Additional bus-loads will be arriving from other Arizona cities.
As they loaded the buses, one participant told me that two years ago, 30 unionists went to the Arizona Legislature on the Day of Action. Last year, there were two buses of unionists. This year with six anti-worker bills in the Arizona Legislature, there are four bus-loads just from Tucson going to the capitol.
Maybe today will be Arizona’s “Wisconsin moment.”
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The Tucson Progressive: Pamela Powers Hannley
I stand on the side of Love. I believe in kindness to all creatures on Earth and the inherent self-worth of all individuals--not just people who agree with me or look like me.
Widespread economic and social injustice prompted me to become a candidate for the Arizona House, representing Legislative District 9 in the 2016 election. My platform focuses on economic reforms to grow Arizona's economy, establish a state-based public bank, fix our infrastructure, fully fund public education, growlocal small businesses and community banks, and put people back to work at good-paying jobs. I also stand for equal rights, choice, and paycheck fairness for women. I am running as a progressive and running clean.
My day job is managing editor for the American Journal of Medicine, an academic medicine journal with a worldwide circulation. In addition, my husband and I co-direct Arizonans for a New Economy, Arizona's public banking initiative. I am a member of the national board of the Public Banking Institute, and I am co-chair of the Arizona Democratic Progressive Caucus, the largest caucus of the Arizona Democratic Party.
I am a published author, photographer, videographer, clay artist, mother, nana, and wife. I have a bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio State University and a masters in public health from the University of Arizona. I grew up in Amherst, Ohio, but I have lived in Tucson, Arizona since 1981. I am a proud member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson and the Public Relations Society of America.
My Tucson Progressive blog and Facebook page feature large doses of liberal ideas, local, state, and national politics, and random bits of humor. I also blog at Blog for Arizona and the Huffington Post.
The unions, which once served a great role in supporting the American worker, have now become the bane of the taxpayers and the economy.
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“the bane of the taxpayers and the economy”
More properly, they are an obstacle to the right-wing, randian plans to completely disempower the working class. Aside from that, like immigrants and the poor, they tend to vote their interests, i.e., democratic. The right wing finds it easy to disenfranchise the poor and immigrants through restriction of voting rights in these communities, but cracking union solidarity is a tougher nut, requiring creating a fearful boogie man of unions.
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Unions have, no doubt, in many cases, overplayed their role. Nevertheless, if it weren’t for the existence of unions today, many workers would find themselves beiing exploited to the fullest as they were back in the nineteenth century.
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Tucson should hire outside contractors to pick up garbage,run the water company and the other services provided by the city.It’s working in many states and you don’t have to worry about pensions,healthcare and all the vacations and holidays that we pay through the nose on a regular basis.No contracts!
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I can just imagaine the “busloads” from “other” Arizona cities.
Maybe in the future there WILL be a final “Wisconsin” moment…. But for now we can only hope they pretend to be rational citizens and not pee all over the hallways of the capital.
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