Arizona – Score Another Defeat for Union-Busting Efforts

Like their sisters and brothers in Ohio and Wisconsin who are battling corporate-backed politicians, Arizona workers are just as relentless in standing up to union busters.

Last year, Local 2960, Local 3282 and Local 2384 stopped measures that would have privatized vital services in Peoria and Phoenix. Also last year, Local 3111 spurred an aggressive campaign blocking yet another brazen attempt to silence public workers’ voices. And they won. A federal court judge ruled that Arizona’s paycheck deception law is unconstitutional. The judge also directed the Arizona Attorney General not to enforce it.

“This law is just one of several anti-worker bills passed last year by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jan Brewer,” says Sheri Van Horsen, president of AFSCME Local 3111. “They are modeled after legislation written by the conservative national group, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which promotes union-busting measures and corporate tax breaks in state legislatures across the country. Arizonans need to know just who their politicians are working for.”

Paycheck deception laws ban payroll deductions for political purposes from state and other public workers, while exempting other organizations that use payroll deduction. They have popped up in numerous state legislatures last year as part of a concerted attack on the rights of public service workers.

In his ruling, District Court Judge G. Murray determined the law was unconstitutional because it imposed burdens solely on unions collecting dues. By exempting other organizations, the government was attempting to suppress the political speech of those whose views may be unfavorable to them.