In his five terms representing Arizona in Congress, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) has consistently been a pro-worker champion, earning a 100% rating from the AFL-CIO for his 2023 votes standing up for working people, unions, and our rights to organize and go on strike.
In his run to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate, Rep. Gallego has been endorsed by the Arizona AFL-CIO and many unions and individuals, including labor rights icon Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers.
“Ruben is a stalwart advocate for immigration reform and his commitment to advancing the circumstances of working people, especially Latinos, is undeniable,” Huerta said.
Gallego, who grew up in a union family, says he has experienced firsthand the life-changing benefits that unions bring to working families.
Wage growth doesn’t happen because Wall Street feels charitable. Unionization and pro-labor policies create the middle class.
Rep. Ruben Gallego
Protecting Workers’ Rights
Rep. Gallego is a proud co-sponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (the PRO Act), which strengthens worker power by protecting our rights to organize, bargain and go on strike.
“When workers form unions, they can access higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions. Every worker in Arizona deserves the right to join a union if they choose to, and this bill protects that right,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego. “Unions are essential to rebuilding Arizona’s middle class, and I’m proud to join my colleagues to introduce this legislation that will empower workers to exercise their right to organize, while also holding bad actors accountable when they engage in unfair practices and labor law violations.”
The PRO Act, a top legislative priority for the labor movement, takes a comprehensive approach to restoring the balance of power in the workplace by blocking intimidating union-busting tactics, speeding union elections, providing new protections against employer retaliation, and helping newly organized workers secure a first contract faster.
Securing and protecting jobs
Rep. Gallego has fought to ensure that major federal legislation incorporates the needs of Arizona’s working families, including the right to unions and good wages.
- Rep. Gallego voted for the American Rescue Plan that saved the jobs of public employees and airline workers, and rescued the multiemployer pension plans covering more than a million union members and retirees.
- Rep. Gallego voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which supported millions of jobs in construction and manufacturing , with strong protections for union rights and prevailing wages. The act also strengthened “Buy America” rules.
- Rep. Gallego voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which will create hundreds of thousands of American manufacturing jobs, in addition to reducing prescription drug prices for seniors and lowering energy costs.
- Rep. Gallego voted for the CHIPS Act, which grows U.S. supply chains for semiconductor chip manufacturing and ensures that the two new semiconductor plants being built with federal money will employ union-trained workers.
Fighting against offshoring and outsourcing
Rep. Gallego is a cosponsor of the “No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing Act,” which repeals offshoring incentives by equalizing the tax rate on corporate profits earned abroad to the tax rate on profits earned inside the United States.
Rep. Gallego also co-sponsored the Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act, which would block government grants for companies that move call centers overseas and establish restrictions on businesses that redirect customer service calls to locations outside the United States.
Standing up for the right to strike
In July 2023, Gallego was among 170 members of Congress who signed a letter to UPS CEO Carol Tome and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, making clear their support of Teamster members and their rights to bargain collectively and, if necessary, to go on strike.
“We are hopeful that both sides can negotiate in good faith and reach a consensus agreement that addresses basic human needs and allows workers to do their jobs safely and with dignity,” the letter said. “However, in the event a fair and equitable collective bargaining agreement cannot be reached, we commit to respect our constituents’ statutory and constitutional rights to withhold their labor and initiate and participate in a strike.”
One Fair Wage
Rep. Gallego understands that a fair day’s work deserves fair wages, and has committed to fighting to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.