Arizona public service workers, retirees and community activists gathered in front of the statehouse in Phoenix on Friday to protest corruption and corporate money in politics. Their message to lawmakers: “Our democracy is not for sale!” (Photo: Allison Padgett)

AFSCME members and retirees came together last week with community activists from MoveOn.org to send the message to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and state legislators that “our democracy is not for sale.” Friday’s event follows a demonstration last month in Scottsdale to protest the anti-worker agenda of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

The corporate-funded ALEC uses conventions, like the one in Scottsdale, to provide a venue for corporate CEOs and state legislators to write “model legislation” behind closed doors. Last year, Arizona lawmakers passed a number of these ALEC-inspired bills, including one that would have silenced working families’ voices by banning voluntary donations to union political action funds. Following a suit filed by AFSCME and allied groups, a judge has recently ruled this law unconstitutional.

“Through ALEC, corporations and state politicians are voting behind closed doors to re-write laws that protect workers and middle-class families,” said Local 3111 President Sheri Van Horsen. “We are taking a stand against corruption and demanding accountability from our government to the people it is supposed to represent: Arizona citizens.”

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