Union-backed Worker Power emerging as key player in Valley development clashes
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Zoning for the VAI Resort in Glendale is one of several recent battles Worker Power has been part of pertaining to land development issues. Image: Courtesy of VAI Resort
An advocacy group tied to a powerful labor union has become a major player in local elections over land development issues in recent years.
The big picture: Worker Power, a nonprofit connected to Unite Here Local 11, which represents about 32,000 hotel, restaurant and airport workers in Arizona and southern California, has become a key player in fights over high-profile land-use decisions.
State of play: In Glendale, Scottsdale and Tempe, Worker Power has led or supported campaigns to block major commercial projects, often citing concerns about transparency, community input and corporate accountability.
In Glendale, the group spearheaded a ballot measure last year to raise the minimum wage for hotel and event center workers to $20 an hour, up from the state minimum wage — $14.70. Hotels and venues would have been exempted if they entered into collective bargaining agreements with their workers.
- Voters rejected that proposal.
- It collected signatures to force a public vote next month on zoning changes for a corporate office at the incoming VAI Resort.
- In 2023, the group pursued a referendum and filed a lawsuit over a property tax incentive for the resort that the city later reversed.
In Scottsdale, Worker Power helped collect signatures to refer to the ballot a zoning change for Taser-maker Axon's proposed headquarters, which was challenged by opponents of the company's planned apartment units.
- Unite Here pitched Axon on signing what it called a "neutrality agreement" to facilitate unionization of its hotel employees, the Arizona Republic reported last December.
- State legislation later nullified the vote.
In Tempe, Worker Power disputed a proposed Tempe Entertainment District centered around a new arena for the Arizona Coyotes, which voters rejected in 2023.
- The group raised significant funds but spent relatively little ahead of the election, per the Republic.
What they're saying: While Unite Here is one of its numerous partners, Worker Power isn't exclusively a labor advocacy group and doesn't focus solely on labor issues, executive director Brendan Walsh told Axios.
- He said its advocacy regarding major commercial projects revolves around "equity and corporate and government accountability."
The other side: Critics — including developers and business advocates — argue the group's efforts are more about expanding union influence than addressing zoning or environmental concerns.
- Grant Fisher, CEO and co-owner of VAI Resort, told Axios he doesn't believe Worker Power cares about zoning for park space and is instead seeking to unionize the resort's workers.
- Meanwhile, Axon spokesperson David Leibowitz said the group steps "into situations where they think they can create leverage for themselves to try to have some power over the process."
Between the lines: Walsh said Worker Power objects to changes permitting an office building on a parcel previously zoned for park space and allowing the resort to flush water from its human-made beach and swimming pools into the city's sewer system. He also has concerns related to light and noise.
- He raised additional objections to other facets of the project, saying the zoning change is the latest in a "long line of giveaways" by the city.
- Garrick Taylor, a spokesperson for the pro-VAI Yes for Glendale campaign, said the project addresses noise and light issues and called the water concerns "another mischaracterization."
- Every aspect of the project has been publicly vetted, he said, and Worker Power's reasons for opposing it continually change.