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The Arizona Republic

The Arizona Republic

Arizona Supreme Court strikes down 'release time' for Phoenix workers

The Arizona Republic
Summary
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The Arizona Supreme Court struck down the city's contract with a labor union.

The state's gift clause bars governments from giving money to private groups without a roughly equal public benefit.

The city's 2019 contract with AFSCME , which represents 1,500 city employees, provided roughly $499,000 in release time.

City and union argued that release time promotes positive worker-management relations.

The Arizona Supreme Court's decision backtracks on its 2016 case, Cheatham v. DiCiccio , but it does not formally reverse it.

Piccioli denied using release time for political activity, pointing to the 2022 law passed by Gov. Doug Ducey .