Arizona Education Association

Fall 2016

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Get the Facts about Prop 206 Increases the Arizona Minimum Wage to $12 by 2020 with automatic cost of living increases after. Over 779,000 Arizona workers will see their hourly pay rise. Provides paid Sick Days to full-time workers and expands use for family illness, domestic violence victims, and public health emergencies. 45% of Arizona's private sector workers will get paid sick days for the first time. An increase in the minimum wage will save Arizona tax payers $89 million (est.) in SNAP spending each year. An increase in the minimum wage will mean a significant increase in dollars spent at local businesses, resulting in even more sales tax revenue for Prop 301 school funding. Learn more about Prop. 206 at www.azhealthyfamilies.org. FALL 2016 | SPECIAL GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE | ADVOCATE 23 Ballot Recommendations AEA Recommends Voting YES on Prop 206 As educators, our top priority is the health and safety of Arizona's young people. Arizona's public school employees see first-hand how a family's finances and health can have a lasting impact on children. Often parents will send their sick children to school because they do not have the means or ability to stay home and care for their child. Older siblings miss school days to care for their sick brother or sister. "When Prop. 206 passes, teachers will be able to spend more time teaching and less time caring for sick children or worrying about whether their students are being fed at home," says AEA President Joe Thomas. Educators also see the effects of parents and caretakers forced to work two or three minimum wage jobs to meet basic needs. Children come to school hungry simply because their families cannot afford consistent healthy meals. Too many students are missing other basic necessities due to the low wages in their household. In addition, passing Prop 206 will mean many Education Support Professionals can earn a decent living for their hard work keeping the state's students safe and our schools functioning well. Students will be able to afford rising tuition costs in order to go to college. No longer can we allow thousands of families and staff members at our public schools suffer from the current minimum wage. "Prop. 206 will help keep our classrooms healthier while improving the education of our state. AEA urges you to vote YES," says Thomas.

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