Dr. Raquel "Rockee" Armstrong Video Interview Transcript

"I’m Rockee Armstrong and I’m running for state representative in Legislative District 13 and I’m a member of United Campus Workers CWA 7065.

I’m very excited that I’ve received Local endorsement. You know, I joined United Campus Workers because I think it’s important that we are fighting for working conditions. There are a lot of different roles in higher education and making sure that we’re taking care of our people comes from organizing. Being able to come together and making sure people have fair wages, people have fair working conditions, people have a place at the table, and that's what we do at United Campus Workers. 

The top three things that I am fighting for in running for state office. First of all, education. Educational investment, transparency, and accountability. We have a lot of waste from abuse in our system that is pulling away critical resources, not just for K-12 public schools, but thinking about our pipeline from early childhood to career-technical, apprenticeships. All the things that create access and opportunity for folks here in Arizona that we need to reinvest in. Number two is really thinking about affordability, broadly speaking. We look at these things in silos whether it be about housing, whether it be about utility costs, goods, and services. But they all actually work hand in hand. It’s really making sure we’re thinking about them systematically and how we’re able to reduce costs for folks across Arizona. And then, infrastructure. Infrastructure is huge. As a state that experiences rapid growth, we need to ensure water sustainability. We need to make sure that we’re really thinking about as we continue to grow, how we’re balancing the needs of people and constituents with the need to continue to grow economically. 

People can learn more about me at Rockee4AZ.com. 

It's important to have pro-labor candidates in office because representation matters. People really are guided by their lived experiences. When you have people who have been part of fighting for fair wages, working conditions, or have served in spaces where maybe sometimes they didn’t have that - they didn’t have adequate breaks. They saw folks who struggled or faced hardship because they didn’t have that representation. We’re able to fight for those things and policy at the table. When we’re thinking of the big picture as we continue to be a state it is about growth and development. 

As a pro-labor higher education candidate, I encourage you if you work in higher education here in Arizona to find your local, join it, and be a part of something bigger in terms of making sure that we are supporting each other and the work that we do."