19 | July | 2017 | Be a Seed for Change

Paid Family Leave for Nashville Municipal Employees

Paid family leave is coming to municipal workers in Nashville, Tennessee! Earlier this week the Civil Service Commission unanimously voted to adopt a plan that will give Metro Nashville workers approximately six weeks of paid leave for welcoming a new child to the family as well as for the care of a seriously ill parent, child, or spouse.

Nashville, the first city in Tennessee to have this policy, joins a growing list of municipalities recognizing the value of providing this important benefit in order to recruit and retain a talented workforce.

We applaud Nashville Mayor Megan Barry for her leadership on this groundbreaking step. We also thank the Metro Council and Civil Service Commission for their support as well. The Mayor’s office worked with the Mayor’s Council on Gender Equity to research paid family leave and make recommendations. A Better Balance is honored to serve on the Council on Gender Equity and has enjoyed working on this critical program to ensure that no municipal employee has to worry about job security during a medical emergency or with a baby on the way.

We are particularly pleased that this paid family leave is not only for parents, but will also include caregivers, making Nashville a leader in municipal paid family leave policies.

Sincerely,

Dina & Sherry

Brazil is about to hand over protected Amazon parkland the size of Portugal to corrupt businessmen for mining, logging and farming. But we can stop it, and other plans like it. Brazil is desperate to sign a trade deal with the EU — let’s demand Europe makes any deal conditional on Brazil stopping Amazon destruction! Sign now and share widely.

SIGN NOW

Dear friends,

Breaking news — Brazil is about to hand over a giant protected Amazon parkland the size of Portugal (!) to corrupt businessmen for mining, logging and farming.

Scientists say moves like this could tip the whole Amazon into catastrophic crisis — warning the whole forest ecosystem could collapse!

But there’s a way we can stop it. Brazil is desperate to sign a huge trade deal with the EU this year — let’s demand Europe makes any deal conditional on stopping Amazon destruction.

Click to sign the petition, and when it’s massive, we’ll deliver it straight to the EU negotiating team to stop Brazil killing the Amazon.

Europe: Stop Brazil butchering the Amazon!

Brazil’s Amazon crisis is being driven by massive corruption — many of the politicians backing these laws own companies that would benefit from Amazon destruction!

As things stand those companies would profit from the deal, which covers trade between Europe and South American countries like Brazil and Argentina. But France has just said it will ban destructive Amazon imports, and if Europe does the same, we can show it doesn’t pay to destroy the forest.

Let’s build a giant call to Europe to make sure this trade deal protects the Amazon! Sign now, share widely and let’s stop corruption killing the Amazon.

Europe: Stop Brazil butchering the Amazon!

The Amazon produces 20% of our oxygen, is home to 10% of species on Earth and is a key defence against climate change. If we lose it, we could lose everything — which is why the Avaaz community has fought to protect it time and time again.

With hope and determination,
Bert, Mia, Fatima, Caro, Nell, Emma, Oscar and the whole Avaaz team

More information:

Brazil to open up 860,000 acres of protected Amazon rainforest to logging, mining and farming (Independent)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/illegal-logging-national-forest-of-jamanxim-brazil-amazon-br-163-protests-deforestation-gisele-a7842796.html

Temer pushes Amazon deforestation bill in Brazil (Finanical Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/1435c6ae-6b6a-11e7-bfeb-33fe0c5b7eaa?mhq5j=e2

Dams could ‘permanently damage Amazon’ (BBC)
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40277745

Norway issues $1bn threat to Brazil over rising Amazon destruction (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/22/norway-issues-1bn-threat-brazil-rising-amazon-destruction

If Brazil Allows Terra Legal Changes, Land Grabbers Win and the Amazon Loses (Mongabay)
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/41014-if-brazil-okays-terra-legal-changes-land-grabbers-win-amazon-loses-say-environmentalists

Amazon Protectors: Brazil’s Indigenous People Struggle to Stave Off Loggers (VOA)
https://www.voanews.com/a/amazon-protectors-brazil-indigenous-people-struggle-stave-off-loggers/3914099.html