Monthly Archives: February 2018

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Tell the Trump Administration: Approve the EEOC Harassment Guidance


The Trump administration is blocking attempts to make workplaces safer for everyone. Take action!

Dear Friends,

In this incredible #MeToo moment, many have asked what policymakers should do to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. In 2017, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) tackled this issue by updating a critical resource on unlawful harassment that provides important guidance for workers, employers, and those enforcing the law. The strong, updated guidance explains what constitutes sexual harassment and underscores that sexual harassment includes harassment based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

The EEOC approved the harassment guidance last November and passed it on to the White House for final review. But the Trump administration has been sitting on it ever since. Given the long delay and the administration’s hostility toward the rights of women and LGBTQ people, we’re concerned that this important guidance won’t ever be released.

Will you join us in telling the White House to quit stalling and approve the harassment guidance as is?
Send your message now.

Take Action

As recent events make clear, employers desperately need to understand their obligations to protect their employees from harassment. This guidance would help businesses understand what actions constitute unlawful sexual harassment, including harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Given the history of allegations against the President, it is not especially surprising the Trump administration is failing to show leadership in addressing sexual harassment. But let’s be clear: the administration is doing something worse than nothing. It is blocking attempts to make workplaces safer for everyone.

Take action: Demand the administration approve the harassment guidance immediately.

The Trump administration — through the work of extremists like Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos — has chipped away at the civil rights of LGBTQ people and women whenever possible. Now they are taking aim at our right to be free from sexual harassment, and we won’t allow it. Take action now.

Thank you!
Emily Martin
General Counsel and Vice President for Education and Workplace Justice
National Women’s Law Center

We the Resistance is our fight to protect our rights and freedoms and to defend the most vulnerable among us through powerful collective action. Every conversation you have with a loved one about the issues important to you, every call you make to Congress, every rally you attend is a part of that resistance. Join us — sign on to the We The Resistance manifesto.
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~ FDA/USDA ~~ Alerts & Safety, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

FDA/USDA ~~ Feb 2018 Alerts & Safety pg6


  • Northwest Naturals of Portland, Oregon is recalling 5lb frozen Chicken and Salmon petfood chubs because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.Product was 1 isolated batch of 94 cases distributed to distributors in California, Washington, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, and Rhode Island and sold thru specialty pet retail stores.Product is packaged in 5lb frozen chubs labeled Chicken and Salmon Dog Food with a UPC code of 0 87316 38440 6 and a product best buy date code of 15 082218

    No pet or human illnesses have been reported to date. The product passed lab testing on 12-22-2016 and was sold over 1 year ago to distributors listed above, on or before 1-23-2017. Reports from distributors indicate there is no product at any distributors.

    The company was notified on 2-21-2018 by FDA and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). MDARD bought 1 chub at a Michigan specialty pet store and tested the sample which was negative for e coli, salmonella, and positive for Listeria moncytogenes. The company tests all batches of products for all pathogens in a positive release program before releasing for shipping. The company tests over 600 batches of product per week. The company is a dual jurisdiction facility regulated by USDA-FSIS every day on every shift and FDA. The company does dual lab testing several times per month matching USDA- FSIS lab samples and comparing results.

    Consumers are encouraged to check the lot code on any 5lb frozen Chicken and Salmon chubs. Any product with the noted lot code should return product to the specialty retailer where purchased for full refund.

    Consumers with questions may contact Northwest Naturals at 1-866-637-1872, Monday-Friday, from 8:00am to 4:00pm PST or go to www.nw-naturals.net

  • TruPet, LLC of Milford, OH, is voluntarily recalling a limited amount of Treat Me Crunchy Beef Delight, 2.5oz Pet treats because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall includes only the product listed below.The following affected “Treat Me Crunchy Beef Delight” products were distributed in the continental USA via online retailer Chewy.com and TruDog.com through direct delivery:

    Affected product can be identified by comparing the following lot number: “Treat Me Crunchy Beef Delight” with “Lot # 20190514 13753”.

    No products other than the specific product identified above are subject to this voluntary recall. Consumers who have purchased Treat Me Crunchy Beef Delight are urged to return effected product to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers with questions may call the company at 800-476-8808 for additional information.

  • Bella All Natural is voluntarily recalling its Diet Capsules labeled as Bella, Lot Number MFD:10.15.2017 EXP: 10.14.2019, to the consumer level.This recall has been initiated due to presence of sibutramine. Sibutramine is an appetite suppressant that was withdrawn from the U.S. market in October 2010 due to safety concerns. N-Desmethyl sibutramine is an active metabolite of sibutramine. Sibutramine and its active metabolites substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present significant health risks including heart attack, arrhythmia, and stroke. The company has not received any reports of adverse events or injuries.The product is used as a diet pill and is packaged in a plastic bottle, with 30 pills, and with the Lot Number MFD:10.15.2017 EXP: 10.14.2019. Bella was distributed in California via internet and retail.Bella All Natural is notifying its distributors and customers by Customer Notification/Recall Communication and is arranging for return of product of all recalled products. Consumers that have Bella Diet Capsules which is being recalled should stop using immediately and return to place of purchase.

    Consumers with questions regarding this recall can contact Bella all Natural by calling (323)552-6263, or e-mail address: cabral_daisy@yahoo.com on Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., PST. Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using this drug product.

    Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

    This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administratio

  • Hospira, Inc., a Pfizer company, is voluntarily recalling 3 lots of Labetalol Hydrochloride Injection, USP, 100 mg/20 mL Vial (NDC 0409-2267-20), and one lot of Labetalol Hydrochloride Injection, USP, Novaplus® (NDC 0409-2267-25) to the hospital/institution level. Hospira, Inc. initiated this recall due to the discovery of cracks on the rim surface of vials for these lots, which is covered by the stopper and crimp seal.Cracked vials may result in a lack of sterility assurance for the product. Use of or exposure to a non-sterile product may be associated with adverse events such as fever, chills, sepsis or invasive systemic infections in patients. To date, Hospira, Inc. has not received any reports of adverse events associated with this issue for these lots.Labetalol Hydrochloride is an adrenergic receptor blocking agent indicated for the control of blood pressure (BP) in severe hypertension. It is administered by repeated intravenous (IV) injections or by slow IV infusion.

    Labetalol Hydrochloride Injection is packaged in a 20 mL Multiple Dose Fliptop Vial; packaged in 50 cartons per case. The affected lots include the following NDC, lot numbers, and expiry dates. For cartons, the NDC is located on the top and front label and Lot and Expiry Date information is located on the bottom.  For individual vials, the NDC, Lot and Expiry Date information is located on the vial label.

    Product was distributed nationwide to wholesalers / retailers / hospitals in the United States and Puerto Rico from April 2017 to August 2017.

    NDC Lot Number Expiration Date Strength Configuration/Count

    0409-2267-20

    74370DD
    75035DD
    75115DD

    1FEB2019
    1MAR2019
    1MAR2019

    100 mg/20 mL
    (5 mg/mL)

    1-20 mL Multiple Dose Fliptop Vial per carton; 50 cartons per case

    0409-2267-25 (Novaplus®)

    74230DD

    1FEB2019

    100 mg/20 mL
    (5 mg/mL)

    1-20 mL Multiple Dose Fliptop Vial per carton; 50 cartons per case

    Hospira, Inc. places the utmost emphasis on patient safety and product quality at every step in the manufacturing and supply chain process.

    Hospira, Inc. has notified wholesalers/retailers/hospitals by recall letter to arrange for return of any recalled product.

    Wholesalers/retailers/hospitals/institutions with an existing inventory of the lots subject to this recall should stop use and distribution of the remaining units and quarantine immediately. Healthcare Professionals in your organization should be informed of this recall. If you have further distributed the recalled product, to the wholesale or retail level, please notify any accounts or additional locations which may have received the recalled product from you. For additional assistance, call Stericycle at 1-800-805-3093 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

    Retailers/ Healthcare Professionals with questions regarding this recall can contact Pfizer using the below information.

    Contact Contact Information Areas of Support
    Pfizer Medical

    Information

    		 1- 800-615-0187 , option 3

    (8am to 7pm ET Monday through Friday)

    		 Medical inquiries
    Pfizer Safety 1-800-438-1985, option 1 (24 hours a day 7 days per week) To report adverse events or product complaints

    Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

    This recall is being executed with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

  • Night Hawk Frozen Foods, Inc. Recalls Frozen Beef Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens Night Hawk Frozen Foods, Inc., a Buda, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 167 pounds of frozen beef patty and gravy products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens.
  • A & A Finest Recalls Frozen Pork and Shrimp Dumpling Products due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen A & A Finest, a Corona, N.Y. establishment, is recalling approximately 572 pounds of frozen pork and shrimp dumpling products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen.
  • Triple T Specialty Meats Inc. Recalls Chicken Salad Products Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination Triple T Specialty Meats, Inc., an Ackley, Iowa establishment, is recalling approximately 20,630 pounds ofready-to-eat chicken salad products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium.
  • Updated information is now available. A list of retail consignees has been posted for recall 010-2018, Saker ShopRites, Inc. Recalls Empanadas due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen (Feb 14, 2018).Saker ShopRites, Inc. Recalls Empanadas due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen
    Saker ShopRites, Inc., a Linden, N.J. establishment, is recalling approximately 19,757 pounds of pork and chicken empanadas due to misbranding  and an undeclared allergen.
  • FSIS Issues Public Health Alert For Poultry Products due to Possible Salmonella Contamination
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert out of an abundance of caution due to concerns about illnesses reported in the state of Iowa that may be caused by Salmonellaassociated with a chicken salad product. This product was sold at all Fareway grocery stores in Iowa, as well as Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.
  • Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation Recalls Ready-to-Eat Chicken Products due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
    Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., a Waco, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 101,310 pounds of ready-to-eat breaded chicken patties that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically rubber.
  • The FDA is alerting pet owners to a history of four recalls of and multiple complaints associated with Darwin’s Natural and Zoo Logics pet foods, manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc., dba Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, over the period from October 17, 2016 to February 10, 2018. In each instance, the company recalled these products after being alerted to positive findings of Salmonella and/or Listeria monocytogenes in samples of their raw pet food products. In its most recent recall, on February 10, 2018, Arrow Reliance/Darwin’s Natural recalled ZooLogics Duck with Vegetable Meals for Dogs (Lot #41957) and ZooLogics Chicken with Vegetable Meals for Dogs (Lot #41567) because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella and therefore have the potential to cause salmonellosis in humans and animals. The company states that it only sells its products online through direct-to-consumer sales. The FDA has investigated six complaints of illness and death in animals that have eaten the recalled products. Arrow Reliance/Darwin’s Natural has notified its customers directly of the recalls, but has so far not issued any public notification announcing this or any of the previous recalls.This issue is of particular public health importance because Salmonella can make both people and animals sick.ince 2016, Arrow Reliance/Darwin’s Natural has recalled the following raw pet food products:
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Is the USDA helping SNAP Participants? the deadline to respond is April 9th


USDA Seeks Ideas to Help SNAP Participants Become Independent

USDA Office of Communications sent this bulletin at 02/22/2018 12:29 PM EST

You are subscribed to USDA Office of Communications.

Release No. 0041.18

Contact: USDA Press
Phone: (202) 720-4623
Email: press@oc.usda.gov

USDA Seeks Ideas to Help SNAP Participants Become Independent

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2018 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it is looking for innovative ideas to promote work and self-sufficiency among able-bodied adults participating in the department’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The public is invited to provide input through a notice in the Federal Register. Comments can be submitted on the web through the Federal Register tomorrow. USDA intends to use the input received to find improvements to SNAP policy and related services that can best assist SNAP participants return to self-sufficiency.

“Long-term dependency has never been part of the American dream,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. “USDA’s goal is to move individuals and families from SNAP back to the workforce as the best long-term solution to poverty. Everyone who receives SNAP deserves an opportunity to become self-sufficient and build a productive, independent life.”

Federal law limits the amount of time an able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) can receive SNAP benefits to three months in a 36-month period, unless the individual is working and/or participating in a work program half-time or more, or participating in workfare. The law exempts individuals from the time limit for several reasons, including age, unfitness for work, or having a dependent child. The law also provides state agencies with flexibility to request a waiver of this time limit if unemployment is high or the area does not have a sufficient number of jobs to provide employment.

“Too many states have asked to waive work requirements, abdicating their responsibility to move participants to self-sufficiency. Past decisions may have been the easy short-term choice, but USDA policies must change if they contribute to a long-term failure for many SNAP participants and their families,” Perdue said.

The President’s Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Proposal, released on Feb. 12, proposes to limit waivers of the time limit for ABAWDs to counties with 10 percent unemployment over 12 months.

“The SNAP safety net must be there for those unable to work due to disability or another legitimate reason,” Perdue said. “But for the able-bodied, we must reduce barriers to work, and hold both individuals and states accountable for participants getting and keeping jobs.”

Starting tomorrow, the public is invited to submit comments or ideas on helping able-bodied SNAP participants find work and become self-sufficient through federalregister.gov. The comment period will be open through April 9, 2018.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs. In addition to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, these programs include Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, the National School Lunch Program, and the Summer Food Service Program which together comprise America’s nutrition safety net. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

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Victory in Austin and for Poultry Workers

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A Better Balance
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The 1st Paid Sick Time Law in Texas

The Austin City Council has passed a paid sick time ordinance, making Austin the first city in Texas, and the first southern city to guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick time to use when they or a family member are ill or in need of care. This is the 42nd paid sick time law in the nation and offers strong protections to workers. All workers will be able to earn paid sick time, regardless of their employer’s size. Austin defines “family member” broadly in its paid sick time law to include chosen family members. This means that workers will have the right to use their earned sick time to care for loved ones even if they do not have a biological or legal relationship to them. Austin also joins a growing number of jurisdictions that allow workers to use their earned sick time for “safe time” purposes. Under this law, workers can use earned sick time to address needs related to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking committed against the worker or the worker’s family member.  We congratulate our partners in Austin on this tremendous victory and look forward to building on this momentum elsewhere in the nation.

ABB’s Sarah Brafman with Amy Poehler

One Fair Wage

ABB joined ROC United and other partners from the One Fair Wage coalition for an event sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation calling for an end to the tipped minimum wage, a practice that leads to devastatingly high rates of sexual harassment. At the event, we shared our Working Woman’s Pocket Guide with actress Amy Poehler, emphasizing the need to pass new laws like One Fair Wage while also making sure women understand the rights they already have!

ABB’s Elizabeth Gedmark with advocates protesting harsh conditions on the line at a poultry plant in North Carolina.

A Victory for Poultry Workers

In a hard fought victory for workers’ rights, consumer safety, and animal rights across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture decided to deny the National Chicken Council’s petition to eliminate line speed limits at poultry plants. ABB has been working with our coalition partners for months to fight this inhumane petition which would make one of the country’s most dangerous jobs even more dangerous. Read more about our ongoing advocacy here.

Defending Local Sick Time Laws

Last week, ABB, along with a leading group of local government and labor law professors, submitted an amicus brief to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in support of Pittsburgh’s Paid Sick Days Act. The ordinance, which ABB helped to write and pass in 2015, was challenged almost immediately after it was enacted and is now before the state’s highest court. ABB’s brief argues that Pittsburgh was well within its authority to enact a public health ordinance like the Paid Sick Days Act and that striking it down would have severe consequences for the ability of cities in Pennsylvania to enact policies that protect the health and safety of their residents, potentially blocking cities from making regulations related to zoning, environmental protections, and more.

The FMLA’s 25th Anniversary

On February 5, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Family and Medical Leave Act, we released our new report, A Foundation and a Blueprint. As the report highlights, the FMLA has been a crucial safeguard for millions of Americans, yet federal law has remained largely stagnant as states and cities have lead the way towards more progressive and inclusive workplace leav
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Cold War 1982 Reagan announces Caribbean Basin Initiative


President Ronald Reagan announces a new program of economic and military assistance to nations of the Caribbean designed to “prevent the overthrow of the governments in the region” by the “brutal and totalitarian” forces of communism. The Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) was part of the Reagan administration’s effort to curb what it perceived to be the dangerous rise in communist activity in Central America and the Caribbean.

In the course of an address to the Organization of American States, Reagan argued that a massive new aid program to the Caribbean region was vitally necessary. “If we do not act promptly and decisively in defense of freedom, new Cubas will arise from the ruins of today’s conflicts. We will face more totalitarian regimes tied militarily to the Soviet Union, more regimes exporting subversion, more regimes so incompetent yet so totalitarian that their citizens’ only hope becomes that of one day migrating to other American nations as in recent years they have come to the United States.” Specifically, the President called for increases of $350 million in economic aid and $60 million in military assistance to the Caribbean. He also pledged U.S. assistance in increasing Caribbean trade with the United States and encouraging private investment in the Caribbean.

Reagan’s proposal was in response to what he and his advisors believed to be an increasing Soviet presence in the Caribbean and Central America. In Nicaragua, the leftist Sandinista regime had come to power in 1979. El Salvador was involved in a bloody and brutal conflict between government forces supported by the United States and leftist rebels. And on the island nation of Grenada, the government of Maurice Bishop was establishing close ties to Cuba and Fidel Castro.

The CBI, however, had little impact on improving the economic situation of the nations it was trying to aid. Eventually the entire concept was allowed to simply fade away, and the Reagan administration chose to employ more forceful anti-communist measures in the region. These included support of the anti-Sandinista Contras, massive military aid to the Salvadoran government, and, in 1983, the invasion of Grenada to remove its leftist government.