“I worked for a family as a nanny, that also asked me to care for their elderly father, as if I was a certified home care worker, and expected me to be a full-time cleaner during their vacation getaways. When I worked over 50 hours, they only submitted 40 hours worked, claiming I was salaried to avoid paying overtime.

There are a lot of good employers out there, but this kind of thing shouldn’t happen to anyone in our field. It’s not allowed in other workforces, and it shouldn’t be allowed in ours.” — Michelle Manney

Friends —

Nannies and house cleaners in Seattle are set to make history.

These workers have been excluded from basic workers’ rights laws for decades. But on Monday, Seattle City Council is expected to vote on a groundbreaking Domestic Workers Bill of Rights which takes these workers from invisible to powerful.

You can be a part of history:

Send your City Councilmembers a message asking them to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.
Then join us at Seattle City Hall at 2pm Monday for the final vote.

Send a message to City Council

Until now, few nannies and house cleaners have had access to basic rights and benefits. Some have even been excluded from the minimum wage. And there’s been no good way for workers to come together to set industry-wide standards and improve conditions.

That’s all about to change.

On Monday, Seattle City Council will vote on a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, sponsored by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, which:

Covers all part-time, full-time, independent contractors, and live-in domestic workers in the city — regardless of whether they are technically employed by an agency or a family, and regardless of whether they are classified as employees.
Ensures all domestic workers are covered by the minimum wage and receive rest breaks.
Establishes a Domestic Workers Standards Board which includes workers, employers, and community representatives and has the power to establish industry-wide standards on wages, benefits, training, and other issues.

The Domestic Workers Standards Board would be a breakthrough step for workers rights in Seattle and across the country — a new model of worker power being led by women and people of color who have been too long excluded from other basic legal protections.

This is a huge step forward. It’s another breakthrough victory for Working Washington members. And just like $15, secure scheduling, paid family leave, and other historic steps for workers rights, it shows how much we can accomplish when come together, speak out, and take action.

Thank you to all the Working Washington members who have gotten us to this point. And if you’re not a member yet, now is the perfect time to join!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

NRA all-in on Kavanaugh

07/20/2018 Nativegrl77

The NRA is going all in to support Donald Trump’s dangerous choice for the Supreme Court. We can defeat the NRA’s extremism and stop gun violence, but only if we keep fighting in every single way. Donate now to help us thwart the NRA’s extreme agenda and their radical effort to reshape the Supreme Court.

Breitbart AND the NRA want to scare Americans into thinking that if the Senate doesn’t confirm a nominee with the extreme views of Brett Kavanaugh, then the Second Amendment will be ABOLISHED. That is simply false and part of the scare tactics the NRA uses to push their extreme “guns everywhere” vision for America. Our vision is different. Donate now to continue our fight to stop gun violence and create an America with safer and stronger communities.

DONATE TO STOP NRA’S SUPREME COURT PICK

Chris Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist, expounds on the “dangers” America faces if Kavanaugh isn’t confirmed. The NRA continues to go to great lengths to spread misinformation and scare Americans. But we know that Chris Cox and the NRA’s extreme leadership (and their close relationship with President Trump) are the real dangers to America. Donate now to help fight the NRA’s extreme “guns everywhere” vision and extreme Supreme Court choice.

Thank you for your support to defeat Trump’s Supreme Court pick and the NRA’s extreme agenda.

NRA Alert
Everytown for Gun Safety

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

12 indicted… help safeguard our elections

07/19/2018 Nativegrl77

Safeguarding Elections In The Digital Age

Dear Voter,

With the indictment of 12 members of the Russian military for hacking the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and warnings from high-level government officials that our elections are a target, we must act now.

“Today, the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack… ‘worst offenders’ are Russia, China, Iran and North Korea — with Russia the ‘most aggressive foreign actor, no question. And they continue their efforts to undermine our democracy.'”
– Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence, the same day that the special prosecutor announced their indictments

Coats is not the only administration official issuing a warning. Christopher Krebs, DHS’s top infrastructure and cybersecurity official, spoke out at a hearing last week while Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) called for steps to secure election infrastructure alongside the Senate Intelligence Committee’s recommendations on election security.

So what can we do to make our elections more secure?

First – The enormity of the problem requires a collaborative working relationship between the federal government, technology experts, non-governmental organizations, voting machine vendors and voters. Imagine being an election official, tasked with understanding and securing the technology deployed in our current voting systems… and you have minimal staff and a limited budget.

In the last year alone, Verified Voting staff and volunteers worked hand-in-hand with election officials in states implementing security measures like risk-limiting audits that can quickly identify discrepancies between the cast paper ballot (unhackable) and the vote count.

You can help with this effort by donating now.

Amazingly, there are still 5 states that are entirely paperless and another 8 that are partially paperless. If a paperless election is hacked, the correct outcome cannot be verified, because it is impossible to conduct a recount or audit of a paperless election. To find out about your state, check out the Verifier.

Second – Advocate for the responsible use of technology in our elections. While Verified Voting along with coalition partners prevented the widespread use of internet voting and made “paper ballots” the rallying cry of citizens throughout our country, there is more to do. We must ensure that the next generation of voting equipment breaks the cycle of unverifiable elections.

To support our work and help safeguard our elections, donate now.

Please join us in guaranteeing that all elections accurately reflect the will of the voters.

Thank you for your consideration and support. We must all work together to protect our democracy.

Marian K. Schneider
President, Verified Voting

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

seven major fast food chains agreed to eliminate “no poaching”

07/17/2018 Nativegrl77

— Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced a major advance for fast food workers on Thursday: under threat of lawsuit from his office, seven major fast food chains agreed to eliminate “no poaching” provisions from their franchise agreements. These “no poaching” agreements between franchisees barred workers at one chain location from working at another location of the same chain.

Working Washington member Merlee Sherman, who works as a fast food courier for Jimmy John’s, was there to support this important step.

Here’s what Merlee had to say to the assembled media:

“I’m a driver and a manager in training at Jimmy John’s, and what these #nopoaching clauses actually look like is suppressed pay and limited mobility for people within the company.

There has not been mobility for me to receive better pay at another Jimmy John’s based on my experience. There have not been options for me to go to another store and receive a better wage. All of those have been limited within the company itself.

Today’s settlement is a giant step for those of us who want to use our skills. Food education in general is my niche, it’s my passion, it’s my career. I want to share my skills with those coming into the food industry and I can’t do that if I can’t put food on the table.”

Workers who fight to raise their pay or hold their employers accountable are often told to “get a better job.” There are a million reasons that’s a ridiculous thing to say. But these “no-poaching” clauses show that employers sometimes actually go out of their way to make it harder for a worker to get a better job — even in their own companies. They don’t reward skill or dedication. Instead, they make it harder for workers to improve their circumstances. They stand in the way of opportunity.

And now that’s coming to an end.

When workers come together in organizations like Working Washington, we have power. People listen. The Attorney General takes notice of issues that affect us. Things change.

Thanks for being a part of it,

Working Washington

In the news:
KIRO 7: AG Ferguson moves to open job opportunities for fast food workers
The Stranger: Seven Fast Food Restaurants Agree to Stop Practice That Screws Workers
Seattle P-I: Big fast food firms to end ‘no poach’ rules that lock in workers

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

INSIDER THREAT from Sen. Max Cleland ~ Vet Voice Foundation

07/16/2018 Nativegrl77

Vet Voice Foundation

Please read this important message below from U.S. Senator Max Cleland (ret.) and then sign our letter demanding a full reauthorization and full funding of LWCF.

Thank you for making your voice heard.

Garett Reppenhagen
US Army OIF Veteran
Vet Voice Foundation

Many veterans, like me, find a source of our patriotism in our protected lands. America’s outdoors, and its citizens’ ability to explore them, is surely a part of our values worth protecting – from iconic places like the Grand Canyon to our ballfields and local parks are where we bring our families to share precious moments.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has provided funding for conservation and recreation for decades. It’s been used to protect places from National Parks to local playgrounds in every state since in its inception in 1964. LWCF is funded by oil and gas revenues generated by energy companies paying to drill for oil and gas offshore and uses zero taxpayer dollars. But, If Congress does not act, LWCF will expire this fall.

Unfortunately, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, a veteran himself, who oversees the program, has become an insider threat to its future.

Secretary Zinke served his country as a Navy SEAL with honor, and his patriotism to our country is unimpeachable. However, when I see an ideological threat to American values, I believe it’s my obligation to name it. As chief steward of our wondrous public lands and waters, Secretary Zinke has acted to severely undermine LWCF by calling for enormous cuts to the program in his budget proposals.

Secretary Zinke, who has defended drastic cuts to LWCF in his budget plans and who has been silent on the program’s impending expiration, has become one of the greatest impediments to its future.

As a Vietnam veteran and a retired U.S. Senator, I’ve stood beside brave patriots to challenge America’s enemies, foreign and domestic. We the people can ensure LWCF will continue to provide benefits to future generations.

Please join me, U.S. Senator Max Cleland (ret.), to fight for LWCF by letting Secretary Zinke and our members of Congress know that this is one program the government has a moral obligation to protect.

Sign this letter that will be delivered to key members of Congress and the Department of Interior demanding a full reauthorization and full funding of LWCF.

Gettysburg. The 9/11 Memorial. These iconic sites are funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, one of the nation’s most successful conservation programs. Unless Congress acts, the LWCF will expire this September, eliminating funding that protects American military heritage.

For more than 50 years, the LWCF has provided critical grants that protect and enhance national treasures like American battlefields, our national parks and forests, and over 40,000 state and local park projects across the country.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund, America’s most important conservation and recreation program, a program that has saved places in nearly every state and county in the United States, will expire this September 30 unless Congress moves to renew and fund. For fifty-two years, this fund, at no taxpayer cost (funded by offshore oil and gas royalties to the federal government), has improved the lives of countless Americans and foreign tourists – all of whom generate considerable profits in the surrounding communities where the LWCF has created value.

The LWCF exists because of Teddy Roosevelt’s vision to start protecting our recreational opportunities, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s instinct for conservation action, John F. Kennedy’s commitment to the outdoors, and Lyndon B. Johnson’s creation of LWCF that we as Americans now have the most extensive network of open spaces in the world to hunt, fish, hike, swim and play.

By allowing the LWCF to expire, Congress is jeopardizing the preservation of American military heritage and the monuments to those who sacrificed. Congress should immediately fund and reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund at its full amount to ensure beneficial investment in management of America’s battlefields, monuments, and all public lands.