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Make sure to check if this new law is being enforced by grocery stores and pharmacies
because they must stop dispensing single-use plastic bags beginning July 1
a repost from 10/2014 ~~ Nativegrl77
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Monthly Archives: August 2018
Plastic bag bans … Is your state doing it? it’s 2018 and i see plastic bags everywhere
So, today 7/7/2017 Q13 reported that Tacoma, Wa the plastic bag ordinance starts on 7/12/2017- Customers will be charged 5cents for paper bags
- Anyone with EBT/WIC/TANF/ benefits will not have to pay the charge on paper bags
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Reports are that Chicago is the next city to implement a ban on plastic,sort of http://go.wgntv.com/1JVU7b3 via @WGNNews
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Alameda County, California Bans Plastic Bags
As of January 1st, 2013, packaged food retailers will be prohibited from distributing single-use plastic carryout bags in Alameda County, California.
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Hawaii County, Hawaii
Adopts Plastic Bag Ban Bill
Hawaii Plastic Bag Detrimental To Environment The County Council of Hawaii County has adopted a Bill to regulate the use of plastic bags on the Big Island. After several attempts to regulate plastic bags, Bill 17 was finally passed on December 21st, 2011 by a vote of 5-3. In the Bill,…
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Australian Capital Territory
Australia, BANS Ban Effective November 1st, 2011 Australian Capital Territory (ACT) began its plastic bag ban on November 1st. All retailers, not just supermarkets, are prohibited from distributing single-use plastic shopping bags.(1) In 2009, a plastic bags community consultation was conducted by the ACT Department of the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and…
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Mukilteo, Washington
Washington Ban Effective January 1st, 2013 January 15, 2012 – On December 12th, 2011, the City Council of the City of Mukilteo approved The Solid Waste and Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance. Known as Ordinance 1294, retailers will not be permitted to provide a single-use plastic bag to a customer at checkout.…
The ban or reduction of plastic bags was implemented on July 1 of 2012 in Seattle, WA.
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Monterey, California
California At its regular meeting on November 1st, 2011, the City Council of Monterey, California passed an ordinance to print to ban the use of plastic single-use carry-out bags. Passed unanimously, the ordinance also prohibits the free distribution of recycled paper bags by retailers. The ordinance is intended to: Eliminate the…
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Rye, NY
New York The City Council of Rye, New York passed an ordinance banning retail plastic shopping bags this month. The Council assured merchants that the ordinance applied only to retail shopping bags at the point of sale. The City Council based the ordinance on Westport, Connecticut’s ban which was passed in September,…
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Las Pinas, Philippines
Philippines Plastic-Free City Las Piñas, one of the largest cities in the Philippines with a population of just over 500,000(1), will prohibit the use and distribution of plastic bags. The ‘Plastic Bag Regulation Ordinance’ was passed on September 15, 2011. The ordinance also bans the usage of polystyrene foam. Section 3…
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Aspen, Colorado
Colorado, Roaring Fork Valley The City of Aspen, Colorado, USA has banned plastic bags and placed a fee on paper bags. After three years of studying and debating the issue of regulating plastic bags, Aspen’s City Council finally took action at its regular meeting Tuesday, October 11. City Council members approved an ordinance regulating…
all of the posts … by Ted Duboise
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March on Washington – Anniversary
no one should work 65 hrs/week & get paid for 40 ~ Chris, former fast-food manager
For the last three years, I worked as a manager at a local fast-food chain in Kirkland. Since I was a front-line manager, the company considered me “overtime exempt,” meaning I didn’t get paid extra if I worked over 40 hours a week.
My salary was $49k a year, so if I worked 40 hours a week, my hourly pay would be about $23.50. That’s still too low to afford a decent apartment in a housing market like Kirkland without cramming my wife and myself into a studio, so we lived about an hour away. I thought we could make it work.
But the restaurant was constantly shorthanded, and as the general manager, I was required to take on extra hours. When anything went wrong, I had to cover the shift myself. I ended up working up to 65 hours a week, plus commuting for about 10 hours a week because I couldn’t afford to live in Kirkland. When it came down to it, most weeks I ended up making less per hour than the employees I managed.
Are you classified as “overtime exempt”?
When companies classify workers like me as “overtime exempt,” they’re basically getting free labor. There were days where I’d spend 14 hours at work instead of 10 because my night cook got sick. I ran through that restaurant like a hurricane, forgetting to take breaks, forgetting to eat even when there was food right in front of me. Someone had to pick up the slack, and since I was the manager, it fell to me. But it affected the entire staff — constantly working unpaid overtime put me at odds with my crew and made me a worse manager.
My health declined significantly. I was constantly stressed. I wasn’t getting nearly enough sleep. When my mental health started declining and I became depressed, my wife told me, “Quit your job. I don’t want you to kill yourself.” And I did.
I was able to quit because I don’t have kids to take care of, or other obligations that forced me to stay in a job that wasn’t working for me. But I’ve worked in food and hospitality for a long time, and I’ve seen other salaried workers taken advantage of in the same way.
Right now, our overtime laws are so outdated that companies can pay workers less than the minimum wage just by claiming we’re “overtime exempt.” It’s absurd. No one should have to work 65 hours a week and get paid for 40.
We need to update our overtime laws in Washington to reflect the reality for workers like me. That’s why we’re asking Washington State Labor & Industries to expand overtime rights for salaried workers. But they need to hear from more workers to make their decision — so if you’re not getting paid overtime, can you click here and take five minutes to share your experiences?
Thanks!
— Chris, former fast food manager
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Justice for Jacqueline Dixon
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Once again “Stand Your Ground” is failing to protect Black people. On July 31st, a 38-year-old Black woman, Jacqueline Dixon, from Selma Alabama was arrested and charged with murder-domestic violence for shooting and killing her estranged husband, Carl Omar Dixon, in front her home.1 She told police on the scene that her ex-husband aggressively charged at her.2 And now, Jacqueline is locked up in a Dallas County, AL jail with an enormously high bond of $100,000.3
For years, Jacqueline endured abuse from her ex-husband. In 2016, she was granted an order of protection and temporary custody of their two young children after he punched and verbally abused her.4 Law enforcement was even aware of the history of violence. But because she is a Black woman, “Stand Your Ground” doesn’t apply to her.
Instead of recognizing Jacqueline was acting in self-defense against a man who abused her for years, police chief Spencer Collier put the blame on Jacqueline. He states: “Domestic violence is a crime that knows no racial, geographic or socioeconomic boundary. However, the order is simply a piece of paper if the complainant does not seek its enforcement.”5 This is a complete disregard of her experience and story. But to make matters worse, District Attorney Michael Jackson followed through with murder charges against Jacqueline after she was arrested. It’s clear: the “Stand Your Ground” law does not protect Black people. After the horrific murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012, people across the country have fought to overturn the law because it allows racists to kill Black people with impunity and punishes us for protecting ourselves. Prosecutors play a pivotal role in stopping the racist misuse of the “Stand Your Ground” law. Just last week, with public pressure, Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe filed charges against Markeis McGlockton’s killer. At a time when district attorneys are rightfully being pressured to step up in a real way to bring justice, DA Michael Jackson must drop the charges against Jacqueline Dixon.
Alabama District Attorney Michael Jackson must drop the charges.
If the law is supposed to be about self-defense, then Jacqueline Dixon should not be prosecuted. This should be a moment to focus on her and her children’s safety and well-being. Dallas County District Attorney, of Selma, AL, Michael Jackson must consider the full picture of the pain and trauma Jacqueline Dixon has experienced. He has a responsibility to use his leadership as a prosecutor to do the right thing for Jacqueline, family, and all survivors. Jacqueline does not deserve prison. She deserves a community and support network that will help her and her family heal from this tragic ordeal.
What happened to Jacqueline is eerily similar to Marissa Alexander, another Black woman who survived domestic violence. In 2010, Marissa fired a warning shot to protect herself and her children after her abusive husband tried to attack her.6 In 2012, she was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison, despite invoking the “Stand Your Ground” defense.7 According to data from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an estimated 1.3 million women experience domestic violence.8 A disproportionate number of Black women, roughly 22%, experience intimate partner violence, and making it the leading cause of death for Black women between the ages of 18-35 years old.9 For far too long, the impact of violence against Black women has been ignored.
Black women survivors of violence deserve protection, not punishment.
Jacqueline’s case is a terrible double standard of a terrible law. Like Florida, and 24 other states across the country, Alabama has upheld the “Stand Your Ground” law despite years of pushback. The “Stand Your Ground” law picks and chooses who has the right to defend themselves and more often than not gives white people a license to kill. White men such as George Zimmerman, who viciously murdered Trayvon Martin in 2012 after following and bullying him and Michael Drejka, who shot and killed Markeis McGlockton just last month over a parking spot, were set free to go by their local sheriffs. After Black people took a stand and demanded the local DA press charges against Michael Drejka, we won and he was arrested. Let’s keep that same energy and ensure that DA Michael Jackson isn’t let off the hook. Jacqueline should be home with her children right now. Not sitting in a cage, punished because she is a survivor of domestic violence. Black people, especially Black women survivors of violence, are never given the right to protect and defend themselves –and that must change.
Tell DA Jackson: Jacqueline Dixon has a right to defend herself.
Until justice is real,
–Clarise, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Anay, Kristen, Marena, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References:
3. “Woman shot, killed estranged husband in driveway, police say,” AL.com, July 31, 2018.
4. “Woman shot, killed estranged husband in driveway, police say,” AL.com, July 31, 2018.
5. “Woman shot, killed estranged husband in driveway, police say,” AL.com, July 31, 2018.
6. “Marissa Alexander accepts plea deal,” MSNBC.com, January 27, 2015.
8. “Why Black Women Struggle More With Domestic Violence,” TIME, September 10, 2014.
9. “Why Black Women Struggle More With Domestic Violence,” TIME, September 10, 2014.
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