Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

March 27 ~~ Minimum wage conference for Washington families


Please join Mayor Ed Murray and other local leaders for a one–day conference unveiling new research on how a $15 minimum wage would impact local workers and our economy. Registration is required. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided.
Can you join us?

Sign Up!

Dear Friend,

Thousands of Washington families are working hard yet still living in poverty.

The growing gap between incomes for those at the top and people who are living in poverty while working full time has been a huge topic of discussion in our region lately with the $15 minimum wage debate. But the opposition has been arguing forcefully against raising wages for working moms and dads.

That’s why Seattle residents and local leaders are gathering on March 27 to dig deep into the facts and figures at the heart of the income inequality crisis. Led by Mayor Ed Murray, this gathering will uncover the real impacts of a $15 minimum wage on workers and our local economy here in Seattle. Join us at this free one–day conference hosted by the Mayor’s Income Inequality Advisory Committee on Thursday, March 27.

act.fusewashington.org/signup/Mar27-MinimumWage/

No working mom or dad in Washington should have to choose between paying for food or rent. Yet at least 230,000 people in Washington still earn less than $10 per hour, and 85 percent of these workers are 20 years or older.1

Join Mayor Ed Murray and other local leaders for a one–day conference unveiling new research on how a $15 minimum wage would impact local workers and our economy. Registration is required. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided. Lunch is also available for a $5 fee at registration.

act.fusewashington.org/signup/Mar27-MinimumWage/

Thanks for all that you do,

Erin and entire team at Fuse

  1. budgetandpolicy.org/schmudget/a-minimum-wage-increase-would-benefit-over-half-a-million-workers-in-washington-state

 

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~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

hobby lobby


By

The Hobby Lobby Case Is Here

Tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a closely-watched lawsuit brought by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood. When it rules on these cases this summer, the Supreme Court will decide whether the religious beliefs of the owners of for-profit corporations can be used as a justification to deny the company’s employees the contraceptive health coverage they are entitled to under the Affordable Care Act. While these cases are specifically about the Affordable Care Act’s birth control benefit, the High Court could open the floodgates to discrimination in the name of religious belief.

Why Should You Care? Consider the potentially slippery slope of Hobby Lobby. A poorly decided Hobby Lobby decision has the potential to go beyond “corporations are people, my friend.” It has the ability to dramatically transform religious liberty from a fundamental value that protects religious beliefs into a loopholes that can be used to discrimination, dictate women’s health choices, evade federal protections, and promote unfair advantages in the corporate world. The following infographic details the potential consequences that a poorly decided Hobby Lobby ruling could have on our nation.

Are You In D.C.? If so, join Generation Progress to rally at the Supreme Court in support of the birth control benefit provided by the ACA. RSVP here!

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BOTTOM LINE: Religious liberty is a core American value and progressives believe in religious liberty for all, not just for some. Religious liberty means religious liberty for everyone. And that includes the freedom from having the theological doctrines of your boss or those of business owners in your community being forced upon you.

The upcoming Supreme Court cases are not really about religious liberty, they are about minority of individuals seeking a license to ignore laws and regulations they disagree with in order to discriminate against women, and others.

 

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

On March 25 the Supreme Court will hear two cases


On March 25 the Supreme Court will hear two cases brought by for-profit companies that want to deny their employees coverage for birth control. The bosses at Hobby Lobby, a large chain of arts and craft stores, and Conestoga Wood Specialties, which manufactures cabinets, are arguing that their personal religious beliefs should trump the personal beliefs of their female employees, allowing them to evade the law and deny their employees birth control coverage.

Decisions about my birth control are not my boss’s business. If you agree, add your name to the big banner.

This Is Personal will be at the Supreme Court on the day of the hearings to rally in support of birth control coverage and to show America that every woman should have access to this benefit, regardless of her boss’s religious beliefs.

You can be there with us. Add your name to the banner that we’ll unfurl on the steps of the Supreme Court.

Already more than 27 million women have access to the birth control coverage benefit under the new health care law. Birth control, one of the most frequently used women’s preventive health services, is critical to women’s health and equality. Excluding it from insurance coverage for women while covering the full range of preventive care for men is discrimination—pure and simple.

If you agree — show it. You may not be able to be there in person, but you can still keep it personal. Add your name to the big banner.

Thanks for keeping it personal,

Thao Nguyen
Campaign Director
This Is Personal
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

It’s a New Day in New York City: Paid Sick Time Bill Signed Into Law


The Bill on the Mayor's Desk The Mayor Signs the Bill Into Law
  The Earned Sick Time Act on the Mayor’s Desk                          The Mayor Signing the Earned Sick Time Act Expansion
Dear Friend,
It’s a big day for hardworking New Yorkers. With spring in the air and crowds of excited supporters, A Better Balance stood with Mayor Bill de Blasio today as he signed into law a bill expanding the Earned Sick Time Act. Change has finally arrived for New York City workers who have had to risk losing a day’s pay—or even their jobs—just to care for themselves or family members when they are ill or injured. We couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate the end of winter and the start of a new season!
At today’s pre-signing press conference, we were honored when the Mayor thanked the “A Better Balance coalition” and noted our organization’s commitment to passing a paid sick time law in New York City. The original sponsor of the Earned Sick Time Act, former City Council Member and current Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, also thanked ABB and told the crowd that Sherry Leiwant (ABB Co-President) and Jared Make (ABB Senior Staff Attorney) “probably went to 1,000 meetings” during the four-year paid sick time campaign. We extend our deepest thanks to Mayor de Blasio, Borough President Brewer, City Council Speaker Mark-Viverito, and City Council Member Chin for their commitment to providing paid sick time to working families in New York City.
We are especially grateful to all of our supporters and partners who have encouraged and stood by us as we worked to pass the original version of the bill last year, and then to  strengthen and expand it these past two months. When the law goes into effect on April 1, 2014, it will cover nearly 1.2 million workers who previously had no sick time and will ensure that 3.4 million workers in the private sector have a legal right to sick time.
As the warm weather rolls in, our work on paid sick time in New York City will also begin anew. We’ll be turning our focus to making the new law work for New Yorkers. We’ve created an outreach and education campaign for workers and businesses and will be assisting individual workers to help them enforce their rights. We need your help!
  • Read our  summary of the law and help us get the word out.
  • Check back on our  website in early April for new resources designed to help workers and employers, including a hotline that will provide free legal assistance to workers.
  • Call us at 212-430-5982 if you have questions.
Thank you for helping to make this great day happen,
Sherry, Dina, Phoebe, Jared, Elizabeth, Liz, Risha & Rachel