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No Justice , No Pizza


TELL COSTCO: SUPPORT PALERMO’S PIZZA WORKERS

Laura Torres, a single mother of six, has worked at the Palermo’s Pizza plant in Milwaukee for 10 years. After safety issues led to thousands of dollars in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, she and her co-workers began organizing to form a union to secure safe working conditions.[1]

Palermo’s executives could have taken the high road and sat down with Laura and other workers to hear their concerns. Instead, they chose to start an intimidation campaign that has forced the National Labor Relations Board to investigate claims of unlawful threats and firings.[2]

Laura and her co-workers have been on strike for two months now, but with every passing day management is digging in its heels. Workers, though, are not giving up and are joining together with working families across the country to take the next step in the campaign for justice at Palermo’s. And you can help.

As the largest purchaser of Palermo’s products, Costco can put pressure on Palermo’s to stand with workers. Thousands already have sent letters to Costco and held events outside Costco stores in multiple cities asking the company to support Palermo’s workers.

Click here to stand with pizza workers and let Costco know they should, too.

Costco has built a reputation on its commitment to a strong Supplier Code of Conduct. A major part of this code sets forth a “continuing commitment to the protection and improvement of employees’ rights” and allows Costco to audit its suppliers, like Palermo’s, to make sure they are in compliance with the code.

By asking Costco to take a stand and letting Palermo’s know Costco won’t tolerate the company’s lack of workplace safety and unfair treatment of workers, we can put pressure on Palermo’s to finally do the right thing for their workers and customers.

Tell Costco to put pressure on Palermo’s to end its intimidation campaign, improve conditions and let workers have a voice on the job.

Thank you for your support of Palermo’s Pizza workers in their struggle for dignity and justice on the job.

In Solidarity,

Andy Richards
Digital Strategies, AFL-CIO

P.S. Workers have been on strike for two months and have relied on the generous support of donations to the strike fund to keep them going. But the strike fund is dangerously low. Can you make a donation of $5 to support the workers’ strike fund?

[1] www.theuptake.org/2012/06/10/records-show-palermos-strikers-safety-concerns-are-real/
[2] www.milwaukeelabor.org/in_the_news/article.cfm?n_id=00276

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VIDEO: U.S. Guns, The Awful, Shocking Truth


Brave New FoundationDonate
Creating Media That Makes An Impact

The tragedy in Aurora, Colorado demonstrated the devastating lethality of AR-15 type guns, and has caused many to question whether it makes sense to allow the purchase of this type of military-style assault rifles. What a lot of people don’t know is that this type of rifle is also the weapon of choice among Mexican drug cartels. In the last 5 years, over 60,000 people have lost their lives in Mexico’s wave of violence.
Click here to WATCH this powerful video and SIGN the petition demanding that President Obama enforce the authority he has to stop this tragic warfare.
Here is the brutal truth: 70 percent of the AR-15s and other guns used by drug lords, gangs, and kidnappers in Mexico come from the United States. Right now, President Obama has the authority to:
1) Enforce the existing ban on the importation of military-style assault weapons. 2) Require gun dealers to report bulk sales of military-style assault weapons. 3) Tighten enforcement of sales in U.S. border towns.
He has the authority, now it’s time to make him ENFORCE it!
Cuéntame has partnered with WOLA (Washington Office For Latin America), and a powerful coalition of partners*, to produce a short animated video exposing how these guns get into the U.S. and are trafficked to Mexico, who profits from their sale, and empower people to tell President Obama to enforce the ban of this kind of trafficking.
Add your signature NOW. It is the most important action you can take to demand President Obama to act now. We need thousands of signatures and it starts with YOURS.
Together we can make an everlasting impact.

Yours, Axel Caballero and the Cuéntame team.

*Coalition partners: Latin America Working Group, Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Global Exchange, Propuesta Civica, Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, Violence Policy Center, and Alianza Civica.
Black History

CONGRESS: the Republican led House H.R.4240 for 5minutes – the Senate in Pro Forma Sessions


Schedule for Pro Forma Sessions only, with no business conducted   …

(note that beginning on Tuesday, August 7th, the pro forma sessions will be held in Hart 216 while repairs are being made to the Senate Chamber)

–          Friday, August 3rd at 10:15am

–          Tuesday, August 7th at 11:00am

–          Friday, August 10th at 11:00am

–          Tuesday, August 14th at 2:30pm

–          Friday, August 17th at 11:30am

–          Tuesday, August 21st at 10:00am

–          Friday, August 24th at 10:00am

–          Tuesday, August 28th at 2:30pm

–          Friday, August 31st at 11:30am

–          Tuesday, September 4th at 11:30am and

–          Friday, September 7th at 12:00pm

If the Senate receives a message from the House that it has adopted S.Con.Res.59, providing for a conditional adjournment or recess of the Senate and an adjournment of the House of Representatives, the pro forma sessions above will not occur and   …

the Senate will adjourn until 2:00pm on Monday, September 10, 2012.

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Just Released: DHS Outlines Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Process


The White House

DHS Outlines Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Process

WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security today provided additional information on the deferred action for childhood arrivals process during a national media call in preparation for the August 15 implementation date.

On June 15, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet other key guidelines may be eligible, on a case-by-case basis, to receive deferred action.  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is finalizing a process by which potentially eligible individuals may request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals.

USCIS expects to make all forms, instructions, and additional information relevant to the deferred action for childhood arrivals process available on August 15, 2012. USCIS will then immediately begin accepting requests for consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals.

  • Information shared during today’s call includes the following highlights:
  • Requestors – those in removal proceedings, those with final orders, and those who have never been in removal proceedings – will be able to affirmatively request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals with USCIS.
  • Requestors will use a form developed for this specific purpose.
  • Requestors will mail their deferred action request together with an application for an employment authorization document and all applicable fees to the USCIS lockbox.
  • All requestors must provide biometrics and undergo background checks.
  • Fee waivers cannot be requested for the application for employment authorization and biometric collection. However, fee exemptions will be available in limited circumstances.
  • The four USCIS Service Centers will review requests.

Additional information regarding the Secretary’s June 15 announcement will be made available on www.uscis.gov on August 15, 2012. It is important to note that this process is not yet in effect and individuals who believe they meet the guidelines of this new process should not request consideration of deferred action before August 15, 2012. Requests submitted before August 15, 2012 will be rejected. Individuals who believe they are eligible should be aware of immigration scams. Unauthorized practitioners of immigration law may try to take advantage of you by charging a fee to submit forms to USCIS on your behalf. Visit www.uscis.gov/avoidscams for tips on filing forms, reporting scams and finding accredited legal services. Remember, the Wrong Help Can Hurt! An informational brochure and flyer are also available on www.uscis.gov.

For more information on USCIS and its processes, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis), and the USCIS blog The Beacon.

Get Updates

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Support Alan Grayson for Congress


 


The Most Anti-Christian Sign in History?

Dear carmen:

Republican Todd Long’s disgraceful bigoted attack against Alan Grayson as “The most anti-Christian Congressman that we’ve ever had in our history” continues to reverberate around the Web. Here are some more comments that have been posted online:

“I live and vote in Alan’s district. He is just the person to stand up to those Congressmen who would destroy America just to benefit the special interests who donate unlimited sums of campaign cash to Republicans. He is well-educated, has a background in the law, and willing to stand up for the average taxpayer! Last election, he was targeted by the special interest groups eager to silence him, and replaced by a puppet who marched to the Tea Party drum.” – Jim51fla

“Grayson is more a follower of Jesus Christ than any one of his critics on the right. During Grayson’s speech at the Florida Democratic Party, Alan Grayson . . . told the biblical story of Cain, who killed his brother with the jawbone of a donkey (which probably meant he wanted to blame it on the Democrats). [Alan] quoted: ‘And then when God said, “Where’s your brother?” Cain said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” As if he had no idea. And that, [Alan said,] is actually the fundamental question that separates us from them, right? Am I my brother’s keeper? Our answer is, “Yes, we are.” We are.'” – janmb

“I love Alan Grayson. He’s observant, intelligent, outspoken, has great values and a keen moral sense, and to top it all off, he has a sense of humor. No Christian to whom Christianity is related to a code of ethics, [or related] to empathy for his or her fellow human being, to whom being a Christian is an injunction to err on the side of kindness, need ever fear Alan Grayson.” – Godipo

“Love Alan Grayson. Love his assurance, enthusiasm, courage. I seem to remember an old saying about knowing the quality of a man by the depravity of his enemies. That makes Mr Grayson the greatest man in the nation! Go Grayson! Landslide these clowns!” – hitnmyths

Widely respected blogger Howie Klein had this to say:

“The part of Long’s bizarre anti-Semitic diatribe that fascinated me was his assertion that Grayson “doesn’t believe in any of the biblical values, doesn’t believe in treating people well, doesn’t believe in uniting the country, doesn’t believe in solving problems.” I honestly cannot name another Congressman who was more in synch with Jesus’ most essential teachings than Alan Grayson. I mean, what did the Prince of Peace say about wars? Was anyone in Congress more devoted to peace than Grayson? What did Jesus say about healing the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the impoverished? Basically, Grayson did little else but work on these very issues! Unless Long is talking about some bizarre religious rites, like snake handling or whatever his crazy supporters are into, anyone examining Alan Grayson’s record would come up with the opposite conclusion– he’s the most Christian– or Judeo-Christian (or just plain ethical) Member of Congress in recent memory.”

And then there was this telephone message:

“I just spoke to Jesus on the phone and he told me that Grayson will be going back to Congress this election, and that Todd Long is going to hell.” – ProudElitist

How can we possibly let some hateful crackpot like Todd Long defeat us? How can we give someone like that any measure of control over our lives? If you haven’t done it already, it’s time to step up, be counted, and show your support at our “Beat the Bigot” contribution page. And do it now.

 

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