It’s hard enough to be unemployed — but there’s a growing problem with companies that refuse to hire people who don’t already have a job. With unemployment at 9%, this kind of discrimination affects a huge number of people. And it hits Black communities particularly hard, as more than 15% of African Americans are unemployed.1

Our friends at USAction launched a campaign asking job listing websites like Monster.com to ban ads that discriminate against the unemployed.2 But not only did Monster.com refuse to ban these ads — they actually threatened legal action against USAction for raising the issue.3 Other job listing websites have been completely silent. It’s outrageous.

Monster.com needs to hear our voices now. Please join us in calling on Monster.com and other job listing websites to stop publishing ads which discriminate against the unemployed. It takes just a moment:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/monster

At a time when more than 9% of Americans are out of work, during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, no one should have to have a job in order to get a job. This type of discrimination hurts everyone who’s looking for work. But Black people are nearly twice as likely to be unemployed as White folks. And Latinos are also unemployed at a higher rate than Whites.4 Whether it’s intended or not, discrimination against the unemployed is discrimination against Black and Latino Americans.

Democrats in the House and Senate are crafting legislation that would make this kind of discrimination illegal. We’ll keep an eye on that legislation and let you know how you can help get it passed.

But right now, without any law to prevent discrimination against the unemployed, job listing websites could do more than anyone else to stop this practice. These companies are supposed to be in the business of helping people find jobs. But by continuing to publish help wanted ads that say “you must be currently employed to apply,” they’re enabling a practice which makes it even harder to recover for the people who are struggling the hardest in this economy.

Monster.com has said that they’re against discrimination against the unemployed5 — but they’re refusing to stop publishing these ads, saying that they’ll leave it up to individual companies to decide what to do.6 Monster.com wants to have it both ways — they think they can pay lip service to opposing this practice, while continuing to make money off of the companies that engage in it. It’s selfish and irresponsible.

We can help by joining the more than 60,000 people who have already called for Monster.com and other job listing sites to stop discrimination against the unemployed. If enough of us speak out, we can create negative media attention that will make easier for Monster.com to do the right thing than to continue profiting from job listings that discriminate.

Please join us in demanding that Monster.com and other job listing companies stop publishing ads that discriminate against the unemployed:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/monster

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
August 25th, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU–your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics News Release, 8-5-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/946?akid=2133.1174326.5MUP6T&t=7

2. “Stop Discrimination Against Unemployed Workers,” USAction
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/947?akid=2133.1174326.5MUP6T&t=9

3. “Monster.com Says It Won’t Ban Third-Party Ads That Discourage Job Applications From The Unemployed,” Huffington Post, 8-12-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/948?akid=2133.1174326.5MUP6T&t=11

4. See reference 1.

5. “Updated: Monster Speaks Out Against Employment Discrimination,” 8-8-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/949?akid=2133.1174326.5MUP6T&t=13

6. See reference 3.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Super Advocates Needed in Your State (Washington State) …Joan Entmacher, National Women’s Law Center

08/26/2011 Nativegrl77

Super-committee [Soo-per kuh-mit-ee] noun – 12 Members of Congress, including Washington Senator Patty Murray, who are working on a plan to cut the deficit an additional $1.5 trillion, and have the authority to propose cuts to all federal programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and Food Stamps. If 7 members approve a plan, it’s put on a fast track to an up-or-down vote: no committee hearings, no filibusters, no amendments.

Tell Senator Murray to Support Responsible Deficit Reduction!

Super-advocate [Soo-per ad-vuh-kit] noun – An advocate for women and families who urges the super-committee to protect vital programs, make millionaires and corporations pay their fair share, and create jobs and spur the economy.

We need you to be a Super Advocate! Join with us in our campaign to Demand Fair Change, Not Spare Change!™ Tell your Member of Congress on the super-committee to protect vital programs, make millionaires and corporations pay their fair share, and create jobs.

These are principles that any plan for deficit reduction should follow:

*Protect vital programs: Women and their families depend on federal programs to protect their health, get quality child care, attend college, and meet their basic needs during difficult times and as they age. Any deficit reduction plan should protect vital programs like Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, child care, Head Start, and Food Stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
Make millionaires and corporations pay their fair share of taxes: Middle class and low-income families already given enough. On top of cuts in this year’s budget, the debt ceiling deal cuts federal programs by nearly $1 trillion over the next decade. But it doesn’t touch a penny of the tax breaks enjoyed by millionaire CEOs, Wall Street, and Big Oil. Any deficit reduction plan should close tax loopholes and require millionaires, billionaires, and large corporations to contribute to reducing the deficit and getting our economy back on track.
Create jobs: Unemployment remains painfully high, job growth is slow — and women have actually lost ground in the two years since the recession officially ended. To promote a stronger economy and lower deficits in the long term, any deficit reduction plan should make investments that put women and men back to work and extend federal emergency unemployment benefits.

You can be a super-advocate today — tell the congressional super-committee to protect vital programs, make millionaires pay their fair share, and create jobs.

The deficit deal that averted a disastrous default for our nation came at a painful and unfair price. We need to fight together to ensure that any proposal from the super-committee does not continue to hurt women and their families.

To learn more about what a fair deficit reduction plan means for women in your state, check out our state-by-state fact sheets. www.nwlc.org

Thank you for all you do.

The budget fights this year have been long and frustrating — and they’re far from over. But polls show that these principles have the support of a majority of the American people. We need your help to make sure that Members of Congress, and especially members of the super-committee, hear that message loud and clear!

Sincerely,

Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Your generous donation allows us to continue to work for a fair deficit reduction plan for women and families. Support our work on the federal budget and other issues today.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Congress: in pro forma Sessions … until 9/6 the Republican led House did about 4minutes of work for We the People today

08/26/2011 Nativegrl77

The Senate will meet on the following dates and times for pro-forma sessions only with no business conducted:

– Friday, August 5^th at 10:00am,

– Tuesday, August 9^th at 11:00am,

– Friday, August 12^th at 12:00pm,

– Tuesday, August 16^th at 11:00am,

– Friday, August 19^th at 10:00am,

– Tuesday, August 23^rd at 2:30pm,

– Friday, August 26^th at 11:15am,

– Tuesday, August 30^th at 10:00am,

– Friday, September 2^nd at 10:00am;

When the Senate convenes at 10:00am on Friday, September 2^nd, it will adjourn until 2:00pm on September 6, 2011. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Following morning business, the Senate will be in Executive Session to consider Calendar #109, Bernice Bouie Donald, of Tennessee, to be United States Circuit Judge for the 6^th Circuit with 30 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley.

The next roll call votes will be at 5:30pm on Tuesday, September 6^th. The first roll call vote will be on confirmation of the Donald nomination. The 2^nd will be a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to H.R.1249, the Patent Reform bill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF AUGUST 26, 2011
112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

10:34 A.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of H.Res. 375. The next meeting is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on August 30, 2011.

10:33 A.M. – DISPENSING WITH LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS – Pursuant to section 4 of H.Res. 375, the Chair announced that no legislative business would be conducted on this day.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

JOURNAL APPROVED – The Chair announced that pursuant to section 5 of H.Res. 375, the Journal of the last days’ proceedings was approved.

10:31 A.M. – Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend James Stoeger, S.J., Jesuit Secondary Education Association, Washington, DCThe Speaker designated the Honorable Andy Harris to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

10:30 A.M. – The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

A really, really bad idea …Al Franken

08/25/2011 Nativegrl77

If you’ve been keeping up with the fight to stop media consolidation, you know what we’re worried about: the prospect of just a few enormous corporations controlling the flow of information in America.

That’s why the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile is a really, really bad idea.

It would create a wireless juggernaut so powerful that only Verizon could hope to compete (Sprint would likely wither away or get eaten up by one of the new Big Two). These two monoliths could raise prices or reduce the quality of service with no concern that their customers will go somewhere else — because there won’t be anywhere else for them to go. This is bad for consumers, obviously — but it’s also bad for an industry so critical to our economy.

Meanwhile, the merger would be a bad blow for net neutrality, allowing the Big Two unprecedented control over what content we can access on wireless networks — and at what speed.

And if that weren’t enough, AT&T estimates that it will save $3 billion a year in “operational savings” and “cost synergies,” which sounds to me like layoffs, and lots of them — maybe thousands or even tens of thousands of lost jobs.

Let’s see — higher prices, worse service, less innovation, reduced competition, AND lost jobs? Sounds like a really, really bad idea to me.

I’m going to fight this merger, and I hope you’re ready to help. Stay tuned.

Thanks,

PS: Our efforts are not funded by corporations and massive unlimited contributions, we rely on small individual donations from supporters like you. Can you pitch in $5 or $10 to help us keep growing our grassroots team?