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There are many families this year who will not come together for Christmas due to Walgreen corporation keeping it’s doors open to make a profit at others expenses. I urge Walgreens to close the doors at every location this Christmas Day and let families be together. Those who work in 24 hour stores never close. This means that they work every Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas for years in a row. These are also “black out dates” which means if the individual calls out they are fired. I am petitioning to end this and to have Walgreens shut their doors, especially the 24 hours locations (which never, ever close) this Christmas Day. |
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Tag Archives: Republican
What if everyone in America listened to this?
“I can’t breathe.”
Those were Eric Garner’s last words after being put in a chokehold by a Staten Island police officer. He shouted repeatedly from the ground, gasping for breath, as bystanders watched in horror.1
If you haven’t already, please listen to the devastating audio of Eric Garner’s final moments. His last words ring as a call to all of us—to pay attention and to act.
And then, please share this with five friends who might not be fully aware of the protests that have erupted across the country, led by young people of color crying out for justice.
Listen and share the audio of Eric Garner’s last words.
Garner’s death—and the subsequent refusal of the Staten Island grand jury to hold the police accountable—have ignited a massive outcry, as people are flooding the streets in dozens of cities with eloquent and peaceful protests.
Now we’re at a turning point. This wave of public revulsion and outrage can help change the culture and policies that have been enabling police violence in communities of color for far, far too long. But only if enough people really tune in and take action.
For those of us who are already in motion, thank you. For the rest of us, let’s make sure we really hear Eric Garner’s last words and the moral call to act that they represent. They’re hard to take—but that doesn’t mean we can turn away.
Please listen and share Eric Garner’s last words.
Thank you for all you do.
–Corinne, Justin R., Erica, Anna, and the rest of the team
P.S. Check out FergusonAction.com to find ongoing peaceful demonstrations in your area.
Source:
1. “Protesters Fill the Streets Across the Country Over Decision in Eric Garner Case,” New York Times, December 4, 2014
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=301950&id=105527-17809870-KHfgCWx&t=3
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Our roads and bridges are too important
In a state like Washington — a state connected to the world by the ocean, the interstate, and the air — our roads, bridges, ferries, airports, and rails make up a vital system that feeds our economy and prepares us for the future.
We can’t let investments in this infrastructure — infrastructure that creates jobs and keeps our families safe — be derailed by another political showdown.
When the next legislative session starts, I’m ready to work with our state’s leaders to create a plan that works for everyone — but I want to know you’re standing with me.
Our state’s transportation infrastructure is long overdue for repairs and upgrades. But when the last legislative session ended, so did our hopes for a comprehensive transportation plan to be passed in 2014.
We can’t let that happen again.
I’ve already invited state legislators to meet with me and help develop a plan that works for Washington. That plan must do several things: fund desperately needed repairs and replacement of structurally deficient roads and bridges, support a multiplicity of transit options — from cars and freight trains to buses and ferries, and create jobs for Washington workers.
I believe we can develop a plan that is sustainable and ensures safe, reliable ways to move people and products whether by car, bus, bike, rail, boat, or plane. And I want to work with our state’s leaders to make that plan a reality.
But to make that happen, I need to show that I have your support. I need to make it clear that Washington wants the passage of a forward-thinking, sustainable transportation plan to be one of our top priorities in the upcoming legislative session.
Thanks for your support.
Very truly yours,
Jay Inslee
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The Jobs Report In 5 Charts
A Remarkably Positive Jobs Report, With A Reminder That There’s More To Do
The November jobs report was released today, and it brought a lot of good news. The U.S. economy added 321,000 jobs in November, well exceeding analysts’ expectations of 230,000. The unemployment rate remained at 5.8 percent. But the report also offers a reminder of the struggles that many working Americans continue to feel in the sluggish recovery.
The monthly jobs report doesn’t provide a comprehensive view of how our economy is doing, but it does offer an important glimpse into some of the macro employment and wage trends that reflect whether the economy is growing, and who is sharing in that growth. Here are five charts that show what to be happy about, and why we need to continue to work so that everyone has a chance for economic opportunity and prosperity.
1. A first for the U.S. economy: 50 straight months of job growth
CREDIT: DPCC
There have now been 50 straight months of payroll job growth — which has never happened before in the U.S. economy. 2014 will have them most job growth of any year since 1999.
2. Job growth is coming from full-time employment, not part-time.
Not all jobs are created equal. The good news, over the last few years, is that employment growth is coming from full-time, not part-time work.
3. Involuntary part-time work is decreasing — but still high.
CREDIT: Vox
The number of people working part-time for economic reasons declined by 177,000 from October to November. But years into the economic recovery, the number remains persistently high.
4. Wage growth continues to be sluggish.
Average weekly earnings rose faster than they have in a year, by 2.4 percent. But this economic expansion has brought slower wage growth than previous ones have: comparing this recover to the past three, it is doing 5 percent worse.
5. The share of Americans in the labor force is still historically low.
The unemployment rate measures those who are out of work–but are still looking. The percentage of able-bodied adults of working age who are not looking for work remains high and clues us into some of the economic pessimism still being felt.
BOTTOM LINE: The November jobs report brought lots of good news that we hope can continue in the months to come. But this isn’t the time to declare victory: this is the foundation we need to jump start growth that benefits everyone, not just the wealthy few.
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Progressive Breakfast: We Can’t Breathe
MORNING MESSAGE
Isaiah J. Poole
We Can’t BreatheThere is more to this chant – the haunting last words of Eric Garner before he died at the hands of New York City police that were echoed in demonstrations around the country Wednesday night – than a protest against the epidemic of police brutality against black men. We need to recognize the smog of a heritage of racial discrimination that permeates our institutions and inhibits the ability of all of us to breathe.
Democrats split over bill to keep government open. The Hill:“Some Democrats are signaling support for the Republican proposal, viewing it as the best chance to secure long-term funding for most government functions while the Democrats still control the Senate. Others are calling for a united Democratic opposition … to highlight Republican divisions and to protest spending levels they deem too low. And still others are warning that a core element of the GOP’s spending strategy — a short-term funding extension for the Homeland Security Department (DHS) — threatens national security in an era of heightened terrorist threats.”
But Boehner may need Democratic votes. Bloomberg:“…Boehner needs Democratic votes because at least 20 members of his party are ready to reject a plan to keep most of the government operating through September 2015 … House leaders are considering a revision that would move up a fight over immigration funding to shortly after Congress reconvenes in January, said a Republican aide familiar with the plan. Democrats want to cut from the spending bill at least 70 Republican-sponsored provisions that would poke holes in President Barack Obama’s policies on the environment, health care and other matters, said Representative Jim Moran, a Virginia Democrat.”
House will vote separately on negating Obama’s immigration action. The Hill:“[White House spokesperson] Josh Earnest said the legislation would ‘exacerbate flaws in our broken immigration system’ and distract ‘limited enforcement resources’ from targeting criminals for deportation. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said he would allow a vote on the bill Thursday, which bars the president from exempting ‘categories of persons unlawfully present in the United States’ from deportation.”
“Meaningless show vote”grumbles Sen. Ted Cruz.
Obama talks trade and tax reform with corporate leaders. NYT:“…Obama said he believed there was a narrow path to overhaul the tax code in the next Congress. But he said the effort faced significant obstacles because the White House wanted to focus just on corporate taxes, while Republicans insisted on overhauling both corporate and individual taxes … Mr. Obama also stressed his determination to complete negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership … Selling the pact at home, he said, will be just as important as negotiating it, and he was clearly seeking allies among the business executives.”
Also talks infrastructure needs. Bloomberg:“…Obama recalled the gleaming new infrastructure he saw when he traveled to China last month for a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders. ‘One thing I will say is if they need to build some stuff, they can build it,’ Obama told the CEOs today. ‘And over time, that wears away our advantage competitively. It’s embarrassing.’”
But Obama’s congressional outreach mainly focusing on Democrats. W. Post:“…White House officials are looking to Hill Democrats as a defense against Republican efforts to undo key elements of Obama’s legislative legacy … The president’s ability to sustain the vetoes he is likely to issue will depend on whether he is able to mend relations with congressional Democrats…”
Rep. Paul Ryan prepares tax package. Politico:“…the Wisconsin Republican said he’s going to use his new perch in the House to pursue what he calls ‘phase one’ of tax reform — focusing only on the business Tax Code — while understanding that he’s not going to get it all while President Barack Obama is in office. But that doesn’t mean he’s giving up on the big ideas he’s pitching to shape the Republican Party’s agenda for 2016.”
House approves narrow tax break extension. USA Today:“The Senate and White House have signaled they will not oppose the plan … The one-year, retroactive fix will allow millions of businesses and individuals to claim the breaks on their 2014 tax returns, but the fate of the package next year, known as tax extenders, is uncertain after President Obama cut short bipartisan negotiations for a long-term deal with a veto threat … The short-term fix mainly benefits businesses, but it also includes a mix of tax breaks benefiting a number of special interests including teachers, commuters and Puerto Rican rum producers … Some Democrats are unhappy the package leaves out two provisions: a tax credit that helps some laid-off workers pay for health insurance and a tax credit for buying electric motorcycles.”
WH summit today to tackle college affordability. McClatchy:“College presidents and school district leaders from around the country will attend it and announce 600 new commitments to help more students prepare to get into college and graduate. The new commitments fall into four areas: greater promotion of college completion, efforts by elementary and secondary schools to prepare students for college, more money for 5,000 additional high school counselors in districts that need help getting more students to college; and increasing the number of college graduates in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.”
GOP may target NLRB. Roll Call:“Among the targets: a potential NLRB ruling that says college athletes are school employees, union elections should happen more quickly and national franchise companies should be responsible when franchisees violate labor laws … Democratic member Nancy J. Schiffer’s term expires on Dec. 16, and if her replacement isn’t confirmed by then, observers expect the board to make several controversial rulings … Failing to get these decisions out by mid-December could leave the board deadlocked for months with two Democratic members and two Republicans … epublican Harry Johnson’s term expires in August, so Hill GOP leaders could wait to confirm a Republican and Democrat simultaneously. But delaying that vote pushes the issue closer to the 2016 presidential campaign…”
Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America’s Future. more »
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