Tag Archives: United States

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Seattle’s new sick leave … effective September 1, 2012


Share your input on implementing Seattle’s new sick leave

Last year, the Seattle City Council voted 8-1 to enact legislation that mandates paid sick leave for employers with five or more employees. This ordinance, which applies to all employees who perform more than 240 hours of work in Seattle within a calendar year, takes effect on September 1, 2012.
The City of Seattle‘s Office for Civil Rights will enforce the new law, and has proposed administrative rules that cover aspects of implementation such as how sick time will accrue, notice requirements for employers, notice requirements for employees, and employee documentation.
The Seattle Metro Chamber, along with the Northwest Grocery Association and the Northwest Grocery Association, expressed several concerns upon the bill’s passage. The Chamber encourages you to share your thoughts about these proposed rules with City of Seattle officials to ensure that employer input is appropriately represented during this important time.

What you can do :

Comment online or call (206) 684-4507 to share your thoughts. The Office for Civil Rights is accepting public comment through April 30.

Resources :

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Breaking: First campaign rallies of 2012


Obama - Biden

Big news: President Obama is hitting the campaign trail.

On Saturday, May 5th, the President and First Lady Michelle Obama are holding the first two public rallies of the campaign in Columbus, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia. He’ll speak about how far we’ve come, and lay out the very real stakes in this election: Are we going to continue to move forward, rebuilding an economy that’s meant to last, with a growing middle class and more Americans getting a fair shot? Or are we going to go back to the same failed policies that crashed our economy and left too many folks struggling to catch up? That’s the choice.

These kinds of events are one of the hallmarks of this organization. Millions of people first came to know and support candidate Barack Obama in 2007 and 2008 when they met him at rallies and town halls in their communities. We’re now entering the general election of his final campaign — this day should be something pretty special.

The President would like two supporters from across the country and their guests to meet him backstage before he goes on at the first rally. Supporters like you are the core of this campaign — so we’re opening this up to anyone willing to sign up.

Right now, by signing up to receive important campaign updates on your phone, you will be automatically entered to join the President backstage.

What we’re looking at right now is essentially the start of a general election. We’ve all but got our opponent. This is what we’ve been building for since we launched this campaign last April — and we’re ready to go.

I can tell you the President can’t wait to get out there.

You really can’t lose on this one: As part of our mobile community, you’ll be sure to hear about events near you, when the President will be in your area, and other campaign news.

And signing up right now just might land you the chance to meet President Obama backstage before he starts firing folks up.

Want to be there with him? Sign up for text updates — and be automatically entered for you and a guest to meet him backstage:

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

P.S. — Even if you can’t be there, you’ll still be able see the first rally for yourself. We’ll be streaming the event live on our site. Stay tuned for more information about that.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

AFL – CIO : Tell Verizon to treat workers &customers with RESPECT


VERIZON GREED MUST STOP
Verizon has seen its profits and CEO pay soar while it cut jobs and gutted health care and other benefits for workers. These VeriGreedy practices need to stop.Call 800-229-9460 now to tell Verizon to treat its workers and customers with respect.Share on TwitterTwitter

Recently, we launched our CEO Pay and the 99% website1 to expose the outlandish practices of companies giving huge compensation to CEOs while cutting jobs and sitting on record amounts in cash holdings and short-term investments.

One of the most egregious examples of corporate excess and greed is Verizon. While Verizon tripled the salary of CEO Lowell McAdam to $23.1 million last year,2 it also was cutting U.S. jobs, gutting worker pensions and charging current and retired employees and their families thousands of dollars more for health benefits while reducing disability coverage.

This is unacceptable and we need to let Verizon know it.

Call 800-229-9460 now to record a message that will be delivered directly to Verizon executives.

Today, while Verizon holds its shareholders meeting in Huntsville, Ala., working families and Verizon customers in Huntsville and across the country will be calling on the company to end these “VeriGreedy” practices, respect its customers and the workers who keep the company running and save good, middle-class jobs.

Because of the hard work of tens of thousands of customer support representatives, technicians, electricians and other workers who provide the best quality service they can to customers, Verizon has enjoyed success. Verizon workers are part of the solution, not the problem. They should not be punished with job cuts and increased health care and benefit costs while Verizon executives get huge pay raises and the company sits on $14 billion in cash holdings and short-term investments.3

Call 800-229-9460 now and tell Verizon to treat workers and customers with respect—by negotiating a fair contract.

Corporate greed on this scale is bad enough, but when combined with neglecting workers, it’s completely unacceptable. Together we can put an end to these terrible corporate practices—but only if you speak up and make your voice heard.

In Solidarity,

Andy Richards
New Media Strategist, AFL-CIO

P.S. After you have left your message for Verizon executives, make sure to click here to find out if an event is happening in your area today you can attend to support Verizon workers.

1 http://www.aflcio.org/Corporate-Watch/CEO-Pay-and-the-99.
2 http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120319-714892.html.
3 Verizon Communications Form 10-K, filed 2/24/2012.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture, ~ Recent Post

Fired for her credit score … Tim Newman, Change.org


Fired for having student loans? Latoya Horton says she was fired from her job as an accountant, not because she did anything wrong, but because her employer checked her credit report and decided her debt-to-credit ratio was too high. Latoya was outraged: “How are you supposed to pay off your student loans if you can’t get — or keep — a job because of your loans?”

It happens more than you think: Latoya found out that 60% of employers now check employees’ credit reports. They often buy them from TransUnion, one of the largest credit reporting companies. TransUnion’s chair, Penny Pritzker, even sits on President Obama’s jobs panel. She’s responsible for spurring job creation, but her company is profiting from a practice that makes it harder for people with debt to find work.

You can help: Latoya started a petition on Change.org demanding that TransUnion stop selling credit reports to employers immediately. If thousands of people sign Latoya’s petition, it will shine a national spotlight on what Latoya thinks is an ethically dubious practice, and TransUnion’s executives will be forced to respond.

Click here to sign Latoya’s petition.

Thanks,

– Tim

——

Here’s a lot more information about Latoya’s campaign in her own words:

Years ago I went to college to study accounting, and like millions of other Americans I took out loans to pay for it. A few years later I got a temporary job in the accounting department at Bain & Co., and after 6 months of reliable work I was thrilled to be offered a full-time position.

However, just a few weeks after starting in my new position the company fired me because my debt-to-credit ratio was too high. I later learned that 60% of employers now check credit reports, which typically include student debts. How are you supposed to pay off your student debts if you can’t get (or keep) a job BECAUSE of your debts? And what do my student debts have to do with my ability to do a job well anyway?

25 states have debated bills in the last year to restrict this practice, and in a number of these states one company has fought hardest against these efforts: credit reporting company TransUnion.

What’s ironic is that Penny Pritzker, TransUnion’s Chair and part owner, sits on President Obama’s Jobs and Competitiveness Council, which advises the President on putting Americans back to work. How can someone advise on national job creation when her company sells products that may keep qualified people out of work?

Please join me and 25 national civil rights organizations in calling on TransUnion to stop its sale of credit reports to employers. As the only one of the “Big 3” credit reporting companies that’s privately held, TransUnion has the ability to stop this practice overnight.

It was recently announced that in the coming weeks TransUnion will be sold to two private equity companies, including Goldman Sachs. If Penny Pritzker is serious about job creation, she should do what she can to ensure that her company stops this abusive practice before the company is sold.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

President Obama and Commander in Chief


Apr 30, 2012 by    

President Obama speaks at the Building and Construction Trades Department Conference about creating good jobs for American workers, who can help our economy grow by rebuilding our nation’s roads, bridges, train tracks, and airports. April 30, 2012

Apr 28, 2012 by    

President Obama at the 2012 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.

Apr 28, 2012 by    

President Obama discusses a new Executive Order designed to crack down on the bad actors who prey on our veterans and service members considering higher education.

Apr 25, 2012 by    

President Obama discusses the importance of a college education and why higher education should be affordable for all students willing to work hard, and calls on Congress to stop interest rates on federal Stafford loans from doubling in July. April 24, 2012