Chop Wood, Carry Water 2/9
Good news? Bad news? ACT.
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!
For a relatively “quiet time” there sure is a lot going on. Bills are passing in the House— the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act and the USPS Reform Act both passed this week—and show promise of succeeding in the Senate! A few Republicans are *maybe* distancing themselves from Trump; Giuliani is getting into more and more hot water. It’s mostly decent news.
But we don’t care if the news is bad or good, right? We just act.
One thing I do know—and I have it on pretty good authority—we will have a new Supreme Court Justice before Easter Break. She will be stupendously qualified; she will also be Black. White male Republicans across the US will find her unacceptable—because they will be deathly afraid of her and all she represents.
Good. They should be afraid.
She is the future. They are unquestionably the past. One we should put behind us as soon as humanly possible.
And if we keep doing this work, a little every day, we will.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I’m glad that the House passed the Postal Service Reform Act yesterday. It’s long past time for the USPS to get the help it needs. I want the Senator to vote yes when it comes to the Senate. The bill number is S. 1720.
On the subject of the Postal Service, I’m frustrated that Louis DeJoy is refusing to electrify the postal service fleet. His order of 165K new gas-powered trucks during a climate crisis—and against the recommendation of the White House and the EPA—is unacceptable. He needs to resign or the USPS board needs to fire him. I want the Senator to make a statement to that effect. Thanks. [H/T]
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling to support HR 3075, the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act
This bill would address seafood slavery and combat illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing. It’s a no-brainer. Will the Congressmember co-sponsor it?
Also, I’m frustrated that Louis DeJoy is refusing to electrify the postal service fleet. His order of 165K new gas-powered trucks during a climate crisis—and against the recommendation of the White House and the EPA—is unacceptable. He needs to resign or the USPS board needs to fire him. I want the Congressmember to make a statement to that effect. Thanks. [H/T]
Extra Credit ✅
Late last night, news broke that Starbucks had fired several Memphis employees involved in unionization efforts, saying the workers violated company policy. The violations appear to be more fabrication than anything else. Starbucks still hasn't commented on forcing employees to attend captive audience meetings, which violated COVID-19 protocols and actually ended in two locations having to be temporarily closed.
I just called their corporate offices at 800-782-7282 (press 1 for English, then press 2) and nicely told the person I spoke to that I won’t be purchasing Starbucks products until they knock off the union busting. It took 30 seconds. You can also send them a quick email here. You don’t need to say much, just something like:
I understand you’ve just fired seven people who were trying to unionize your Memphis stores. That’s on top of the captive audience meetings we’ve been reading about, some of which exposed your employees to COVID. This is all pretty repugnant; I definitely won’t be buying Starbucks products until you stop union busting. Unionizing your workplace isn't just protected by the National Labor Relations Act -- it's protected by the U.S. Constitution. Thanks.
Two AMAZING webinars happening tonight!📚
And you could in theory go to both!
1) Hate disinformation? Want to fight back? Attend Indivisible’s Truth Brigade 2.0 in 2022 tonight at 3:30pm PT / 6:30pm ET.
With fair elections under siege, fighting disinformation is more crucial than ever. ITB is ready to share their plans for 2022! Join the fight to save our democratic freedoms, one fact at a time. You don’t have to be an Indivisible member to attend. Register now!
2) Want to learn how to save our democracy? David Pepper, the former Chairman of the Ohio State Democratic Party and author of Laboratories of Autocracy, is supposed to be INCREDIBLE. Everyone I know who’s heard this talk is blown away. He’ll walk folks through what's happening, how it's happening, and what we can do to stop it. HIGHLY recommend. Tonight at 7:30pm PT / 10:30pm ET Register here.
Win Races! (phonebank or give 💰)🗳
Tomorrow, Thursday, from 6-8 EST there’s a Working Families Party phonebank for Jessica Cisneros, a candidate for Congress in TX-28 with whom I’m mildly obsessed. SHE CAN WIN THIS RACE! I can’t go because I’ll be at my Arizona phonebank (from 4-6 PST) but hoo boy is it critical to hit the phones for Jessica. If you can, please do! (if you can’t, and you have any money to spare, please consider donating to her race here.)
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[to your Senators] [H/T ACLU] [Quick send text SIGN PFCJGM to 50409]
Every pregnant worker deserves the opportunity to work to support their family without risking the health of their pregnancy. Yet pregnant workers, especially those in low-wage and physically demanding jobs, are routinely forced to choose between their health and a paycheck.
The PWFA (Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, S. 1486 ) would mean that employers can’t force pregnant workers off the job or deny them reasonable accommodations that would allow them to continue working while maintaining healthy pregnancies. It’s a good bill, and it’s already passed in the House.
I want the Senate to prioritize and pass PWFA as soon as possible, ideally by adding it to the spending bill that the House and Senate are currently negotiating. This is important! Thanks!
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
Cannot attend the David Pepper webimar tonight, will it be available to see after the fact?