Chop Wood, Carry Water 7/13

Jul 13, 2022

Hi, all, and happy Wednesday.

A bit of good news: remember all the calls we made and letters we sent to our Senators about Steve Dettelbach? Like, over and over and over again?

Well, our persistence paid off! Yesterday the Senate finally confirmed him—by a 46-48 vote—to be the Director of the ATF. Since the ATF is the bureau charged with enforcing gun laws, and since it hasn’t had a leader in seven years, this is a really big deal. The Republican Party and the NRA wanted to keep this seat vacant, and would have, had they been in charge.

Let me say that again: Not having a Director of the agency that oversees the thing killing our children in sickening numbers has been a TOP PRIORITY for the Republican Party. If that isn’t depraved I don’t know what is.

The good news? Elections have consequences. Your hard work in 2018, 2020, and 2021 made this possible.

Your hard work in 2022 will make so much more possible. Never forget it.

I’m very proud of you today. Please make sure you take a moment to celebrate this victory—along with the bipartisan gun bill signed earlier this week. These may be baby steps, but they are steps that will save human lives—maybe yours or mine.

A powerful thing indeed. Thank you for helping to make it happen.

And never forget that persistence, repetition, and organizing work.

That’s why we’re going to do more of all of that right now.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

[If Dem] I’m hearing that the reconciliation package currently does not include any investments in child care. This is unacceptable. If child care funding is not included in reconciliation, an already broken system is heading towards a massive funding cliff with devastating consequences. I urge the Senator to do everything in their power to ensure child care investments are included in a final reconciliation package. [H/T] Also…

[to all] I understand that Pfizer is paying union busters $200/hour to stop their workers from forming a union. This is unacceptable. Worse, Pfizer has received billions of dollars from U.S. taxpayers. I want the Senator to make a statement denouncing their union-busting and threatening consequences if they don’t knock it off. I strongly support workers’ rights and so should the U.S. Government. [H/T]

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

I understand that Pfizer is paying union busters $200/hour to stop their workers from forming a union. This is unacceptable. Worse, Pfizer has received billions of dollars from U.S. taxpayers. I want the Congressmember to make a statement denouncing their union-busting and threatening consequences if they don’t knock it off. I strongly support workers’ rights and so should U.S. Government. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Labor Lab just broke the news that Pfizer is paying union busters $200 an hour to prevent their workers from forming a union. Union-busting is always egregious—but even more so when the US Government contracts with the company in question.

So, let’s send Pfizer an email. You can use my click-to-send tool here or just write Pfizer’s HR head directly at erin.clark@pfizer.com. (If you use the auto-populate tool please sign and personalize the email.)

I wrote:

To Ms. Clark,
I’ve just learned that Pfizer is paying union busters $200/hour to intimidate its workers into not starting a union, and I’m disgusted. Until it stops I’ll do my best to make sure I’m not buying your products. And I will make sure my lawmakers know that the US Government shouldn’t be doing business with a union-busting company.
I’m grateful to Pfizer for its work on the COVID vaccine, but it's sullying its reputation with this abominable behavior.
Workers matter more than profits. Tell Pfizer's leadership to knock it off, please
Thanks,

Get Smart AND Give dollars! 📚💰

Tomorrow, at 7PM ET, the awesome Force Multiplier invites you to join a conversation about how we can preserve the Constitution and democracy itself:

It’s called: Our Democracy on the Eve of the Midterms, with Steven Levitsky, NY Times bestselling co-author of “How Democracies Die.”

Technically it’s a fundraiser to Support Force Multiplier’s Midterm House Slate, and there’a hardly a more worthy cause, but you can give any amount—even $5— and attend.

Levitsky will discuss:

America’s transition to a multiracial democracy and the authoritarian backlash it’s provoked
How our Constitution is making the problem worse and could throw us into minority rule
The reforms we need to democratize our country and avoid such a descent.

It’s going to be awesome. Please attend if you can. Again, make a donation of any size and you’ll receive the zoom info.

Win Races! 🗳

As you all know, I’m a big fan of the Environmental Voter Project—they’re a smart org that looks for low-propensity environmentally-minded voters and works to turn them out with a data-driven approach that has proven VERY successful.

Right now Arizona is one of their target states. They’re trying to mobilize 250K environmental voters in the state. So…I wanted to pass on a couple of ways for you to get involved.

1. Watch their 25-min Special Briefing on Arizona Environmental Voters in the Midterms (these briefings are FASCINATING.)

2. Volunteer for an upcoming Arizona phonebank. Get someone to vote in the Aug. 2 primary and they're almost guaranteed to vote again this fall! These are so easy! And so fun! Yes they will train you!

Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)

[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send text SIGN PYLNLE to 50409]

(Yes we wrote a similar email yesterday but apparently Congress is very close to a deal. We need to push hard. Remember, repetition works!)

As your constituent, I'm writing today to ask you to support critical clean energy policies in the budget reconciliation bill, including long-term extension of the solar ITC, a standalone credit for energy storage, and investments in building a domestic solar manufacturing supply chain. We need to take bold actions to rapidly deploy clean energy projects across the country. The provisions in this package will help bring down energy costs for families and will create hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country.

There is a window of opportunity here to grow America’s clean energy manufacturing, decarbonize the electric grid, and boost national security. I hope Congress steps up to pass this legislation and build a better future with investments in the clean energy economy. This isn’t about politics and it’s not just about the climate emergency. Its about jobs and our economic viability as we move into a clean energy future.

I’d like an answer in writing. Will you support passing an American Energy Deal through reconciliation that will push clean energy action across the finish line?

OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk tomorrow.

Jess

Chop Wood, Carry Water