• Tell Medford School District Management to Rebuild the Trust with Our Community
    In order for the Medford Public School District to meet the educational needs of our students, we must foster a culture of mutual trust and respect among all stakeholders—parents, educators, education support professionals, school administration, the Medford community, and our elected school board. When the Medford School District’s bargaining team abruptly abandoned the bargaining table and hired a Salem lawyer to lead negotiations with teachers, they reinforced what many members of our community were already feeling… that our voices are not respected and valued by our School District Management. When educators began asking how others feel about their relationship with the district, it revealed other actions that harm the community’s trust in the District, including: *District Management committed to preserving an early retirement option, yet have continually attempted to rollback this benefit in bargaining beginning in 2009. * District Management promised students, staff and the community equitable funding for both high schools from the 2006 bond project, yet dramatically reduced the allocation to North Medford High School. Other schools were also neglected but the administrative building was remodeled. * District Management continues to allow class sizes in Medford to remain among some of the highest in the valley. * Earlier this year, District Management approved salary increases for all administrators, but demanded cuts from other employees. These decisions and others like them create a climate of distrust and disrespect which interfere with Medford Public Schools’ mission to provide all students with a fantastic public education. By signing this petition, you are taking the first step in holding the Medford School Board accountable for the deteriorating relationships with their staff, parents, and community. When this petition is delivered, members of our school board will know the community is paying attention to their actions and that we expect better for Medford students.
    1,172 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by MEA Organizing Picture
  • Help Employees Save the Tabard Inn
    The Tabard Inn was established in 1922 in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC. Neighbors and employees have played a major role in the survival and success of the Tabard Inn. Today, it's seen by many as a DC institution. Its infancy survived the Great Depression. During WWII, the Tabard served as a boardinghouse for Navy Women Accepted Volunteer Service (WAVES). In the 1970's, neighbors lobbied the zoning board and purchased minority shares to save the Tabard from demolition. And in 1975 Edward and Fritzi Cohen purchased the Tabard Inn, and it's been a beloved family-run business ever since. In 1993, the Tabard's owners (Edward and Fritzi Cohen) recognized the employee role in Tabard's success and created an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) that granted employees 30% ownership. At that time (and as recently as spring 2013), they stated a desire for employees to eventually have 100% ownership of the Tabard. Unfortunately, a significant change in philosophy is threatening the Tabard's legacy, character, and very existence. In one month, the Tabard Inn lost eight hardworking career employees from its leadership team. * General Manager (20 years at the Tabard) * Hotel Manager (7.5 years at the Tabard) * Accounts Payable Clerk & Floor Manager (20 years at the Tabard) * Design & Project Manager (32 years at the Tabard) * Restaurant Manager (5.5 years at the Tabard) * Special Events Manager & Wedding Director (10.5 years at the Tabard) * Housekeeping Manager (13.5 years at the Tabard) * Special Events Coordinator (3 years at the Tabard) More than 110 years worth of institutional knowledge, experience, and vendor and patron relationships have been drained from the Tabard in just one month. This loss has left a significant void in Tabard's employee leadership. We, the employees, are proud to work at the Tabard Inn. However, we are deeply concerned with the decisions being made during this internal restructuring. Many of us go to work at Tabard every day in fear of losing our jobs. The new manager described firing as, "a favorite part of my job." We have expressed our concern, but received no reassurance. We have proposed a solution, which would increase employee ownership and allow the employees who treasure the Tabard to serve as its protectors, but for over one month we have not received a response. There has been no communication. Meanwhile, policy changes and terminations put the Tabard in an increasingly vulnerable position. Despite being shareholders in the company, the employees no longer have a voice. This is a dramatic change for a business known for valuing its employees. Employees believe the Tabard belongs in the hands of those who know it and love it. As employees who love the Tabard, it is with great consternation that we share this story. We seek to increase employee ownership to a majority in order to preserve the Tabard's character and reinstate the values as described by Tabard's mission statement: "The Tabard Inn provides attentive service in a relaxed environment where guests can feel comfortable in casual or formal attire. We strive to make every guest either a repeat customer or someone who will still recommend us heartily as a restaurant with great food, excellent service, and a romantic and charming atmosphere. We want to be everyone's favorite place to go in Washington, DC. We achieve this objective by working as a team whose primary interest is our customers' satisfaction. Rather than be interested solely in how much money we can make today or tonight, our team members actively determine whether their actions will help everyone profit in the long run. We take actions which nourish and clean the environment, and we support local businesses and charitable causes. Tabard Inn employees are career employees who strive for continuous improvement. We're proud and protective of our diversity, and we treat employees and guests with respect. We demand excellence from our employees and vendors, and we have fun at what we do." Already signed by the following current, recent, and former Tabard Inn employees: Erin Claxton Carolyn E. DeWitt Stephanie Granger Veronica Hunter Holly Learmouth Shannon MacDonald Irene Mayer Paul Michel Travis Miller Camille Smiley Janelle Treibitz Jared Wilyato We truly appreciate all your support! Thank you for joining our effort to preserve the Tabard. Sincerely, The Tabard Inn Employee Committee
    2,266 of 3,000 Signatures
    Created by Carolyn DeWitt
  • Mia Birk, Play Fair: Bikeshare Owes Backpay & Benefits
    Mia, do you remember when you shipped us free copies of your book, Joyride: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet? It was inspiring to read that we must, "See the bicycle as a tool for empowerment and social change, not just sport or transportation." We couldn't agree more. However, the title left some of us wondering where we fit into that “healthier planet” as we worked without healthcare, doing dangerous jobs on busy streets and in a filthy warehouse by the Superfund section of Southwest DC. Given our situation, we were surprised to discover that Alta repeatedly signed a Federal contract with DDOT, agreeing to pay specific prevailing wages and health & welfare benefits to all Capital Bikeshare workers in compliance with the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act. These wages and benefits apply to all workers under the contract regardless of full or part-time status (29 C.F.R. § 4.176). We helped build Alta's flagship bikesharing program in DC and we're proud to see Alta landing big contracts all over the USA as a result of our hard work: Citi Bike in New York, Divvy in Chicago, Hubway in Boston; Puget Sound Bikeshare in Seattle; San Francisco, Columbus, Baltimore, Portland... It would be a shame to see bad labor practices pollute the growth of such a socially and environmentally important industry. Mia, it's time for Alta Bicycle Share to play fair and set an example as a leader in good green jobs. Here's how: 1) Honor the Alta-DDOT contracts and immediately pay full back-pay for all unpaid wages and unpaid health & welfare benefits. 2) Comply with the letter and the spirit of the Service Contract Act, from here on out. 3) Commit to paying strong living wages and benefits to Bikeshare workers at every Alta-operated Bikesharing program from New York City to the San Francisco Bay. We trust that you will take prompt action to address these challenges as we all pedal together towards a sustainable future. Capital Bikeshare Workers past & present, Samuel D. Swenson 9/2011-8/2012 Bernard F. Smith 8/2010-9/2012 Omar Estrada 10/2010-10/2012 Spencer Turner 10/2010-10/2012 Anibal Apunte 4/2011-7/2012 Scott Brumbaugh 11/2011-4/2013 Jamal Hicks 2011 Khalil Brown 2011 Jeff Bertolet 2012-present Fhar Miess 7/2011-present Greg Washington 2011-present Zeek Manago 3/2012-present John Farmer 6/2012-present Kermit Demus 8/2012-present Douglas Tyrone Jones 1/2012-present Robert Apunte 2011-present * 2 current long-time workers asked to sign anonymously Kevin Gordon, 4/2013-present Gerald Sinclair, 7/2012-present Veltrick Copeland, present Jason Frantz, Bike Checker, 2012-present Alejandro Fuentes
    1,633 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Samuel Swenson
  • Deaconess: Give Us Our Paychecks
    My name is Edith Kimbrough, and I love being a home care worker. Believe it or not, I’ve had twelve kids of my own, so I know a thing or two about taking care of people! As a home care worker for Deaconess Home Health in Milwaukee, I travel to the homes of sick and elderly folks and make sure they have everything they need. I took excellent care of people for Deaconess. But Deaconess has not taken such good care of me. On April 30, my coworkers and I were abruptly told that Deaconess had lost state funding and that we should all go home and not come back. The state tells a different story: that Deaconess is under investigation for fraud. We were all shocked and upset by this news. In fact, some of us even kept taking care of our patients, because we knew that if we didn’t show up, no one else would. Things went from bad to worse. Deaconess did not pay us for the second half of April, so I wasn’t able to pay my rent for May and lost my apartment. Now my 3-year-old daughter and I are staying at a friend’s house, sleeping wherever we can find the space. My coworkers are in similar situations -- we were already paid so little that many of us were one paycheck away from homelessness, and that last paycheck still hasn’t come. We’re not going to stop fighting until Deaconess gives us the backpay we are rightfully owed. Last weekend, we held a rally at Deaconess headquarters that was taped for the news. Deaconess is feeling the public pressure to meet its commitment to its employees, and we know that if thousands of people sign our petition, Deaconess will realize that we’re going to keep that pressure on high until we get what we need. Please sign my petition demanding that Deaconess Home Health pay me and other home care workers the backpay we are owed.
    4,964 of 5,000 Signatures
    Created by Edith Kimbrough
  • Stop Posting Illegal Unpaid Internships!
    *************UPDATE***************** In response to this petition, NYU has responded! After negotiating with NYU officials as a result of the petition, NYU has heightened its protections against illegal unpaid internships on its career site (all changes effective as of January 2014). Employers must now verify that their internship positions comply with the US Department of Labor guidelines before posting, among several other measures. (Read more here: http://college.usatoday.com/2014/02/20/nyus-new-internship-oversight-raises-questions-about-unpaid-internships/) Thank you for putting your signature on this petition and creating the first successful student-led movement against the university's involvement in contributing to illegal unpaid internships. More progress is on the way! To get involved in future campaigns on this issue, email [email protected]. **************************************** Unpaid internships are illegal* and unfair; many violate federal and state labor laws. They deny people the pay they earn, the rights they are entitled to, and the opportunities they deserve. By posting illegal unpaid internships, the Wasserman Center is perpetuating issues in the following categories: --Economic: unpaid internships displace employees, take away jobs, and devalue work (unpaid interns at the average company receive only a 1% advantage in getting a job at that company than an applicant who has never worked there) --Legal: unpaid interns are not protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and therefore have no standing in court against discrimination or sexual harassment --Class: only those who can afford unpaid internships can have them --Race: minority groups are almost systematically at a disadvantage with lower economic support and face discrimination without legal protection --LGBTQ: face discrimination without legal protection --Gender: 77% of unpaid internships are held by women while more paid positions are awarded to men, which widens the gender income gap (women make $0.78 for every dollar a man makes) --Human Rights: if workers are treated as employees, they should be compensated fairly for their work. NYU’s Wasserman Career Center would never post positions that were not open to women, or LGBT people, or people of color. They should not post positions that are not open to people who cannot afford to work for free. Join us in our fight against illegal labor exploitation. Sign this petition to stop NYU’s Wasserman Career Center from posting ads for illegal unpaid internships. *Unpaid internships are illegal if the internship is FOR-PROFIT and does not follow the six criteria outlined by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. Therefore, this campaign specifically targets unpaid internships in the for-profit sector that violate these provisions. The following six criteria must be applied when making this determination: 1.The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment; 2.The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern; 3.The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff; 4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded; 5.The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and 6.The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
    1,210 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Christina Isnardi
  • Juicy: Take Care of Your Workers
    My name is Duane, and I’m a proud father of my beautiful five-year-old daughter. I worked at Juicy Couture’s flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York City for almost four years in the stock department. I started this petition with my coworker Darrell, because while we stock & sell Juicy Couture’s $200 jeans and sweaters, the company decided they don’t want to take care of their workers. Darrell was a successful full-time sales associate for two and half years, until the company started pushing full-time workers out. When I started, I also got 40 hours a week, but I struggled along with my coworkers as our hours were cut. Eventually, I was down to 14 hours each week. When I asked for more hours, they said they couldn’t give them to me because I didn’t have open availability – because of my daughter. When we began working at Juicy Couture, many of us were full-time. Now, only 19 of the store’s 128 employees are full-time! Not only are they firing full-time workers and replacing us with a part-time workforce, just this month Juicy capped all part-time workers hours at 21 hours per week. We quickly realized that Juicy Couture is doing everything they can to not take care of its workers. See, it was hard enough for us to make ends meet in New York City as full-time retail workers. But by keeping hours under 30 per week, Juicy Couture will no longer be required to offer their workers affordable health care – part of the Affordable Health Care Act’s plan to make sure more working Americans have basic health care. Further, we were told we’re only eligible for paid time off in case we’re sick or have other responsibilities if we work 1400 hours in one year. We did the math, and realized part-time workers reach that at 21 hours per week. This means that the vast majority of Juicy Couture’s workers will not ever get one single paid sick day. Darrell and I are just two of the full-time employees that have been forced out of Juicy Couture by having our hours cut or being fired. Now we’re speaking out on behalf of my coworkers who remain at the store, because we all deserve Just Hours. We know from experience that Juicy has loyal customers and dedicated employees -- if enough of us speak out and demand Just Hours, they'll have no choice but to act.
    4,731 of 5,000 Signatures
    Created by Duane and Darrell
  • Versa Cloud ERP Systematic Abuse and Harassment
    We need to stop Sunil Pande and Versa Cloud ERP from destroying more humans.
    2 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Manish Lall
  • Demand Fair Compensation for All Workers at Glu Hospitality
    This petition is crucial because it highlights the urgent need for fair wages and accountability at Glu Hospitality. Recently, we witnessed the closure of 1225 Raw due to their inability to pay chefs, leaving many workers without the wages they earned and still owed. This situation exemplifies a broader issue within our industry, where workers are often left vulnerable to wage theft and unfair pay practices. By uniting our voices through this petition, we demand transparency in wage distribution and assurance that all tips are handled fairly. Our call for accountability is not just about protecting our rights as current employees; it’s about preventing future workers from facing similar hardships. We want to ensure that all employees at Glu Hospitality receive the compensation they deserve, fostering a respectful and sustainable work environment. Together, we can create change that not only benefits us now but also sets a precedent for fair labor practices in the restaurant industry.
    3,464 of 4,000 Signatures
    Created by Nia Byrd
  • Labor Standards for the Arlington Public Schools Career Center
    The Arlington County Public Schools Career Center construction project is a $175 million dollar project yet the school board has no requirements that contractors pay decent wages, avoid wage theft, and provide decent jobs for our community.
    2,184 of 3,000 Signatures
    Created by Keith Willis
  • Increase the amount of EV chargers for visitors and employees at Baycare St. Joseph Hospital Tampa
    This change will allow EV drivers from long distances to work without worrying about having enough charge to make it home. This will increase employee satisfaction for having charging spots specific to employees available to charge in, and will increase patient and visitor satisfaction as well as there will be far more than two spots to choose from. There will be no more fighting over charging spots when more are installed, first when access is granted to outlets, and especially when more level 2 chargers are installed. Furthermore, this will prevent employees that drive long distances (ie from Orlando) from being stranded or terminated for charging their car. In addition, this change will essentially future-proof St. Joseph hospital and bring it into the 21st century, and will solidify its position on "being green." All other major hospitals have far more chargers available: Tampa General has about 12 level 2 chargers, Advent Health Orlando and Orlando Health have about 20 each, and even smaller hospitals typically have at least 4. It's crazy to think that the flagship hospital of BayCare Health Systems only has 2 that must be shared between employees and visitors/patients.
    1,442 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Andrew C.
  • Please reverse the RTO mandate.
    Because it is our only recourse to combat the recent RTO mandate.
    1 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Mary Kay
  • Release My Data
    Screenwriters are under-recognized and under-rewarded for their contributions because the work happens early in the production process. Minority and female writers face the largest barriers to credit and pay. Fortunately, the Screenwriters Guild has collected and archived many years of data on contracts, earnings, and credit decisions. These data hold the answers to our questions! These data have the power to reveal what policies can improve the bargaining position of writers, and equity among writers! Have challenges to credit been handled fairly? Have our policies to limit executive credit increased pay for writers? Are credit reviews really anonymous and giving equal treatment to females, males and non-binary writers? Are minorities credited equally for equal work, and paid equally too? These data must be released to an expert to find out! A Harvard professor has offered to analyze the data and produce a high-profile report on the topics we ask for, but Tery Lopez must grant them permission to access the data securely. Please join us in a movement to release our data for answers!
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    Created by Imogen Van Arts