We are facing a national crisis and are required to go to work every day without pay if we get sick. We are told how important it is we stay open to serve our communities. We are putting ourselves at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 while IPP does nothing for it's retail staff on the front lines.

Amazon is treating delivery station warehouse workers like second-class employees. We work hard & put our bodies on the line to rush packages out to customers in 1 day, make Amazon one of the biggest companies in the world, and make Jeff Bezos the wealthiest man in the world. But we are not given the same Paid Time Off benefits that are provided to other part-time employees. In February, DCH1 Amazonians United collected and submitted a petition demanding 1) equality with other Amazon Part-Time Associates who receive PTO and Paid Vacation Time, and 2) a meeting between DCH1 Amazonians United and Daniel Reyes our regional manager, to address this concern. We submitted our petition with 250 signatures from DCH1 workers to our site lead Domonic Wilkerson- he told us that he met with Daniel Reyes, they reviewed our petition, and that they were not going to meet with us. Amazon claims to have an open door policy, but when 250 associates ask for a meeting with one of our managers, they refuse. As workers that make Amazon what it is, we deserve to be addressed with respect, and for management to engage in good faith discussion with our group. Please sign this petition to demand that Daniel Reyes meet with DCH1 Amazonians United, and support our fight to get equal PTO for all Amazon warehouse workers!

My name is Lisa, and I'm an actor and a mom who has acted on multiple Netflix shows. Throughout my career, I’ve watched as women across my industry (writers, producers, actors, and tech workers) have been discriminated against as soon as they decide to start a family. That must end. Now. This month, former Netflix manager Tania Zarak bravely spoke out after she was fired by Netflix. When Tania told her boss that she was pregnant, Tania says her boss began isolating her, excluding her from meetings, and even removing her from Netflix shows. After enduring this treatment for weeks, Tania did what we’re supposed to do - complain to HR. But she said Netflix HR notified her boss, who became angry and called her in for a meeting. That’s when Tania’s boss asked when her due date was and encouraged her to quit. Tania refused. Incredibly, the next day, Tania’s boss fired her.[1] THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. I’ve watched this happen again and again, but didn't expect this from Netflix, the largest and most profitable company in our industry, especially now in the #MeToo #TimesUp era. Despite boasting about its leave policy while recruiting potential employees, Netflix has a track record of inequity on this issue. A former Netflix HR director alleged that as Netflix promotes its leave policy, behind closed doors, Netflix secretly pressures and forces out employees who get pregnant and/or take leave because Netflix HR executives said that “women in particular that take such time are not serious about their careers.”[2] Netflix also previously only provided paid parental leave to some employees, leading workers in its DVD department to launch a public campaign to pressure Netflix to offer paid family leave for all employees.[3] The casts and crews on sets I’ve worked on have been treated with respect and humanity. I want to know that this culture extends to all divisions of a company that I work for, and support with my subscription dollars, as I'm guessing many of you do as well. What happened to Tania is especially awful because Netflix hides its actions behind its family leave policy. It's not enough for Netflix to offer family leave if Netflix then retaliates and fires employees who become pregnant and try to take it! PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION & SHOW NETFLIX THAT WE STAND WITH TANIA AND WORKING MOMS WHO STAND UP TO DISCRIMINATION. [1] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6882153/Former-Netflix-manager-39-sues-streaming-giant-claiming-fired-pregnant.html [2] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/netflix-settles-executive-claiming-widespread-sexual-harassment-1050313 [3] https://www.coworker.org/petitions/netfix-extend-paid-parental-leave-policy-to-all-employees

I was involved with Planned Parenthood in different capacities for about ten years and was a few months into working at a Planned Parenthood state affiliate when I found out that I was in need of emergency surgery. I soon learned that I had no paid medical leave and would have to rely on a combination of short term disability and unpaid leave to recover from surgery. Unpaid leave was not an option for me as I simply did not earn enough from the job to accumulate any savings. (I worked a second job just to make ends meet.) The process just to get approval to work from home for a few weeks while recovering (instead of taking time off) was incredibly onerous -- and I was lucky to even make that work as working from home isn’t an option for so many of my coworkers working in Planned Parenthood clinics. Overall, the experience of taking time off for a critical surgery was extremely challenging and it’s not just the lack of paid medical leave that was a problem for me and many Planned Parenthood employees. I’m also concerned for my former coworkers who are new parents. I learned that they do not receive any paid parental leave. Ultimately, because of what I went through, I decided I needed to leave the organization and look for other opportunities. It’s just unfair and it’s hypocritical for Planned Parenthood to deny their hard-working employees paid leave -- even as more and more employers are expanding similar benefits. I know that other state affiliates also lack paid family and medical leave and it is a major source of frustration for my former coworkers.

A few months ago, I became a dad to Fynlee and becoming her dad has been one of the greatest joys of my life and the time I get to spend with her is precious. But my employer, Publix, doesn’t offer any paid family leave, so after she was born I was left with no option but to use my vacation days to have the time I needed to bond with Fynlee. It wasn’t nearly enough. Even after only three months, I can see the difference between the connection she has with me and the connection she has with her mom. I try to make her smile the way she smiles with her mom, but it’s not the same because I’m not the one spending all the time with her. After reading PL+US’ 2018 Employer Scorecard, I learned that Publix is the worst employer for families -- they provide zero weeks of paid family leave. I’ve been at Publix for 15 years and I love working there, but the values they show their customers are very different from the reality facing Publix employees. When I found out that they don’t offer any paid leave, I was disappointed. And I’m not alone. A coworker with a five-month-old baby shared with me that she only had one week of paid short-term disability and seven weeks of FMLA, which is unpaid. It’s sad when you see mothers coming back to work at Publix so soon after giving birth. When I tried to use my sick days to help support Fynlee’s mom while she recovered, I was told that it wasn’t allowed. And I couldn’t afford to use FMLA because our family couldn’t go without a paycheck. Fathers have a role as caregivers too, but we can’t do that if we’re not given the time. Some days I see my fiancé and Fynlee for only a couple of hours because of my workload. I do my best. I am there, just not as much as I’d hope any father could be. Join me in asking Publix to take this opportunity to lead the way in creating a workplace where families can thrive. Ask Publix to introduce a 12 weeks paid family and medical leave policy for all employees.

My name is Malissa and I work for Marriott at a hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. My husband and I want to start a family, but we are delaying because the paid family leave that I get from Marriott is not enough for us to care for a new baby and make ends meet. One of Marriott’s core values is “take care of associates and they will take care of the customers,” but my coworkers and I don’t feel like we are taken care of well enough. They only offer two weeks of paid parental leave, plus half-pay of disability leave for childbirth recovery. No one can afford to start a family on that! That's why I started a petition asking Marriott to expand their paid family leave policy. Join me in asking Marriott to expand their paid family leave policy. Marriott became the number one hotel company in the world since they merged with Starwood properties, but it's pathetic that a company can hold such a high rank in the world and only offer two weeks paid parental leave. My husband and I delayed starting a family this year because we could not afford to miss work. Now we are worried we may have to delay starting a family another year for the same reason. I like my job, but I am now considering the possibility of leaving Marriott for a company with a better-paid family leave policy. Join me in asking Marriott to live up to its values and expand their paid family leave policy. Let's show them that employees and customers care so they can improve their paid family leave policy.

I’ve been a barista at Starbucks for nearly 4 years in multiple states and currently work in Wilsonville, Oregon. My wife is due to give birth to our first baby in less than 2 weeks. For so many soon-to-be fathers, feeling anxious is normal, but I’m even more nervous because we don’t have access to any paid parental leave. In order to help support my wife during her pregnancy, I used up some of my vacation and sick time, which is now running short. Currently, I have a week and a half left of vacation or sick time which I expect to use after our delivery. Our benefits allowed us the family planning financial assistance necessary for infertility treatment, but now the ability to be present during the most crucial stage of my family’s development is in jeopardy. As a single income family with a new infant, we simply cannot afford to take unpaid time off. The current partner benefits system works against expecting parents, something we have unfortunately found out the hard way. The part time disability that my wife and I pay into does not allow any paid time off to care for my wife after birth, because pregnancy is considered as a preexisting condition. As our child is scheduled to arrive during the holiday season, the ability to be a part of the postpartum process is even more worrisome. I made the choice to work at Starbucks after a 17 year long career because I have received great benefits, including health insurance. I’m a partner and a shareholder in the company - but when it comes to paid family leave, it’s as if my contributions and sacrifices to Starbucks don't matter. It is incredibly frustrating to know that new fathers who work in the corporate office receive 12 weeks paid parental leave - time that would make a world of difference for my family. These rights should be offered to every partner, in every retail store, and would impress upon the company an even more supportive and fulfilling workplace. I’m sharing my story because I know that it’s not just me who needs to be able to take paid parental leave - I’ve talked to so many other men at work who are shocked to find out that we don’t receive any paid time to be there when we have children. The time of fathers and husbands to only be financial contributors has come and gone. My desire to be an equal part of the rearing of my children and caretaker seem to be a concept that Starbucks has yet to consider. For relationships like ours, that don’t have assistance from family and friends, we equally rely on each other in times of health and hardships. Currently, Starbucks employees who work in the corporate office receive 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and birthing mothers receive an additional 6 weeks (18 weeks total). For those of us who work in the stores, birthing mothers and adoptive parents receive 6 weeks paid parental leave - but dads are completely left out - we don’t receive any time at all.

We ask for these things to assert that Etsy's community, along with its board and senior leadership, should have a say in shaping Etsy's future. While a renewed sense of focus and experimentation is welcome, many of the abrupt and often disruptive changes over the past few months seem designed to address the demands of black-and-white capital, a hedge fund that owns around 2% of Etsy’s stock.[4] While black-and-white capital might buy or sell on Etsy (and we truly hope they do!), they do not represent the tens of millions of people that make up our community. It’s honestly hard to tell if they represent anything other than a desire to enrich themselves and their clients (their website, bandwcap.com, remained blank as of 7/28/2017). As employees of Etsy and members of the Etsy community, we believe that a business guided by a strong set of values, and in pursuit of an important mission, is worth fighting for. We value the long-term success of our sellers and buyers much more highly than the short-term profits of a hedge fund. Our goal is to give voice to the aspirations we have for Etsy as Etsy employees. We are calling for transparency from Etsy’s leadership, and asking for a commitment from the company that it will do right by its community for the long term, not just for the next earnings call. If you are a member of the Etsy community and you believe in this vision, add your name to support us as we deliver it to Etsy’s leadership. Links: [0]: https://www.etsy.com/mission [1]: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1370637/000119312515077045/d806992ds1.htm [2]: https://www.etsy.com/advocacy/economic-security-for-the-self-employed [3]: https://blog.etsy.com/news/2016/bringing-solar-to-the-etsy-community-and-running-a-carbon-neutral-marketplace/ [4]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-05-18/the-barbarians-are-at-etsy-s-hand-hewn-responsibly-sourced-gates

I try to shop responsibly when I can. As a very pregnant mother-to-be, I felt good about shopping at The Gap for my maternity clothes because of their recent ad campaign around closing the wage gap facing women in the workplace. That’s why I was shocked to find out that The Gap offers only the bare minimum of paid leave to new moms, and nothing to dads or adoptive parents. If The Gap wants to support working women and the issue of equal pay, then this is a critical gap in its workplace that needs to be addressed. Women make 77 cents on the dollar (even less if they are women of color) compared to every dollar an equally qualified man makes. One of the main causes of wage inequality at the workplace is corporations’ shameful track record when it comes to parental leave. Providing quality paid family leave that is available to moms AND dads is one of the first, most critical steps a company can do to help to close the wage gap. When both women and men have equal access to quality paid family leave, women have more equal footing in the workplace. It’s just that simple. Recently, a number of other major retail companies have announced far-reaching paid family leave policies for both moms and dads -- companies like Levis, Nike, even Ikea. Launching an advertising campaign designed to appeal to working women when in reality The Gap leaves too many working women hanging in the balance is nothing more than window-dressing. Women deserve more than a hashtag. It’s time for The Gap to put their policies where their ad campaign is: help #CloseThePayGap by providing quality paid family leave to ALL Gap employees.

I was a barista at Starbucks a little over a year ago when my kids were small. Overall it was a great place to work, with nice regulars and a hardworking manager who’s a dad like me. So I was really surprised when I saw Starbucks make an announcement on January 19, 2017 that it would be updating its parental leave policy in the U.S. starting in October 2017. At first, the new policy sounded great: new parents in their corporate office will be getting some of the most generous paid leave in the industry -- at least 12 weeks of fully paid time off - which is the way it should be. But partners in the stores will be getting much less: barista moms are getting less than half of what corporate HQ moms get (six weeks paid at 100% of their annual pay), and for barista dads like I was or adoptive parents? Nothing. Not a single day of paid parental leave for those hard working, and deserving parents in the U.S. We would only be allowed unpaid leave. When I worked there, I felt like Starbucks worked hard to take care of their employees and overall, is a progressive company. Giving all new parents the same amount of leave whether they’re in the stores or the corporate office should be a no-brainer. It’s something you’d expect a company like Starbucks to just do automatically. For me, a working dad, it’s an obvious choice. But sometimes a large corporation needs a little nudge to get their attention. Join me in asking Starbucks to do better for all of their employees - including their baristas!

When I was seventeen years old, I got my first job at a local diner. I enjoyed the busy restaurant environment and could see myself working in this industry for years to come. Fast forward ten years later, management experience, a bit of college under my belt, and I'm still working in the restaurant industry. Sadly, my passion and love for the industry has faded rather quickly all due to my current employer: Eat'n Park. I was 36 weeks pregnant when I was hired at Eat'n Park. To their credit, they were very accommodating with my pregnancy needs and schedule, but I started to notice some things that had me question my employment there. After a typical eight hour shift, we're lucky if we walk out with twenty dollars in our pockets. That's because we're paid the petty wage of $2.83/hour - a wage that hasn't been raised in nearly twenty years, and rely exclusively on widely fluctuating customer tips. We are also often burdened with additional non-tipped work and sometimes forced to give up our tables if the shift supervisor (who makes four times the amount we do) decides that they want some extra money. As a result of the low pay and unfair working conditions, we can't keep staff. Since I started earlier this year, a majority of the people that I trained with have all quit. It's worth noting that the majority of Eat'n Park servers are women, many of them mothers. They're trying to raise a family off the tips and a $3.99 breakfast special. Let's do some math on that one; a 20% tip (considered what people typically tip for excellent service) is a paltry 80 cents. It should come as no surprise that when my coworkers have children (including myself), they can't afford to take much time off work. I managed to take two weeks off after having my son, Connor. Unfortunately, there are many others who can't afford that. The most infuriating part is that what I've shared is only half my story. Arguably the hardest job at Eat'n Park is working in the back of the house. Some of these hardworking guys and gals only make $7.25/hour and haven't seen a raise in YEARS. Let me finish by saying that we support and applaud Eat'n Park for making a genuine effort in being a good community partner, but they need to recognize that we, their employees, are also members of the community. They need to fairly compensate the staff before they run a sophisticated PR campaign to make themselves look good in Pittsburgh. Finding a decent job is tough, it's tougher when we're working full-time and not making any money. We can hustle our whole shift to make sure that our managers and customers are satisfied, but still only leave with a few dollars in our pockets. Something has to change and it has to change NOW. I want to see my fellow employees succeed in life and be secure in their financial and personal lives. I want our back of house employees to FINALLY be rewarded for their work with a raise. Help me bring equality to my fellow co-workers and get some much needed change to our restaurant industry.

As hard working employees of Wells Fargo and expecting parents, we were thrilled to learn that the company has announced a new paid maternity and paternity leave policy which will guarantee employees 16 weeks of fully paid leave for mothers and 4 weeks paid for fathers. However, we were shocked and saddened to learn that the policy would not apply to a large portion of us, because currently pregnant women as of April 6, 2016 are not eligible unless they give birth on or after June 1st. For those who give birth prior to June 1st, we must file for short term disability with a max of 6-8 weeks (6 weeks for natural birth and 8 weeks for C-section) at 65% pay. This announcement affects hundreds of families who will not get the much needed bonding time with families. We are hoping those currently pregnant can be grandfathered into the new wonderful benefits. Women should not be risking their health or their children's health trying to stay pregnant longer. This is only adding more stress to these expecting mothers. We urge the company entities in charge to consider making some changes to the policy. While it is possible for some of the expecting mothers to deliver late, this is not the case for all of us. Some must deliver early or schedule C-sections in order to keep their baby and themselves safe and healthy. We as parents do not always call the shots when it comes to when our children enter this world. And healing time for some can extend pass the 8 week mark when they are expected to go back to work. Not only are they then sitting at their desk trying to concentrate on work, but they could be suffering from the pain of unhealed incisions on top of constantly thinking of their babies at home or in daycare. It is very disappointing to hear we will not get this much needed time to heal or bond with our new babies just because we are due earlier than this pre-released change date. Our health is more important and for a company that claims to be ‘One Wells Fargo’ and ‘Together we’ll go far’ is making us seem like we are not part of their mission of unity. Some of us are single parents and the partial disability pay will not support us during this time when we should be most concerned of the care of our new babies. Since this announcement, we have been told a number of different things and not one of those things is that the company wants to figure out a way to help us. This situation is very disappointing and stressful and during a time when we should be excited for our new arrivals. We feel the successful company that Wells Fargo is has the ability to implement this in a different manner so more employees can not only bond with their new babies and heal, but to also have peace of mind. All employees matter.