To protect both Starbucks partners and customers as the spread of COVID-19 continues to occur throughout the United States.

On July 13, an overwhelming majority of our staff at La Casa Norte, a local organization serving youth and families experiencing homelessness in Chicago, informed our management team and Executive board that we had decided to form a Union with OPEIU Local 39 and asked them to voluntarily recognize our Union. We have organized a Union for many reasons that all help build a stronger and more sustainable La Casa Norte for our members, clients, and communities that we serve. Shockingly, in direct opposition of their purported ‘values’, Mr. Muñoz and La Casa Norte leadership have not only refused to recognize our Union, but have begun pursuing an aggressive anti-union effort against us. We were disappointed to see that the leadership of an organization that exists to promote dignity and respect has had a distinctly anti-worker response to our unionizing efforts. La Casa Norte leadership have chosen to expend limited resources to contract union-busting lawyers in an attempt to obstruct and delay our access to a timely and fair Union election, and have begun to illegally retaliate against coworkers that are visible leaders of our campaign. It is time that Mr. Muñoz and the La Casa Norte Board of Directors hear, loudly and clearly, from those of us who denounce their engagement in such dishonest and unethical practices. It is time that those of us who do the real work serving clients and meeting community needs are treated with the dignity and respect that we deserve. We must take a stand against unjust practices, and make clear that we will not accept behavior that violates our shared values, particularly the greater mission of La Casa Norte.

These barriers do not restrict contact among baristas at all, and do nothing to "protect" the partners against any form of germs. Baristas store-wide all share the same equipment and supplies. The plexi glass doesn't change that. The barriers slow down all orders and increase the wait time in drive through significantly. They increase the chance of injury behind the counter. They add a lot of stress and anxiety to already stressful situations on shift. Regularly there isn't enough staff to have a barista on each espresso bar, meaning that a single barista is left to dance around the barrier to try and cover both bars. Which again significantly slows service time, and distracts from the company's standard of excellent customer service and connection. It must be noted that these barriers have been installed at a time when many states are relaxing their restrictions and mandates as they phase into reopening. Why are these all of a sudden needed, when Starbucks has been without them for the entire 6 months of the pandemic? Starbucks, we sign this petition and ask that you remove these new physical barriers to the partners being able to provide excellent service and speed in delivering orders. And in removing them, know you are valuing partners mental health and well being by removing the excess stress the barriers cause.

We, a group of crew members at Trader Joe’s Brookline (Store 501 in Boston) who wish to remain anonymous, have witnessed our coworker sexually harass female employees on a regular basis. On July 24th, a report of sexual assault and several sexual harassment complaints were filed against this person. We demanded the perpetrator’s immediate termination, as stipulated by the company’s zero tolerance policy toward sexual misconduct. We were confident that these statements corroborated by multiple crew members, both in terms of specific incidents against female coworkers and general patterns of behavior, would be received with due seriousness. We trusted the management team at Trader Joe’s Brookline to take immediate and appropriate action and remove these negative influences from our work environment. On August 5th, store management announced their decision to not pursue any action against the perpetrator. They claimed that multiple statements did not provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt and that the investigation turned into a “he said, she said” case as the perpetrator denied the complaints. The official website of the company states that at Trader Joe’s, “we value open communication and are committed to listening to our Crew.” “We structure our entire business around supporting the Crew Members” and “Behave with integrity—we treat others how we would like to be treated.” We strongly believe that Trader Joe’s decision to not terminate the perpetrator violates the company’s core values and sends us a message that sexual misconduct is acceptable in the workplace and our integrity is to be called into question; that we will be punished for addressing the issue, as evidenced by the fact that our coworker was fired immediately after confronting the perpetrator; and that we will face retaliation for working to make our store the best it can be for crew members and customers alike, should we run afoul of employees favored by store management. We stand against continuous sexual harassment at Trader Joe’s Brookline and believe that store management failed to listen, support, and act according to the golden rule. We demand the immediate termination of the employee that has both insinuated and instigated sexual behavior towards female coworkers and ask for your support in seeking justice for the immediate victims and other crew members affected by the offensive workplace environment at Trader Joe’s Brookline. We urge you to sign and share this petition at bit.ly/tjharassment, spread the word using #traderjoesharassment, and use your power as Trader Joe’s customers to talk to TJ’s corporate about the company’s policies and actions taken to address the issue over the phone at 626-599-3700.

All of the Lovestruck writers are members of marginalized genders and/or sexualities. Voltage has given us an invaluable foot in the door to the industry and a platform to tell stories that represent our voices, our passion, and our experiences. We are also all fans of the app, and we care deeply about the stories we tell. We don't want this to be the end of our partnership with Lovestruck, nor does it have to be. However, the conditions under which we are currently working are untenable. Not only are we paid less than half the industry standard in both base pay and our raises, we are not provided with information about how the routes we write perform either. The increased base pay that Voltage is currently offering is still well below the industry standard. We are eager to have an open and honest conversation with management in order to work together to settle on an equitable rate. The ultimate goal of the contract writers of Lovestruck is to see our hard work and commitment to authentic storytelling given the value it deserves, which will allow us to continue to provide loyal Lovestruck fans with the top-notch content they deserve. We've seen the support for our request for equitable pay and improved conditions come pouring in across social media, and it means the world to us. We cannot thank you enough! By signing this petition, you add your voice to the chorus of Lovestruck fans, game workers, romance writers, organizations, and more in inviting Voltage executives to hop on a call with us to discuss these matters. Thanks again for your incredible support! 🖤🤎❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Acting in solidarity with the July 20th Strike for Black Lives, Googlers Against Racism call on Alphabet to take stronger action in dismantling racism and advancing equity across our company in solidarity with the communities that host our offices. Alphabet has an unprecedented opportunity to be a global leader in antiracist corporate action. Google’s recent commitments to racial equity are commendable and represent the first step, but Alphabet continues to build products, conduct employment practices, and impact communities in ways that increase racial disparities - actions that cause particular harm for Black+ workers and users. One of the demands of the Strike for Black Lives is that “Corporations take immediate action to dismantle racism, white supremacy, and economic exploitation wherever it exists, including in our workplaces.” We look forward to Google setting the standard for anti-racist corporate leadership. In addition to the demands in our other petition on ending police contracts, we believe there are meaningful ways that Google can respond to the pain many are expressing. The demands are common-sense actions that the company should take in the short term to show that it takes its responsibility in dismantling racism seriously. We are under no illusion that these demands are comprehensive or sufficient to dismantle our company’s role in continuing systemic racism. However, not to address these concerns represents a failure on the part of leadership to meet the moment. We have a long way to go to correct for centuries of harm, and we must seize every opportunity we can to build a society that is consistent with our values. Let’s start with a meeting to work together on this.

Recently Whole Foods workers have been sent home for wearing Black Lives Matter paraphernalia at work, on the grounds that they are somehow controversial. Respectfully, we beg to differ. As an Amazon employee, and a Black American descendant of enslaved peoples in this country, I must say, that anyone who believes that the words Black Lives Matter, are controversial suffers from an unfortunate delusional state induced by years of conditioning in white supremacist ideology. Workers should not be forced to choose between earning a living, and asserting that the lives of other human beings have value. Whole Foods is wholly wrong to have ever enforced this policy. Nothing short of a full throated apology and a sincere commitment to sit down, shut up, and LISTEN to us, will do at this point. This is not a request. It is a demand. Words have meaning, and you can't claim to be in solidarity with the Black community, and then show the reckless indifference to Black and Latinx lives that Amazon is demonstrating currently. While you're here sign our petition to shut down DSF4 for deep cleaning. We've had 3 confirmed cases of COVID 19 reported in the last month and management is lax about enforcing social distancing unless it's to get rid of an organizers like Hibaq Mohamed or myself. Workers should not be retaliated against for speaking up for the safety of themselves and their colleagues. Standing in solidarity in the fight against systemic racism and injustice means being willing to say that Black Lives Matter AND act on that truth by treating Black employees with the dignity and respect that we deserve.

Covid-19 cases are on the rise and New Seasons has stopped our bonus pandemic pay. Every day we go to work we are put at risk of contracting coronavirus. As of now there is no end in sight of the pandemic. There have been confirmed cases at three of our stores, Orenco Station, Seven Corners and Williams. Workers are anxious that they could be the next to fall ill. Stores are busy adding to this anxiety, the produce departments for all stores were $270,000 over budget the sales week of July 8th to 14th. Stores are comping sales at a higher percentage over last year.

"Gig workers" and "crowd workers" are among the most underpaid and exploited workers in the twenty-first century. While there have been efforts to unionize gig-workers at platforms like Uber and Lyft, efforts to unionize their "crowd worker" counterparts have been rare. This is a petition that supports the rights of crowd workers at the world's largest crowd work platform - Amazon's Mechanical Turk - to unionize and collectively bargain for better wages, just like workers in any other industry. Under the National Labor Relations Act, all workers have the right to collectively bargain, and workers at MTurk should be no exception. Please sign this anonymous petition to voice your support for the rights of MTurk workers to unionize.

On June 10, President Zimmer announced austerity measures, including voluntary and mandatory furloughs and the suspension of University contributions to retirement plans. Union-represented staff have been asked to approve cuts to their retirement plans in order to avoid possible layoffs. This is on top of freezing all non-contractual raises across campus and cuts to our collections budget in the Library, which pays for resources like books and journals. The release of the budget is necessary to show how much has been spent, and is budgeted to be spent, on the UCPD. This information is needed to understand the fairness of the cuts to the Library and other units, and to understand the spending priorities of the University. Questions about police spending are more important than ever Much of the campus, city, and the nation understand this. We view the question of UCPD’s budget as directly relevant to the austerity measures that have been imposed upon us without our consent amidst calls from University administrators to embrace antiracism. If Provost Lee believes that “the Library reflects the University of Chicago’s aspiration to be the most dynamic research and learning environment in the world,” then we need a transparent budget to demonstrate that such professed priorities align with actual spending. If President Zimmer wants our community to do the work of “[a]ddressing racism and creating positive and sustainable change,” then we need immediate concrete steps to dismantle racist policies and policing on campus. We agree with #CareNotCops that UCPD has failed to create a safe environment on campus and the surrounding community. As library workers, we know firsthand the centrality of the library to research and education. We also know that many patrons consider the library a refuge from a toxic campus environment. But we acknowledge that the Library has failed to be a refuge for some. There must never again be a patron who is subjected to police brutality in the Library. Like #CareNotCops, we too want “the space to dream and build truly liberatory and collective safety for all.” As library workers, we are often placed in potentially dangerous situations. These situations are likely to be more common now that on site workers are responsible for enforcing social distancing regulations and patrons are more likely to be in heightened states of stress. We are not experts in de-escalation or mental health crises. Currently, if we are in immediate danger our choice is either to call armed law enforcement, who have a record of using violence and racial profiling, or to attempt to defuse the situation on our own, which could put ourselves or patrons in danger. We need a better option. We deserve a better option. For this reason, we also endorse the statement of the Maroon Editorial Board. The University must immediately transition to an unarmed, emergency management service that is aligned with anti-oppressive principles. If this University truly prioritizes research, education, and the safety and well-being of its community, then we demand that its leaders show this.

We as Baristas feel that no corporation may decide when a pandemic is over. Working every day is a high risk factor as many customers cannot be turned away when not wearing masks. The COVID-19 situation is still very real and partners should be paid accordingly if we are considered essential.

There is a time for profit, but this is not that time. The actions of leadership in the Co-op during the coronavirus pandemic have been disingenuous: they have breached trust, they have disrespected the workers who represent the Co-op, and they have put human lives at risk in the interest of sales numbers. In a crisis such as this, the REI Co-op needs to be a leader in our communities and in our country by putting people over profits. We do not live in the same world we did a year ago, and we must courageously embrace change. Industries will change, businesses will fail, and we will have to find a way forward. This is a difficult and unprecedented situation, but it is not impossible. Now is the time for the Co-op, at every level, to live our values. These demands are not made for the selfish gain of a few during this unprecedented crisis, but rather in the interest of protecting everyone at the Co-op, both members and stewards — we go further together, after all. These demands are about worker’s rights. They are about public health and safety. Granting these demands will create trust in the Co-op for employees and members alike, and will maintain the reputation this company has been building since 1938. To fail in doing so would be failing at the Co-op’s most basic goal: to enjoy a life well-lived. We are all responsible for the Co-op’s results. It’s time for Co-op leadership to do their part.