My name is Melanie and I'm a bailiff for San Antonio municipal courts. I have worked in law enforcement for 32 years, so I know a little about safety protocols and the physical requirements of my job. As law enforcement officials, we're required to meet certain physical standards. Everyone accepts this as part of the job and we try to stay in good condition. To meet these standards, we go through periodic physical trainings. For years, San Antonio court employees have met those standards by participating in courses certified by the State Board (TCLEOSE). I've done it many times, and I've found it to be safe and effective. That all changed a few years ago, when decisions were made to abandon the traditional state-certified courses and switch to a local mixed martial arts studio, Blue Tiger MMA. Blue Tiger is active participation -- both defensive and offensive. The people my coworkers and I are up against are trained in mixed martial arts. We are not. Some of us are also much older and not nearly as strong. To put it another way, I'm a 59-year-old woman being placed in wrestling holds by MMA fighters. Imagine that. As trainees, we're put in a number of holds. We wrestle with fighters, and are told to lift and move weighted punching dummies. In two sessions that I did not attend, my coworkers were paired up with cage fighters. They said those sessions were truly brutal. I’m concerned that one of us will be seriously injured if these MMA trainings continue. There's no reason I can think of for why the city of San Antonio is paying for Blue Tiger sessions. There are no course points for the active licensed peace officers and these sessions are not taught by a certified TCOLE instructor. I've lived in San Antonio for most of my life. I grew up here, and attended Holmes High School in the Northside. I want to do my job well and I want my taxes to be well-spent. The Blue Tiger MMA program is demeaning and a waste of taxpayer money. Join me and my coworkers in calling on San Antonio municipal courts to immediately stop the Blue Tiger mixed martial arts “trainings” and return to state-certified courses.

The LA Times recently reported that roughly 30 Wells Fargo branch employees in the L.A. area tried to meet sales goals by opening accounts that were never used. Lying and cheating should never be tolerated in the workplace -- especially at a financial institution. But the situation also suggests that Wells Fargo take stock of its community banking program and the sales goals employees are pressured to meet each week. According to the Times, the pressure to meet sales goals can be intense. Managers have required sales agents to stay late and call their friends and family members to open accounts in order to meet sales objectives. Sales at all costs is no way to build trust with our communities. Everyone has unique banking needs, and Wells Fargo employees pride themselves on being able to deliver quality products to individuals and community businesses. But when aggressive sales goals compete with customers' needs, one side always wins. We're calling on Wells Fargo to immediately review its community banking program and lower excessive sales targets for team members. Photo credit: http://bit.ly/16vf2lK

PNC Bank plans to force its 56,000 employees onto high-deductible health insurance plans starting on January 1, 2014. (Source: http://triblive.com/business/headlines/4556664-74/plans-health-deductible#axzz2coL27Yib) The average high-deductible plan requires you to pay up to $2,000 out-of-pocket before insurance coverage kicks in. For a PNC bank teller earning $9-11 an hour, those costs make medical care entirely unaffordable. How many PNC employees will forgo medical care because they can't afford it? These changes to employee health coverage will have a real impact on your employees' lives. It's for that reason we're calling on you to reconsider. It’s no secret that banks made record profits in 2012. The banking industry raked in $40 billion in the first few months of 2012 alone. PNC Bank is strong and its balance sheets proves it. PNC employees have helped the bank increase the number of customers, expand commercial and consumer lending, and grow deposits to $212 billion. Last year, PNC profits were 47% higher than that same period in 2011. Why, then, is the bank punishing employees by slashing health coverage? Employees have helped PNC Bank grow to be the 7th largest bank in America. They deserve health insurance they can depend on. These changes could make health insurance for some of your employees largely unaffordable. As employees, customers, and concerned citizens, we're calling on PNC Bank to treat its employees better. Give your tellers, sales associates, supervisors and other staff health care coverage options they can count on. Creative Commons photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/people/blaineo/

Forever 21 sent a devastating memo to several hundred of its full-time U.S. employees this week informing them of drastic cuts to their hours and benefits. In addition to losing hours and all of our health benefits, employees are also losing the ability to earn paid time off – and the company gave us less than two week’s notice! I just started working at Forever 21 in New York City, but now I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to work there, because I need a job that I can actually survive on. When I first applied for the job, I was promised growth and working with the visual team to become a merchandiser. They explained I would be learning and growing and starting off in sales with full time hours. However when I was hired, I suddenly found myself cleaning and organizing the stock room in a part-time position. When I asked what happened with the position I applied for I was brushed off and ignored. I didn't realize that the company treats their employees like that, and now Forever 21 is essentially ending full-time employment for non-management employees altogether. Imagine having a sick child or a chronic illness, then finding out that in less than two weeks, your health insurance will terminated, your paychecks will be smaller, and you won't have any paid time off to take care of your medical issues –All because you are part time. Unstable scheduling in the retail industry is a serious problem. Imagine trying to fit together two part-time work schedules with just days or hours’ advance notice of your shift. To make matters worse, many jobs require you to work "on call" shifts, which means you have to call two hours before your shift to see if you have to work (or you'll face disciplinary action). But if you're not called in, you don't get paid. This practice wreaks havoc in our lives and, in my opinion, amounts to exploitation. Companies claim they can't remain profitable without reducing workers' schedules, but that's a poor excuse because many of these same companies are providing full-time opportunities to workers in other parts of the world. In the Munich, Germany, Forever 21 is hiring full time entry-level sales associates. In Liverpool, England, the job I applied for in New York (a "visual merchandiser") is listed as a full-time position. Why can't these same opportunities be made available in every U.S. location? The Retail Action Project's #JustHours campaign holds companies accountable for forcing workers into unstable unpredictable part time retail jobs, because they can do better. Forever 21 has an opportunity to do the right thing -- to show its employees that it respects the work we do and the valuable contribution we make to the company each day. Every Forever 21 store should have full-time opportunities for hard-working employees. NOTE: The author of this petition has chosen to use a pseudonym to protect her identity. The Retail Action Project has verified that she works for Forever 21.

Today, Lean In's Editor-at-Large posted an ad for UNPAID internship with Lean In in New York City. Lean In says it's about "encouraging women to pursue their ambitions," but what about the women who can't afford to live in New York City and work for free? It's hard to "Lean In" when you're being priced out. And for the many young women who don't have wealthy families who can subsidize unpaid internship opportunities like these, this represents yet another barrier to the kinds of learning and networking opportunities that could help them build successful careers. Sign this petition to tell Lean In to PAY THEIR INTERNS!

Stand with us -- Brandon Garrett & Tavarus Yates -- and other Walmart workers from Baker, LA who've been illegally fired for speaking out. For years Walmart has been taking advantage of us, their workers. Inconsistent scheduling and pay that gives us 30 hours one week and 12 the next leaves us no way to support our family, pay rent, buy food or even gas to make it to work the next day. Even worse, when we speak out about these problems, Walmart tries to bully and silence us. So earlier this year, we went on an unfair labor practice strike. Under federal law it was our right to do so. Now, Walmart is firing and disciplining those of us who stood up. We have filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board but Walmart needs to hear from its customers that this behavior is not ok. WE need everyone in the Baton Rouge community to speak with one voice on the rights of Walmart workers to engage in federally-protected strikes. We don’t want to hurt Walmart, we just want them to be better! By signing this petition you are supporting us to make sure that Walmart associates who were disciplined or fired are returned to work and their records cleared.

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.

Dear Mayor Euille, My name is Eyob Abay. I am an Ethiopian immigrant, but I have been living and working in Northern Virginia since 1988. I have been driving an Alexandria cab for Yellow Cab Company for six years. I am proud to serve my fellow Alexandria citizens in their transportation needs. Unfortunately, I work long hours to pay my high weekly dispatch dues and have money left over for me and my family. Each evening after work ends at 1pm, I go home, go to bed, and the next morning at 2am I wake up to do it all over again. My wife complains that I don't have time for my family and my kids are not getting the support they need from me. They don't need money, they need time with their father. I've been robbed multiple times, often by the same woman. If I were to refuse to pick her up, Yellow Cab would suspend me from work; every day missed from work is a day I can't make money to pay my weekly company dues and support my family, so suspension is not an option for me. People have run away from my cab without paying me, and my bosses do not care, not even enough lower my dues for that week. As hard as my work has been for me, I cannot change companies if I am not happy at Yellow Cab. My coworkers at different companies in Alexandria face the same struggle. We can only stay where we are, forcing us to accept whatever working conditions cab companies pass down to us. We cab drivers do all the work to make money for our respective companies, and yet we do not benefit--the companies do! I'm not saying the companies should not be paid, but it should be reasonable. My story is just one of nearly 800 in Alexandria. One of my coworkers, who has asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from his boss, is a single father of a four-year-old daughter. He undergoes dialysis three days a week to combat his kidney failure. He takes care of all this while working long hours, facing the apathy and lack of respect of his management. Even worse, as "independent contractors," we don't receive any health benefits or benefits of any kind! Another of my coworkers once was robbed at gun point in his cab. The thief stole his entire week's wages, but he still had to pay his company dues. Yellow didn't ask how he felt or if he needed medical attention. In fact, apart from asking for their portion of his stolen earnings, they did not respond to the event at all. But Yellow Cab Company is not the sole culprit. As long as the law is on their side, all the cab companies in Alexandria can and will continue to exploit taxi workers in this great city. I urge you, on all of our behalf, to grant us freedom of movement to provide us cab drivers with the basic rights and security to serve our families, communities and city safely and fairly. Sincerely, Eyob Abay

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

How would you feel if you had to choose between keeping your job to feed your kids, or staying home to take care of your kids when they are sick? Can you imagine choosing between getting fired or not being able to make rent because you stayed home to get well, or being forced to go to work and expose customers to germs, despite the fact that this is in direct defiance of Starbucks health code? Every day, Starbucks workers have to make choices like these because Starbucks has taken away our sick days, putting partners and customers at risk even though the company makes over $1 billion a year. Proper sick leave is not only a fundamental right, but an ethical necessity. Please sign our petition- tell Starbucks you want paid sick for all workers. Let's make Starbucks a healthy, family-friendly workplace for all!

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

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.