Many of us feel burnt out due to our high workloads combined with the stress of our daily lives. Mental health days for employees will allow us to take recognized time to care for ourselves without feeling guilty for needing some extra help to get back our 100%.

CVS Health claims to care for all of its workers, and constantly states that it has its employees health and wellness in mind, while treating its employees like robots. We shouldn’t have to beg to be allowed to leave our desks for a few minutes to use the bathroom or walk around for a few moments without worrying about going over our metrics, or worrying if we are going to be able to afford food and shelter because of skyrocketing inflation. Our representatives work incredibly hard to make sure our members are taken care of, also while sometimes dealing with abuse and anger from members, or situations that are emotionally difficult. We deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and have compensation that can afford us a decent standard of living.

Recap on the situation in Gaza For those of us with our eyes open and bearing witness to the atrocities, the past 7 months have proven that nowhere is safe in Gaza. Rafah has been under attack despite repeated warnings to Israel from UN agencies including the ICJ, governments, and human rights organizations worldwide, meanwhile the ICC is seeking arrest warrants for politicians leading these attacks. As of the end of May 2024, over 36,000 Palestinians have been killed, and over 86,000 injured, primarily women and children, with thousands more unaccounted for under the rubble. In Rafah, civilians are being killed sleeping in tents in "safe zones." Almost 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population was already forced to flee their homes. Since May 6, more than one million Gazans had to leave Rafah, some displaced more than 6 times in less than 6 months.  The blockage of food, water, and fuel continues (despite ICJ orders, UN resolutions), resulting in starvation, malnutrition, disease, loss of critical facilities, and death. Severe aid blockages have hindered humanitarian efforts for months, exacerbated by the Rafah border total closure. Aid has been subject to unlawful restrictions by Israel and sabotage by zionist settlers.  Rafah will not be the end of this violence, and Israel will not stop unless it is stopped by an arms and political embargo. We have heard 7 months of explicitly genocidal language and incitement from high-ranking Israeli officials. In the West Bank, Palestinians face increased intimidation, harassment, arbitrary detention, land grabs, theft, forced evictions, burning & destruction of property, and murder, which has been sanctioned and supported by the Israeli military. We will not be silent in the face of an unfolding genocide. We also refuse to ignore the fact that this genocide is merely an escalation of ethnic cleansing that began 76 years ago and continues, up to now with complete international impunity. We refuse to turn our backs on the Palestinians who are being massacred and starved to death, and yet wake up every day and try again to ask the world again why their lives aren’t valued as much as those with whiter skin. We refuse to turn our backs on the human rights activists, the climate movement, and the students who are risking their futures to speak truth to power in the face of censorship, funding cuts, violent police brutality, chemical attacks, and hate crimes.  Recap on the situation in GP While GPI’s Peace Statement champions universal rights and equality, the reality starkly contradicts these ideals. Palestinians face systemic inequality, oppression, and dispossession, yet Greenpeace is afraid to say it, highlighting a significant double standard. This failure to uphold these principles for Palestinians exposes a lack of genuine commitment to these values. True peace requires active efforts to build bridges and foster cooperation. However, in Palestine, ongoing occupation, displacement, systemic discrimination and human rights violations obstruct these efforts. Greenpeace's failure to call out these injustices indicates a selective application of peace-building principles. This selective enforcement erodes trust and fosters cynicism about the sincerity of these commitments as well as about Greenpeace’s identity at its core. To genuinely reject division and hate, we must address all sources of such behavior, including the policies and actions that perpetuate the division and suffering of Palestinians. Ignoring these issues while advocating for justice and unity elsewhere demonstrates a clear double standard and undermines our credibility. This inconsistency risks alienating those who see these contradictions and damages efforts to promote genuine unity and peace.

Right now Californians are facing record rents and house prices AND paying more for their weekly groceries than any other state! Minimum wage workers are on the frontlines of this crisis, and warehouse, retail, school staff, and child-care workers are some of those making the lowest wages in California.  Workers just can’t afford to survive like this. Why are essential workers the poorest? DO better Amazon! IMAGE CREDIT: Tony Webster

Workers who helped build and maintain the Austin plant say they were exploited and exhausted from the work. One worker who had his hand mangled at work said superintendents would pretend as if nothing happened. Safety training and documentation were also part of the agreement Musk made to get the tax breaks, but researchers say that some of those documents were filled out fraudulently. Musk’s other company SpaceX is fighting to undo worker protections and get rid of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency in charge of worker and union protections. Recently, Musk filed a lawsuit to destroy the NLRB, ridiculously calling it “the very definition of tyranny.” Elon Musk is no friend of workers. One electric vehicle expert says this is “more than hiring inefficiency and restructuring … Musk is cleaning house.” Whatever promises Elon Musk made to get the tax breaks, Tesla should not continue to get these massive tax breaks while it’s firing thousands and not taking safety seriously.

The Solution: We advocate for the extensive expansion of Medicaid in Tennessee. While services like Healthcare Billing Services can assist with managing healthcare costs, financial support must be readily available to prevent unnecessary health issues. Medicaid expansion will provide vital care and support to a significant portion of the state's population. Tennessee is home to hardworking individuals who struggle to afford medical insurance. While we value our healthcare system, programs like Medicaid exist for a reason. We cannot leave tens of thousands of uninsured residents without the healthcare they deserve. Access to healthcare is fundamental, and without Medicaid expansion, Tennessee risks a future public health crisis. Action is needed to ensure all residents can access the care they need.

The North American Trucking Alliance (NATA) has found that the FMCSA does not recognize economic conditions prescribed by “Transportation Policy''. This leads to a deleterious effect on public safety. The FMCSA has allowed potentially unfair and destructive practices within the trucking industry. This causes financial strains on small independent carriers, which leads to supply chain issues. Drivers are working under increasingly unsafe conditions, and have struggled with the rising cost of living. Excessively long detention time at docks and poor hours of service rules cause more idle time, affecting drivers and consumers alike. Poor utilization of trucks leads to undercapacity for shipping demands, introducing more greenhouse gasses into the environment, and creating safety issues for all drivers. We find that former administrators and high-ranking employees accept post-government work. with autonomous vehicle truck manufacturers and other positions for lobbying. This raises concerns for a conflict of interest. How do we trust a regulatory agency when its former members work for private companies with special interests in that agency, or the U.S. DOT? These people established working relationships with agency employees, which must be stopped.  Many regulations created by the FMCSA favor corporate interests. Such as the hours of service rules, electronic logging device regulations, Speed Limiters, and claiming preemption over California’s “Meals and Rest Breaks” laws. The NATA believes that the FMCSA is acting like a captured agency. There are far too many issues to list. Your support in this action will help protect drivers' lives, create stronger economic growth in the United States, limit greenhouse gasses in the environment, and reduce the cost of living for American consumers.

Many people know someone or are closely related to somebody who has special needs. Desert Arc is a pillar of the community representing these mentally disabled individuals, heavily relying on support and fundraising from everyday citizens in the Coachella Valley. Yet, with an intake of 50 million in revenue (site: Zippia.com), we the workers , who are hands on, make an average of $18 per hour. The CEO and those above us, when asked, cannot give a specific accounting for where the money is distributed. Our mileage reimbursement (which has been in place for at least 8 years) is now being taken away, in addition to employees now making less than than those working at fast food restaurants, yet we are responsible for human lives.

These members of staff are the future of the company, and management need to remember that grade 2 & 3 employees do have families at home, and social life’s of their own and start treating them with a little more respect. As I write this today I can almost guarantee there isn’t a current grade 2 or 3 that hasn’t been affected at home whether due to arguments with partners, losing contact with friends, or lack of time spent with their kids. We respect massively what the current long serving CORE employees have given to this company. And I believe they are with us when it comes to wanting a fairer, more structured shift pattern for all grade 2’s and 3’s.

Macy's in Tacoma has been a long standing institution that employs many. We have recently found out that our store may be closing in the near future. Over 100 Macy’s workers at the Tacoma Mall location including the Furniture Gallery have been bargaining for a fair contract since January. Please support us as we attempt to bargain for dignity and respect during this difficult time.

We believe that these firings and targeting of employees, the affects these have on the wider community, and the steps Natural Grocers has taken to impede the rights of their workers to organize are in violation of the company’s proclaimed commitments to crew and community. Community is formed through relationships. Customers and crew have formed meaningful relationships over the years and those relationships can better inform company policies to better serve customers. This is a COMMUNITY CALL to UPHOLD Margaret Isley’s five founding principles (see more here: https://www.naturalgrocers.com/our-five-founding-principles) by respecting workers’ rights or organize and embracing the desired feedback structure of workers. We understand that COMMITMENTS require ACCOUNTABILITY, and evidence has shown us that the path to that accountability is a union for Natural Grocers workers. We do believe that the founders of Natural Grocers and the current leadership do genuinely care. We do believe that, unlike a company like Amazon, Natural Grocers could take the feedback of this petition and address our concerns. We hope they will not disappoint us. Community Member Testimony “The warmth and genuine conversations that I have with all of the crew is why I love shopping there, and I want them to feel just as comfortable and supported. It is really distressing to me that a store that I love, value, and respect is causing its employees to feel unsafe about asking for better working conditions, pay, and benefits. I hope that through incorporating the feedback of their employees, Natural Grocers can become an even healthier environment holistically because they value everyone who keeps the store flourishing.” Crew Member Testimony “I have been an employee at the Natural Grocers in Norman, Oklahoma, store #48, for over 8 years. I work very hard to connect intentionally with each customer I encounter and to find them what they need. I have brilliant and kind coworkers and former coworkers whom I have witnessed do the same. I have seen our store act as a community center in many ways. Whenever I go out in Norman, I almost always run into one of my regular customers and they greet me. I have watched children grow up in our store. My apron is filled with buttons and pins, many of them gifts from customers and others in my community. To this day, this is my favorite job I have ever had. But I am sad to say that the company and my little store are rapidly changing, and not for the better. I want a union because I do care deeply for my coworkers, my store, my community, and the future of the company. I believe that a union would provide a more accessible feedback and representation system for workers and that this would enable the company to better uphold their principals and goals.”

Safety should always be a number one concern at the work place. Our divers perform high level acrobatic stunts from 16ft height into a pool. This pool is the center of the entire restaurant. In case of an accident or an emergency there needs to be well trained staff who are able to appropriately deal with the situation especially because there is a chance it could be a life or death emergency. Diver’s should be able to come to work and know that if an accident happens, they will survive it. Physical Therapy would extend the longevity and quality of the dive team. It would help prevent or remission length of over use injures. It would insure we have a plan to support our performers if they are injured from their job.