We are the hardworking men and women who feed students day-in and day-out at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. We have a union contract that ensures we are paid fairly, treated with respect and provided with benefits that help us take care of our families. We can't allow these protections to be threatened by the PA State System of Higher Education's (PASSHE) merger of the food service operations at IUP, Edinboro University, Slippery Rock University, and Clarion University. Starting next academic year (2021-22), one food service contractor will feed students at all four campuses under one agreement. Food service companies have submitted their bids and the winning company will be chosen soon. We call on Dr. Driscoll and Chancellor Greenstein to demand that the winning company honor our existing union contract as well as the contracts of our union brothers and sisters at Edinboro and Slippery Rock. The winning company should also grant workers at Clarion University a fair process for joining a union so that they too can negotiate for fair wages, benefits and working conditions. We are prepared to take action if this arrangement threatens our union contract. We are well aware of how unfairly many nonunion food service workers are treated and how poorly they are compensated. We will do whatever it takes to preserve the fair treatment, pay and respect we have fought for!

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.

"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.

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.

Team members at LeadVenture have noticed that we provide our website and digital marketing services to a predominantly white, male industry. The images and marketing material our OEMs provide us with strictly reflects this. We believe this spreads the message that the outdoors (in recreation and work) only holds space for white men. Since we provide our marketing services to companies that encourage people to get outside, we are at the forefront of being able to advocate for inclusion in the outdoors. To better serve our clients and their customers, we need to ensure that all feel welcome. We believe it is of the utmost importance for LeadVenture to publicly and actively support the Black Lives Matter movement. We would like to see more diversity among our coworkers to help provide new insight, fresh ideas, and to offer a better overall product for the customers. We would also like to coordinate with our OEMs to provide us with imagery and material that feature people who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, and marginalized genders and sexualities with their products. Manufacturers (whose products we market) like Harley-Davidson, Polaris, Honda, and John Deere have already pledged their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. There is nothing that should hold us back from encouraging them as well as other OEMs to help us reach and embolden a more diverse audience in the outdoor industry. We need your support to help fight racism and discrimination in the industries that we serve. We cannot allow an opportunity for betterment to pass us by. Join us and sign our petition to have LeadVenture take action towards making a more inclusive and diverse workplace and outdoor space for all. For a few actions we’d like to see in particular, please see below. We Ask That: - LeadVenture commit to making an active, ongoing effort to improve hiring practices to promote a diverse team. - LeadVenture and sub companies publicly announce their support of BLM on social media and internal emails - LeadVenture match employee donations to NAACP when feasible - LeadVenture use their already established connections to OEM’s to request more diverse stock images and marketing material - LeadVenture sponsor voting day off for employees to go vote, or a ballot drop box in vote-by-mail states Sources: Harley-Davidson: https://www.visordown.com/news/general/harley-davidson-stands-george-floyd Polaris: https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/polaris-dealer-losses-store-racist-black-lives-matter-posts-200623145146510.html Honda (and other automotive brands): https://thenewswheel.com/auto-industry-response-to-black-lives-matter-protests/ John Deere: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/john-deere_together-we-will-create-lasting-change-activity-6677215397114064897-eNPo

We are outraged over LA’s BEST’s decision to embolden bigotry and terminate Edwin Medina’s employment after 16 years of dedicated service. LA’s BEST fired an exceptional leader because he dressed in drag to our end-of-year Zoom costume meeting on June 12. Edwin’s termination completely contradicts OUR organizations’ values of “sparking curiosity, expanding horizons, and strengthening relationships”. This is especially unacceptable and inexcusable given the context: It is Pride month, and we are in the middle of a new wave of the Civil Rights movement. We have suffered loss, financial stress, and social isolation due to COVID19. LA’s BEST is in the middle of a budget crisis and making cuts where you can to the detriment of our organization’s values and mission. Pride, Drag, & Bad Bunny It was a “meaningful choice” for Edwin to show his PRIDE, especially when LA’s BEST has been startingly quiet on the social issues of the moment. Edwin dressed up in drag as Bad Bunny in “Yo Perreo Sola”. This music video was released March 27, and featured Bad Bunny in drag. Billboard describes the music video, and Bad Bunny’s drag, as “visually eye-opening (and) conscientious, talking about respect for women and highlighting the LGBTQ+ community, a departure for Latin urban music”. By removing one word from LA’s BEST’s BLM statement, the hypocrisy becomes clear: “Through our afterschool enrichment program, we strive to combat the disparities created by oppressive and systemic … inequities and work to prepare our students and staff to become changemakers in our communities. We are all deeply connected to each other, and we remain committed to strengthening those connections through compassionate, positive youth development.” That starts with how you treat your employees. “Drag” is borderline synonymous with “queer”, and we regret that our unnamed colleague and LA’s BEST decided to punish Edwin’s personal expression with termination. During this historical moment, the Supreme Court has ruled that an employer cannot fire someone for being homosexual or transgender. Gender identity and expression should now be protected in the workplace. Edwin Medina should not have been terminated. Leadership Edwin was a stellar leader at LA’s BEST. He did much of the “dirty work” during the COVID19 crisis, discussing budget cuts with us, giving reassurance, and helping us navigate the shift to distance learning. Moreover, relationships were Edwin’s specialty - with his staff and with our kids. He offered us guidance, and as his staff, we always knew we could go to Edwin. He supported us through short staffed days, taking on groups of his own. He advocated for our professional and personal development. Edwin Medina was one of the BEST advocates and leaders among us. Edwin was comfortable being himself, and he empowered us - adults and youth - “to explore and discover the opportunities in (our) lives”. He “inspired and prepared (us) to create lives full of choices”, and you fired him for his choice to wear drag to a costume party. Unfortunately, many of us do not feel safe at LA’s BEST anymore. We believe the actions of our unnamed colleague and of LA’s BEST are rooted in ignorance and bigotry. We do not feel comfortable working in an organization that emboldens ignorance. We especially share concern for the youth we work with, many of whom are or will be members of the LGBTQ+ community. Hate and discrimination do not belong in this organization.

Because of their classification of us, we do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits. We're not given the same benefits, we're not given the same paid time off, we're not even allowed in the union - at least not the way my district negotiated ESS's contract, I can imagine this is true elsewhere. It's ludicrous that I could work alongside district hired employees who have Union representatives to be their voice & hold the school accountable during this very uncertain time. Subcontracting teacher's aides, especially special education ones, like me, is bad for students, staff & the reputation of the school. It also entirely disenfranchises aspiring educators, like myself, who took a permanent position with a school to fund my way to teacher certification. Now, why would I even bother....? I'm sure many are in my position & that needs to change now for the future of education. Forbes named them a best largest employer for 3 years in a row, at the very least that needs to stop.

Yesterday, April 13, 2020, I came in on my first day as a new hire in MARTA's Customer Care Center. Before my first day, I asked the Senior Recruiting Officer in human resources what practices MARTA had in place for COVID-19. She told me that I could wear a mask, but she wasn't sure what the Customer Care Center's practices were. However, that is not what I saw when I showed up for duty. I got mean and nasty stares from several MARTA employees - even the front desk security guard. Worst, the Customer Care Center management - on top of stating they were not ready on how to go about training me during COVID-19, I had to endure rude and snide remarks where I was told I need to speak up and that this is a call center and I need to speak up. Mind you, I had to endure such insults and snide remarks despite the fact that I bring over seven years of experience in call center and customer service. Therefore, no frank and practical discussion was made to me about how my training would be conducted and whether or not I could wear the mask. The day culminated with the Customer Care Center director, Ms. De Jesus, accusing me of being "insubordinate" after I tried to speak louder to her and the other managers - because they repeatedly told me they could not hear me. I saw at the Customer Care Center that no one was wearing masks - including management. Their solution to comply with CDC guidelines was to rotate sending home some employees to work, and bringing them back into the office. However, my previous employer did not take such risks with our call center - they sent all employees to work virtually and did not place a requirement on us to return to the office. In sum, MARTA's management shamelessly had no issue with making false allegations of me being "insubordinate", so that they could wipe their hands free of being inconvenienced in having to allow me to wear a mask to work and/or make reasonable accommodations to protect its employees. Unfortunately, this is becoming a trend in many workplaces - where employers are not protecting their employees, and resorting to manufacturing incidents where they can remove someone under a subjective allegation of being "insubordinate"; and, with this pandemic - such illegal and immoral practices should be condemned.

Adam Witt, President of HPAE Local 5058 at HMH Jersey Shore University Medical Center: "I began to pursue a career in nursing after watching the response to Hurricane Katrina on TV. I felt helpless and heart broken as I watched so many struggle. Years later, I’m an emergency department nurse in the midst of a health crisis. This is exactly why I became an RN. My job, as a nurse, is to advocate for my patients. My job, as a union president, is to advocate for our union members and all staff. Management is trying to squash my efforts in ensuring protection for all of us, firing me when our community needs all of us. Administration is punishing nurses for speaking out, rather than listening to the front line staff’s demands for the protections we need so we can stay healthy while saving lives. It's a terrifying thought, but if we get sick, who will be there to take care of you or your loved ones?" We, the undersigned community members, demand that Hackensack Meridian Health ensures healthcare workers have the resources and protections they need to continue to provide safe care and treatment during these unprecedented times. We demand that Hackensack Meridian bring back their front line workers who have been suspended, wrongfully terminated, and retaliated against for speaking out on behalf of all those who need care and protection during this crisis. Hackensack Meridian, put an end to retaliatory actions and focus on protecting workers and patients by providing all staff with: Appropriate and Accessible PPE and Safety Equipment Accessible and Timely Covid Testing Paid Time Off for ALL Quarantined Healthcare Workers Accessible Childcare Hazard Pay on All Hours Worked Fix the PTO that was Audited During a Pandemic Prove that corporate healthcare can have a heart. For more on this, please read: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/business/coronavirus-health-workers-speak-out.html