• PSA teachers should have the option to teach entirely online.
    Putnam Science Academy has publicly and consistently stated that the safety of its students and staff is its highest priority. Doubtless, the risk of transmission of COVID 19 is greatly increased by inviting students back into the classroom. It is therefore prudent to ask if anything is gained by this decision. Due to the unique challenges of instructing a student body which is divided between those present on campus and those attending classes remotely, it is unfortunately concluded that the answer is often, “No.” Regrettably, many classes simply do not benefit from the addition of in-person meetings. Since teachers are responsible for teaching online students in tandem with students in the classroom, they must often resort to using remote-learning techniques with all students simultaneously, regardless of their physical presence or absence in the classroom. Several teachers have found it necessary to conduct most or all of their classes through Zoom, even with the students present in the classroom. The result is instruction equivalent to online learning, with the only substantive difference being the greatly increased risk of the transmission of COVID 19. Let us be clear: this increased risk is not negligible. Within the very first days of in-person learning, when classroom policies were fresh in everybody's mind and enthusiasm was presumably at its zenith, students repeatedly removed their masks or failed to wear them correctly, ignored social distancing mandates, and congregated at choke points and foyers. The added stress this causes the teachers responsible for student safety (and, indeed, for their own safety) only exacerbates the myriad difficulties of managing a split online/in-person classroom. Having concluded that student instruction is often identical to that which they would receive online, and that student presence in the classroom increases the risk to both students and staff, it must be asked: should in-person classes be a mandatory policy? No. Not when there is a perfectly feasible alternative available. Rather than opting to strictly enforce a policy which offers high risk often without reward, teachers should be empowered to choose for themselves whether or not in-person classes are practical or profitable. If a teacher feels they or their students are experiencing an unnecessary risk, they should be given the option to teach online classes. These classes can follow the agreed-upon schedule, and could in every respect adhere to the guidelines for class times presented in the student handbook. This would not interfere with those classes or teachers who feel that in-person instruction is indispensable, and any teacher who wished to continue in-person or mixed in-person/online teaching would be able to do so. Desiring to teach online does not indicate a lack of enthusiasm for teaching, a lack of devotion to student progress, or a contrarian attitude towards the administration. It is evidence only that the teachers genuinely believe that they can best serve the students, and best keep them safe, by providing online instruction.
    3 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Sean Gilmartin
  • Investigate Louis DeJoy's Illegal Campaign Donations
    We are concerned about this issue because of the well-publicized damage DeJoy has done to the United States Postal Service and its employees since assuming the position of Postmaster General. His appointment was evidently a reward for his fundraising efforts, both legal and illegal, on behalf of the Republican Party. We know that such an investigation will take time, as will preferring charges against him. The sooner, the better, though. PMG DeJoy has already declared his intention to double down on his “Pivot” plan to degrade the capacity of the Postal Service and eliminate union jobs as soon as the election is over. Already, DeJoy’s directives have led to major delays in sorting the people’s mail and made it more difficult for postal workers to carry out their duties. We won't sit idly by as a man who appears to have purchased his title as Postmaster General undermines an essential public service, and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of American workers in the process. Maximum pressure, from you, from Congress, from the media, and most of all from all Americans who love the USPS, may well force him from office before that. At the very least, it promises to limit his capacity to continue damaging the People’s Service now--and beyond Election Day.
    5,066 of 6,000 Signatures
    Created by Dennis O'Neil
  • Fool-proof Recycling for Starbucks
    It is important because committing to sustainability is an important movement that Starbucks claims to be apart of and something they claim to do, when we don't even have recycling bins at the very least. We, as partners, create an absolute ridiculous amount of waste and even half effort could save so much waste from making it to the landfills.
    6 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Ashley Rose
  • Food service workers deserve better! Honor the contracts of our union brothers & sisters!
    We are the hardworking men and women who feed students day-in and day-out at West Chester University. 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. So do our brothers and sisters at 10 other PASSHE universities. Workers at one more, East Stroudsburg University, just won their union and will soon change their lives by negotiating for their union contract. We can't allow these protections to be threatened by the PA State System of Higher Education's (PASSHE) consolidation of food service operations across the state. In Western PA, one food service contractor will soon feed students at four different universities (Edinboro, IUP, Slippery Rock and Clarion) under one agreement. In Eastern PA, there will be one food service contractor serving six campuses (Bloomsburg, Cheyney, Mansfield, Lock Haven, East Stroudsburg and Kutztown) under one agreement. Food service companies are preparing their bids now. The winning companies will be chosen this fall. We call on Chancellor Greenstein to demand that the winning companies honor the existing union contract as well as the contracts of our union brothers and sisters across the State System. The winning company should also grant workers at Clarion University and Kutztown 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 brothers and sisters’ union contracts, and by extension, our own 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!
    21 of 100 Signatures
    Created by PASSHE Dining Workers United for Dignity
  • Albertson’s Needs to Prohibit Customers from Entering without Masks
    Albertson’s flimsy excuse from doing this has been that we can’t require people who claim an ADA medical exemption from wearing a mask. What they fail to mention to employees is that the ADA does not cover exemptions that put others in danger. Not wearing a mask in public places others in direct harm and should not be allowed.
    4 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Star Market Employee
  • Market of Choice Workers United for Hazard Pay
    We are essential workers, "superheroes" by corporate's own admission. They gave us t-shirts that say so, it must be official! The t-shirts request people to stay 6 feet away from workers on the floor. This is not enforced. Wearing a mask is not enforced. Our front line employees are being verbally abused and harassed by people not wearing masks. Our lives are in danger every day, every time we clock in. This isn't metaphorical, it is a scientific fact. If MoC cannot enforce the actions necessary to keep us safe, the VERY LEAST they can do is help us be financially more secure to offset the very real health insecurity we must endure simply to earn a paycheck, especially with the distribution of racial minorities within MoC to the lower paid departments.
    3,605 of 4,000 Signatures
    Created by Eris Raphael
  • Stand with SECSE!
    When we completed our employee training, we were each deemed "certified sex nerds" but you might know us better as SESAs. The sex educator/sales associates of Good Vibrations Brookline and Cambridge have been proudly providing non-judgmental sex education to their communities for years. We have striven to create sex positive spaces which battle shame with empowerment and now we need your help to create a workplace that feels safe and empowering for us. The collective employees of these two Good Vibes locations known as Solidarity with East Coast Sex Educators or SECSE (yes, it IS pronounced 'sexy') have come together to demand consent and communication in how the company is run amidst this pandemic and beyond it. We want to amplify our voices on the ground and demand that our needs be addressed directly in the decision-making processes of this company. We love our jobs and many of us have proudly served our communities for 3+ years, learning as we teach others and working to continuously reassess accessibility and representation within our spaces. When we put our company name behind supporting LGBTQIA+, black, brown, disabled, sex worker, and otherwise marginalized voices, we at SECSE believe that the company should extend this support to their employees just as much as we provide it to our communities. Our west coast corporate office doesn't agree that our demands address problems which require immediate action. Good Vibrations cannot claim to serve these communities until they support EVERYONE in these communities including the very people who champion their cause during dangerous times. Stand up for quality sex education, stand up for LGBTQIA+ workers, stand up for consent and communication not just in our personal lives but our professional lives as well. Stand with SECSE!
    1,593 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by SECSE Boston Picture
  • Support a Safe Workplace for Big Burrito Restaurant Group Employees
    Big Burrito laid off a large percentage of their hourly staff without warning and without addressing our safety concerns, leaving dozens of employees without their employer healthcare in the middle of a global pandemic. In the weeks since the lay off, they’ve publicly begun hiring for positions in their restaurant group and have required former employees to reapply and go through a review process with no guarantee that they will be rehired to their former position or rehired at the same wage. Despite their rhetoric of care and concern, the company has made no effort to change their internal operating procedures to prioritize the safety of their staff or their customers. This is dangerous for both employees and patrons. We don’t want any returning or future employees to have their health and well-being jeopardized in the same manner many of us were during the company’s first attempt at reopening at the beginning of June.
    173 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Big Burrito Employees
  • Increase Hourly Wage for Tatte Employees
    Tatte FOH employees do more than just take orders and food run. They are heavily trained upon being hired, so that no pastry, dessert, or retail items are out of place. While this makes for great service and knowledgeable staff, this also means that they are expected to perform more duties than the average server, yet make less than one. These high standards must be reflected in the pay that FOH receives. $10/hour is simply not a living wage, and this must change immediately. We call upon Tatte to raise the wage for FOH workers to at least match the Massachusetts minimum wage, $12.75, and to also raise the wage for BOH/non-tipped workers by $2.75.
    217 of 300 Signatures
    Created by ROC Boston
  • Food service workers deserve better! We work hard to feed Lock Haven students. Honor our contract!
    We are the hardworking men and women who feed students day-in and day-out at Lock Haven University. 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 Lock Haven with those at Bloomsburg University, East Stroudsburg University, Kutztown University, Cheyney University and Mansfield University. Starting next academic year (2021-22), one food service contractor will feed students at all six campuses under one agreement. Food service companies are preparing their bids now. The winning company will be chosen this fall. We call on President Pignatello 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 Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, and Mansfield. The winning company should also grant workers at Kutztown 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!
    40 of 100 Signatures
    Created by PASSHE Dining Workers United for Dignity
  • Food service workers deserve better! We work hard to feed Edinboro U. students. Honor our contract!
    We are the hardworking men and women who feed students day-in and day-out at Edinboro University. 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 Edinboro, Indiana University of PA, 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 are preparing their bids now. The winning company will be chosen this fall. We call on Dr. Huang 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!
    35 of 100 Signatures
    Created by PASSHE Dining Workers United for Dignity
  • Put an end to all forms of discrimination and retaliation at Pinterest
    Ifeoma Ozoma, Aerica Shimizu Banks, and Francoise Brougher have accused Pinterest of racial, and gender discrimination. These are not isolated cases. Instead, they are representative of an organizational culture that hurts all Pinterest workers, and keeps us from achieving our mission of bringing everyone the inspiration to create a life they love. We recognize that Pinterest has been a leader in diversity and inclusive hiring, with the diversity goals for new hires. It's become clear that this is not enough, and that the diversity goals need to apply from the top down, not just the bottom up. Not only will diverse and inclusive leadership prevent discrimination and harassment among workers, it will help us build a product that is relevant on a global scale. Other worker groups at Starbucks, Uber, and Etsy have been successful in driving positive change, and we want to follow their lead.
    462 of 500 Signatures
    Created by Change at Pinterest