My name is Michele Lindor and I am a former manager for BG’s Cowboy’s Saloon in Syracuse, New York. My experience working for BG Cowboy’s Saloon was short-lived but definitely memory packed. I was asked to join the BG team in February 2017. After 2 months of serving, I was promoted to service manager and then quickly took on the responsibility of bar management as well. My hours were strenuous and never ending; I even have slept in the restaurant before because my commute was too long for me to leave and then turn back for my shift in less than 3 hours. I was constantly left to deal with things quite literally by myself and received little to no help from the other management staff; i.e. continually being left as the only manager within the building on weekend nights with minimal training as a manager and no support. Many of my coworkers also experienced terrible treatment by the management team that was let go in July. Turnover is high in the restaurant industry, due to low wages, lack of benefits and strenuous work. Our turnover rate at BG Cowboy’s Saloon was no exception, especially for front of the house employees, where turnover was frankly astronomical and embarrassing due to the sub-minimum hourly wage, poor working conditions and the reputation acquired by the owner’s failure to pay bills rent and possibly even taxes to the State of New York. With the potential closing looming over our heads, instead of taking the easier route of calling it quits, leaving my coworkers behind and moving onto a new workplace, I worked extra hard to ensure that not only I had a job, but that my staff did as well. We banded together and collectively worked together to try and better the entire restaurant. For the last month, I was ensured that the restaurant had a future for the coming holiday season, so when I received the message through text on the morning of Saturday September 23, 2017 that our restaurant was indefinitely closing its doors and our “help” that was flown in from Florida was heading straight back to South Beach, I was shocked and outraged. Not only were our jobs non-existent, but so were our paychecks. Our paychecks dated 09/04/2017-09/10/2017 had bounced and we never received payment from 09/11/2017-09/22/2017. I personally am owed $1889.70. Because of the sudden change, I as well as many of my staff have had to apply for unemployment to receive some sort of repayment for the loss of wages from BG’s. Personally because of this job, I have taken hits to my own bank account by paying out of my own pocket for groceries and supplies for the restaurant because things with vendors soured when the employer failed to pay bills. As a result of going above and beyond, I have been living paycheck to paycheck. When the first paycheck bounced, I was left with $49 in my account and have been forced to live on credit. I, as well as everyone else, has had to scramble to find employment elsewhere. 4 weeks have gone by and we are still not paid for our time on the clock. It is all too common for people in our industry to be taken advantage of and disrespected. My coworkers and I from BG Cowboy’s Saloon went above and beyond for our employer. We deserve to be paid for the work we performed and to be treated with respect. Please join me in asking Bobby Genovese, the millionaire who owns BG Cowboy’s Saloon and BG Capital Group, to do the right thing and pay us the money we are owed and enter a dialogue about how similar situations at his other establishments can be prevented. Thank you,

On August 17, program manager Jane Guskin was "terminated" on her return from vacation, after dedicating over 24 years of her life to the Muste Institute's social justice mission. Muste management claims the firing is justified, but has refused to discuss it with Jane or with our independent Muste Staff Union. Jane was active in the union and in our ongoing collective bargaining negotiations, and had recently been given a disciplinary "warning" related to her advocacy for a co-worker's rights. Her firing also came after she filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB on behalf of her co-worker, and after management suddenly told the union it was done negotiating over the collective bargaining agreement. In response to letters of solidarity with our union, management now says it will return to bargaining, but still refuses to discuss Jane's firing, claiming it's an "internal personnel matter." We disagree. The Muste Institute and our union are named for A.J. Muste, a labor activist and anti-war leader who was well-known for bringing people together in dialogue. What would A.J. do? We think he would meet with the union. By signing this petition, you can help us convince the Muste Institute board to meet with us. Your solidarity makes a difference!

Trump’s decision to end DACA will negatively impact Oracle's business. The decision to end DACA will impact Oracle's employees–not just those who participate in the program, but their co-workers, their teams, their families, and their communities. The policy will also cause economic loss, as Oracle will face turnover when those impacted are forced to leave. Immigrants have made immeasurable contributions to the tech industry and this policy will prevent companies like Oracle from recruiting the very best talent. As Oracle employees, we are enriched by immigrants we work with both professionally and personally. Other industry leaders like Microsoft, Facebook, and Apple have pledged their legal and moral support for employees impacted by the administration's decision. Oracle should do the same. We strongly urge Oracle to take a stance on this on behalf of its employees.

The school cleaners are protesting because after many years of loyal service to the school, they have lost their jobs. Their jobs have been outsourced to a cleaning company which has declined to employ them.

I am writing on the behalf of the entire front of house team at Chili’s in Bartonsville, PA. We have always graciously welcomed large parties into our restaurant. As the only Chili’s in about a 30-mile radius, it has come to our attention that our front of house team is being taken advantage of. Day after day, we push together tables and serve our many guests as only true Chili Heads can. Unfortunately, many of our large party guests take our work for granted. We are one of the only restaurants in the Pocono area that does not have a mandated 18% gratuity fee on parties of 8 or more. This results in tips of 10% on large parties which leave our servers demoralized, unhappy, and more importantly, unvalued. We work at Chili’s because we are passionate about what we do. We are the pride of our area. Our parking lot is always full and our sales are extremely high. We take care of our guests, and we are contacting you to please take care of us.

We ask for these things to assert that Etsy's community, along with its board and senior leadership, should have a say in shaping Etsy's future. While a renewed sense of focus and experimentation is welcome, many of the abrupt and often disruptive changes over the past few months seem designed to address the demands of black-and-white capital, a hedge fund that owns around 2% of Etsy’s stock.[4] While black-and-white capital might buy or sell on Etsy (and we truly hope they do!), they do not represent the tens of millions of people that make up our community. It’s honestly hard to tell if they represent anything other than a desire to enrich themselves and their clients (their website, bandwcap.com, remained blank as of 7/28/2017). As employees of Etsy and members of the Etsy community, we believe that a business guided by a strong set of values, and in pursuit of an important mission, is worth fighting for. We value the long-term success of our sellers and buyers much more highly than the short-term profits of a hedge fund. Our goal is to give voice to the aspirations we have for Etsy as Etsy employees. We are calling for transparency from Etsy’s leadership, and asking for a commitment from the company that it will do right by its community for the long term, not just for the next earnings call. If you are a member of the Etsy community and you believe in this vision, add your name to support us as we deliver it to Etsy’s leadership. Links: [0]: https://www.etsy.com/mission [1]: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1370637/000119312515077045/d806992ds1.htm [2]: https://www.etsy.com/advocacy/economic-security-for-the-self-employed [3]: https://blog.etsy.com/news/2016/bringing-solar-to-the-etsy-community-and-running-a-carbon-neutral-marketplace/ [4]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-05-18/the-barbarians-are-at-etsy-s-hand-hewn-responsibly-sourced-gates

More online degree options will give more baristas the opportunity to make a positive change to our lives. While ASU has many great programs, their online course selection is rather limited. They don’t offer degrees in many baristas’ chosen fields (such as Animation, Physics, or Neuroscience) or some of the certifications we need to find employment after completing our education (such as A+, Net+, and Security+ certification for Cybersecurity and Network engineering). By offering more online degree options, Starbucks can unlock the potential of every employee in every geographic location. In addition, more online degree options will make it easier on baristas’ schedules. We will have the flexibility to choose the program we want and the classes that will best fit with our working hours. Starbucks has always had a progressive company culture that encourages employees to achieve their future goals. While Starbucks’ partnership with ASU has opened up doors for many employees, it is time to expand educational offerings so that all employees can pursue their aspirations through education. Here are just some of the other online accredited degree colleges and universities I've found through my own research: Western Governors University Colorado Technical University Colorado State University Gonzaga University Online

Uber needs to start paying its fair share to the drivers and to the government counting that money as income for drivers when they never see a penny of it is cheesy to say the least even if it's legal it shouldn't be

· These measures are extremely important to reduce idle time and to distribute available cars more evenly across served area and throughout 24-hour periods, and to compensate drivers more fairly--in particular those who drive the graveyard shift putting their lives in danger and sacrificing important family time. · These measures will increase Uber's total billings and profit margins, increase drivers' net take, and dramatically reduce riders' waiting time. · I have asked many riders how they would feel about higher-than-normal set prices at high-demand times, thus eliminating the loathed Surge Pricing system. Riders LOVE the idea, are in total agreement.

Many drivers, like me, provide really superior and above average service. (Like most Uber drivers did in the 'old days') Water, mints, chargers, and a real knowledge of the cities in which we drive. Often my passengers get what amounts to a bonus of a narrated tour as well as transport to their destination and concierge services like restaurant suggestions and assisting w reservations.

Because people are different and if they have a personality conflict it shouldn't effect their work life. I also think that if a driver works in a distressed neighborhood they will not have as high a rating as if they work in a privileged area

Labor Laws, protecting workers rights, were hard fought for and established long ago by organized labor workers - Many of whom gave their lives to establish the workers rights of today - However, despite the mistreatment of Drivers as LESS THAN EMPLOYEES and that legally UBER/LYFT should not be able to "dictate the manner in which we perform our services" - Despite all this, according to UBER/LYFT, Drivers are considered to be "Independent Contractors" if this is so then UBER/LYFT at minimal, must disclose to Drivers the full terms and conditions of each ride request, prior to ride acceptance by Drivers - A reasonable time period must be provided for Drivers to evaluate the details for each ride request being offered before deciding to accept (Offer & Acceptance -in contract law). If ride request is not acceptable to Driver then Driver has the right, as a true independent contractor, to refuse the ride request offered by tapping a REJECT button - To be included in the Driver App - with NO retaliatory threats of deactivation of Driver by UBER/LYFT. This REJECT feature would MAXIMIZE EFFICIENCY & PUBLIC SAFETY of App. BENEFITS - Saves valuable time for both Drivers and Riders by passing ride request IMMEDIATELY to next potential Driver. NO need to wait for ride request clock to timeout: • DRIVERS: IMMEDIATELY receive their next ride request much faster - Time is money - Practically eliminates cancellations - Better matching to desired Rider creates excellent ride experience - Reduced distracted driving & possible accidents by eliminating time delay to view their GPS • RIDER: - Greatly reduces wait time frustration and cancellations. - Better matching to READY, WILLING & ABLE Driver creates excellent ride experience It's a NO BRAINER how a simple REJECT BUTTON in App contributes to overall App Efficiency and Public Safety - Greatly reducing distracted driving and physically exhausted drivers causing accidents is a WIN-WIN-WIN situation for everyone! Implementing a smoother App platform functionality even benefits the environment by decreasing the overwhelming traffic congestion and resulting carbon footprint caused by inefficient operations of Rideshare vehicles.