Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee

The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) is a distributed grassroots organizing program launched by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) to support workers actively organizing on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. For some, that means shutting down their workplace with full paid leave; for others, it means demanding full equipment and hazard pay and staffing levels for essential workers. In any case, workers are in motion and could use more resources to win against capitalists and bosses who would risk our lives to make a buck. Get involved at workerorganizing.org.
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Warby Parker: Lead with Integrity, Keep Your Team Safe & Allow Us to Continue Remote WorkNo one should be forced to risk their lives for work. The pandemic continues to spread throughout this country & throughout Tennessee, and sending everyone back into the office right now is irresponsible - especially when we have proven that we can do our jobs, just as effectively, in the safety of our homes. Stand with us and let Warby Parker know that the safety of their staff should be a priority!379 of 400 SignaturesCreated by Chadwick Gasman
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Disability Care Workers Demand Oversight Agency Enforce Dignified Work Standards!We are workers in disability services writing to address issues that impact us and the people we provide services to—people with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the greater Philadelphia region. As direct care workers, employment support professionals, personal care attendants, and other essential workers, we make it possible for many people to live and work in their communities, and without the revenue we bring in, the provider agencies we work for could not exist. However, despite our critical responsibilities, the work is not taken seriously, and consequently the well-being of disabled people is disregarded. ODP and provider agencies do not meet the needs of the people they allegedly serve because they do not invest in their workforce. Provider agencies do not pay most disability service workers a living wage, and they provide cursory, poor-quality training. Low wages and inadequate training lead to high turnover, chaotic workplace environments, and a workforce who is unprepared to meet the needs and desires of the people we serve. The high turnover rate combined with the lack of training disrupt peoples’ lives and increase the risk of preventable incidents, which often cause incredible trauma. ODP and provider agencies’ failure to invest in us as workers directly harms people with disabilities. We, as disability service workers, must be paid at least $15 an hour and be trained commensurate with the importance of our role in the lives of other human beings. ODP and provider agencies exclude disability service workers from the conversation about how to improve our field, and we demand to be recognized for our essential input. In addition, disabled people must be included in the conversation to center their needs, insight, and experience. Disabled people frequently do not have a choice about who is part of their lives or system of care and are more likely to experience abuse because they may depend on others to assist them. Those with direct experience of receiving services must be the primary authority on the value of the services they receive and the broader conversations around our field. We demand a comprehensive training system that prepares workers for their jobs that is developed and led by people with disabilities. It is not fair to the workers or to disabled people to be treated with such disregard. Workers need to be prepared for our jobs, and we deserve opportunities to grow and develop as professionals. Disabled people deserve well-trained workers who provide safe and steady support. They should not be placed in abusive or stressful situations or be forced to ask a stranger, friend, or relative to help them because they can’t trust their workers or the provider system to prioritize their well-being. The lack of recognition given to the importance of direct care work misses opportunities to create commitment in the job and enduring positive relationships with the community it intends to serve. We demand that the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs and provider agencies of the Philadelphia area pay a wage of dignity and provide training commensurate with the great responsibility we have in supporting and caring for our fellow human beings. Once a critical mass of disability care workers sign onto the petition, we will deliver this petition and escalate to ensure ODP meets our demands.3,085 of 4,000 SignaturesCreated by Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee
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Amazon Drivers demand better working conditionsWe work long, tiresome hours for Amazon. Our work generates billions of dollars in revenue for this corporation. We are valuable and essential to this company and we demand to be treated with respect.5,313 of 6,000 SignaturesCreated by Anthony B
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Amazon drivers demand reasonable workloadWe work long, tiresome hours for Amazon. Our work generates billions of dollars in revenue for this corporation. We are valuable and essential to this company and we demand to be treated with respect.208 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Anthony B
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Trader Joe's Crew Members Demand No Cuts to Wages and Healthcare Coverage be Returned!We are Trader Joe’s workers writing to demand that the employee benefits introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic be made permanent and that healthcare coverage be immediately and permanently issued to all TJ’s workers risking their health and safety in stores. When the Covid-19 pandemic started last March, Trader Joe’s workers across the country spoke up and demanded that the company institute hazard pay in order to compensate us for the tremendous risk we have undertaken by continuing to work. The company eventually gave us a two-dollar "Thank You Pay" increase and raised the employee discount to 20%. However, many stores have cut hours during the pandemic, which has resulted in a sustained loss of income for many employees. When our "Thank You Pay” was increased to four dollars in February to comply with local laws, management made up costs by getting rid of the permanent raises employees would normally receive in the summer. Ironically, taking away the opportunity for a raise will cost the most loyal, full-time employees thousands of dollars in future income while Trader Joe’s returns to pre-pandemic level sales and profits. After only three months, the company announced that on May 1st they will take away our additional two dollars, and we fear the rest of the “Thank You Pay” is soon to follow. To add insult to injury, as the pandemic continues into spring, a huge percentage of us are vulnerable after losing our company-sponsored health insurance at the end of December when the company maintained an hour requirement many workers couldn’t meet due to cut hours, sick loved ones, and unsafe exposure in the workplace. In some cases, employees failed to meet health insurance qualifications due to quarantining or recovering after contracting the virus themselves. As essential workers who have risked ourselves and our loved ones for the last year, we should not be left without healthcare. We deserve more than thanks. We have continued to work tirelessly, with smiles on our faces, to provide our communities with essential services and resources. The experience of working through the pandemic has been traumatic for many. What was once a normal shift can now bring on extreme panic and anxiety for many crew members. Countless employees have gotten sick with Covid-19 contracted at Trader Joe’s and some of our coworkers have lost their lives. Though Trader Joe’s claims “integrity” as a core company value, as far as we are aware, TJ’s executives have received full salaries, and possible bonuses, this past year with the option of working safely from home. We deserve thanks, but the company’s actions feel like an insult——every measure the company has taken to provide an additional “benefit” during the pandemic has been accompanied by an action that shifts the loss back on crew members. We crew the ship and we insist that Trader Joe’s meet these demands: -The “Thank You Pay” be made a permanent raise of 4 dollars an hour for all Trader Joe’s crew members, including those on extended leave of absence. -The 20% Crew Member Discount be made permanent. -Reinstate full healthcare coverage for all current employees and expand healthcare coverage to all part- and full-time employees. If TJ workers are interested in learning more about how to take action at work, reach out to an EWOC organizer today at workerorganizing.org/talk-with-an-organizer.6,137 of 7,000 SignaturesCreated by Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee
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Stand with Bookshop Santa Cruz Workers as they Organize a Union!Bookshop Santa Cruz workers, who are not currently offered health insurance by their employer, have concerns about the management’s inconsistent communication regarding health and safety at the store, as well as concerns about the rising cost of living in Santa Cruz and the sustainability of the store. The workers want job security, an option for healthcare, and additional employee support systems. The workers’ organizing committee says, “We felt we could garner greater support as a collective rather than as individuals. 2020 has been a difficult year for small businesses everywhere and we hope to collaborate with management to create a sustainable path forward for one of the only independent bookstores in the area.”2,096 of 3,000 SignaturesCreated by Eric Dirnbach
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NYC Early Childhood Educators Deserve Fair Compensation and SeveranceBright Horizons promised to respond to worker demands by September 30th but they have not done so. We must hold them accountable. We were recently informed that the Fedkids center at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan will no longer be operated by Bright Horizons. On the company call that was held two weeks ago, Bright Horizons representatives did not let us ask questions or even speak in the meeting. It was brief and insulting to the many teachers who dedicated years to the company and left us with more questions than ever before. Many of us have been employees of Bright Horizons for years, some upwards of a decade. We have spent the past several months furloughed and awaiting communication but continuing to stay in touch with children and their families via Zoom, only to discover that in a matter of a couple of weeks we need to decide whether we are continuing with Bright Horizons or seeking employment at our own center. We are expected to make this decision with very little information and no guarantee of employment if we choose to stay with Bright Horizons or join with the new company at Federal Plaza.484 of 500 SignaturesCreated by Anne Kirkner
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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!1,592 of 2,000 SignaturesCreated by SECSE Boston
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Trader Joe’s Crew 527 (Burlington, VT) Demands Higher Quality of LifeThe recent wave of COVID-19 cases, brought about by the Delta variant, has generated a warranted cause for concern at our store. In May, Trader Joe’s removed all of its safety guidelines, assuring the crew and customers that we were headed in the right direction. We now know this to be false. In an effort to materially improve the lives of our workers and promote the wellbeing of our community, we demand the above three changes. These demands are very similar to the benefits we relied on this Spring. Having that extra “thank you” pay allowed many of us to save more money and better prepare for the future. Some of us paid off loans. Others enjoyed time spent with family. This was all made possible by the financial stability that these demands aim to recreate. We have all endured so much. Trader Joe’s crew members have been in constant contact with the public for the entire duration of the pandemic. Every shift is a reminder that those of us who keep the shelves full are an essential part of the workforce. Without our work, this ship cannot sail. In Solidarity and Integrity, The Trader Joe’s Crew of 527 ALSO, Call the store to voice your support for grocery workers: 802-658-4500!615 of 800 SignaturesCreated by Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee