The 2017 Florida Legislature is in session. Once again, there are those who wish to eliminate the Defined Benefit Pensions we currently receive. We need to defeat any plan which seeks to privatize our FRS by putting people into 401K type plans that jeopardize their retirement funds by tying them to the whims of Wall Street . The FRS is a sound and stellar system which must be preserved for the benefit of current and future retirees. This is a critical issue in this year's legislative session, and the United Teachers of Dade Retiree Chapter urges all to sign this petition to have your voices heard.

I have seen firsthand the impact of payday lending in my community. People end up paying interest rates 800% or more and trapped in a cycle of debt. If any elected official wants to claim to be for "the little guy", then they cannot support an industry that only survives by misleading and stealing from people least able to break the debt cycle.

The number of dead sports athletes outnumber the number of live ones, and the ones that are alive have broken lives. How many wrestlers were left with nothing and broke after giving years of their bodies and lives? How many football players have nothing to show for after their sports careers ended? How many tragedies have occurred due to the shady practices of sports companies? Please sign this petition to destroy the harmful practices of corporate American sports. This is our America. It is not the property of corporations.

EDIT * VICTORY* "The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) has received several inquiries asking about the practice of bud tender tip jars. In response, the LCB has reviewed their position and this bulletin is to clarify the policy on allowable tipping. Tipping has not been an allowable practice in a licensed retail marijuana location. This position was adopted based on an interpretation of RCW 69.50.357, and indications that prices of products were being manipulated based on the size of a tip to avoid paying excise tax. However, changes in RCW 69.50.535 established in 2ESHB 2136 (Laws of 2015, 2d Spec. Sess., Ch. 4), modified the tax structure associated with marijuana sales, partially negating the concerns associated with prices being adjusted to avoid taxes. The legislation also prohibited sales of marijuana and marijuana products conditioned on the buyer’s purchase of a service or non-marijuana product. RCW 69.50.380. It placed restrictions on “bundled” transactions as well. RCW 69.50.570. Due to the statutory change, the Board has revisited the policy position, and its interpretation of RCW 69.50.357. Effective immediately, customer tipping is now an allowable practice in licensed retail marijuana stores. However, tipping cannot be required or a condition of sale, nor can it be linked to the price of the product to avoid tax obligations. If a licensee allows tipping for their staff, licensees are reminded that there may be business or employee taxes associated with tips received." Together, let's force the hand of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board in the favor of worker's rights, the community and justice !! The LCB recently responded to our question concerning whether or not our employees could receive tips, saying that tips were disallowed because the seller could lower the price of the marijuana, receive a tip and keep that without paying the LCB the tax due on the full price. The interesting fact in most cases is that employees keep the tips, the sellers (the owners) do not. Tips do not change the tax situation for marijuana store owners. It was also discussed that no services could be sold in a marijuana shop and that receiving tips makes helping customers and patients a paid service. I’m confused because even if they don’t get tips, what budtenders do is a paid service. It is actually one of the most important and desired service in the marijuana industry because the customers don’t know how to buy the product yet. Budtenders educate patients and customers. As a result, people don’t overdose or spend money on flowers, oils, edibles or topicals that don’t give them the desired effect. Can you imagine what it would be like for a cancer patient to go to a marijuana store, where a budtender was not allowed to serve him or her? How would they know where to start? How much damage would occur if they didn’t have the resources to reduce their suffering. Our stores carry almost 200 separate items, and we expect our workers to be knowledgeable about them all in order to better service our patients and community . Cannabinoids and terpenes are misunderstood. I am not aware of any other plant on earth like cannabis. It has been modified by humans and nature to help us with everything from chronic pain and seizures to improving our lives and allowing us to relax in an overwhelmingly powerful outside world. But it doesn’t do anyone any good if the correct mix of cannabinoids and terpenes or an appropriate dose isn’t recommended. People are happy to throw a dollar in a jar for a good recommendation, and no one is getting hurt. As a matter of fact, if you could receive a tip for giving an educated suggestion and you had the information, wouldn’t you do it? Well, interestingly enough....... These employees are hard working, young and older people with car payments and apartments, partners and kids. They have stood up to the hypocrisy of alcohol over cannabis, cigarettes over marijuana and prescription drugs over nature’s own remedies. Let's stand up for them and their rights! Allow tipping in 502 retail locations.

Oregon workers deserve a living wage. When a single parent making minimum wage can’t afford rent, it’s time we do something about it. I fought to raise the minimum wage in the Oregon legislature last session, because a living wage is going to have positive benefits across our economy. We weren’t able to pass it last year – but we won’t give up. Sign the petition: Tell the legislature to raise Oregon’s minimum wage! If we stand together, we can lift thousands of families out of poverty. Oregonians deserve a family wage – it’s good for workers and employers. Join me today.

Every security transaction shall include a 1/2 of 1% tax to be paid to the U.S. Treasury. PETITION BACKGROUND: Bernie Sanders, National Nurses United and Ralph Nader propose a turnover tax on sales of stock, bonds, derivatives, commodities. The revenue to the federal government is estimated at from $350-500 billion a year.

It hurts the working man and woman and the unions, and it isn't fair for the hard and unsafe work we do.

We urge the UW administration to help ensure the public health and safety of the broader UW community by 1) reducing excessive custodian workloads by restoring custodian staffing to 2008 pre-recession levels adjusted for growth; 2) ending all forms of harassment and intimidation of custodians who exercise their right to freedom of association; 3) ending the practice of "open runs" and "team cleaning" that jeopardize custodian's health; and 4) increasing custodial wages to attract and retain new hires by ensuring they make livable incomes.

We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with subcontracted workers at UC Berkeley and endorse the Speakers Boycott for which they have called. Nearly 100 of these workers, employed by American Building Management, LAZ Parking, and Performance First, launched an insourcing campaign in August 2015: demanding formal inclusion into the UC Berkeley workforce and the wages, benefits and protections that come with direct university employment. Despite performing the same tasks as their UC-employed counterparts, workers subcontracted through the three private companies are paid a fraction of the wage: as little as $9.30/hr in a city where the minimum wage is $11/hr. Many of them are forced to work second and third jobs, and some work up to 190 hours every two weeks without any overtime pay – sometimes working 32 hours in a row. Not only are they largely (when not completely) denied access to healthcare, sick days, vacation days, and retirement, they are also routinely subjected to various forms of abuse. Subcontracted parking attendants have filed wage-theft claims totaling more than $40,000 in the past eight months alone. Custodians who have worked in UC Berkeley’s labs for over fifteen years bear scars where they have been cut by broken glass and burned by spilled chemicals because they were not provided gloves or adequate equipment. Women who have been sexually harassed and assaulted while working on campus describe how the abuses continued, sometimes for months, because they knew they would be fired if they reported them. When these workers began organizing, they were subject to intimidation and retaliation. Their claims to compensation equal to that of UC employees have been repeatedly dismissed on the grounds that they are “temporary” laborers. But the average subcontracted custodian has worked at UC Berkeley for eight years. A number of the workers organizing have poured more than twenty years of their lives into this institution. They are not only vital to the day-to-day functioning of the University, but integral members of the campus community. As members of the various communities to which these workers belong, we stand with them in endorsing the Speakers Boycott of UC Berkeley, and will continue to do so until each and every one of them has been brought in house. -------- Nosotros, los abajofirmantes, en solidaridad con los trabajadores subcontratados de UC Berkeley, endosamos El Boicot que los Oradores han lanzado. Casi 100 de estos trabajadores, empleados por American Building Management, LAZ Parking, y Performance First, lanzaron esta campana en Agosto de 2015: exigiendo inclusion formal en la poblacion laboral de UC Berkeley y tambien los salarios, beneficios y protecciones que vienen con el empleo directo. A pesar de realizar las mismas tareas que sus contrapartes empleados por UC, los trabajadores subcontratados por las tres companias privadas se les pagan una fraccion del salario: tan poco como $9.30/hr en una ciudad donde el salario minimo es $11/hr. Muchos de ellos son obligados a trabajar dos o tres trabajos, y algunos trabajan hasta 190 horas cada quincena sin pago de horas extras - a veces trabajando 32 horas corridas. No solo son negados acceso a la asistencia medica, dias de enfermedad, dias de vacaciones y el retiro, tambien son sujetados a diversas formas de abuso con frecuencia. Los guardacoches subcontratados han presentado reclamos por un total de mas que $40,000 en los ultimos ocho meses. Los custodios quienes han trabajado en los laboratorios de UC Berkeley mas que quince anos tienen cicatrices donde han sido cortados por vidrio roto y quemados por quimicos derramados porque no recibieron guantes ni equipo adecuado. Mujeres que han sido acosadas y agredidas mientras trabajando en campus describen como continuaban los abusos, a veces durante meses, porque sabian ellas que serian despedidas si los reportaban. Cuando comenzaron estos trabajadores a organizar, fueron sujetados a intimidacion y represalias. Sus reclamos a compenscaion igual a la de los empleados por UC han sido rechazados a causa de que son trabajadores "temporales." Pero un custodio subcontratado al medio ha trabajado en UC Berkeley por ocho anos. Varios trabajadores que organizan han vertido mas de veinte anos de sus vidas en esta institucion. No solamente son esenciales para el funcionamiento diario de la Universidad, sino que son miembros integrales de la comunidad del campus. Como miembros de las varias comunidades de que son partes estos trabajadores, nos levantamos consigos endosando El Boicot de los Oradores de UC Berkeley, y continuaremos hacerlo hasta que todos y cada uno sean empleados directamente por la Universidad.

The richest people in America joke about how they only paid 10-15% in taxes, when the rest of us go to jail if we don't pay our share. They get benefits and pay LESS taxes for sending jobs overseas, and then putting their income in offshore tax havens. This is one way we can make sure that these richest people pay their fair share of the taxes.

Gov. Susana Martinez and extreme politicians in Santa Fe have made it clear they want to pass an unfair and unnecessary “right to work” bill this legislative session. This legislation would silence the professional voices of teachers, nurses, firefighters and police officers and cut pay and benefits for all New Mexico workers. Thousands of working people have been speaking out against this dangerous proposal since last year. So you’d think our legislators would do the right thing and oppose right to work. But big corporations have been lobbying hard to get this bill passed. This bill could come up at any time, so we need to tell our legislators that right to work is wrong for working people in New Mexico. Sign the petition now!

In an interview from Davos with Bloomberg TV on January 20, Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue, a top lobbyist for the pro-corporate-power Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP] agreement, assured viewers that if Hillary Clinton wins the Presidential election, she will support the TPP, even though she opposes it now. [1] Inside U.S. Trade reported: "The Chamber president said he expected Hillary Clinton would ultimately support the TPP if she becomes the Democratic nominee for president and is elected. He argued that she has publicly opposed the deal chiefly because her main challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has also done so. 'If she were to get nominated, if she were to be elected, I have a hunch that what runs in the family is you get a little practical if you ever get the job,' he said." [2] Donohue also said TPP will not be voted on prior to the election because Senate Republicans do not want to do anything that could jeopardize Republican Senators in close races. But he said he believed there was a 75 percent chance that TPP would get done in the lame-duck session after the election. [3] Voters have the right to know now what Democratic and Republican politicians will do on the TPP after the election, yes or no. Urge Members of Congress to take a stand now and pledge to stick to that stand after the election by signing our petition. References: 1. "Will the Trans-Pacific Partnership Deal Survive?" Bloomberg TV, January 20, 2016, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-01-20/will-the-trans-pacific-partnership-deal-survive- 2. "White House Calls Business To TPP Meeting; Donohue Sees Lame Duck Vote," Inside U.S. Trade, January 27, 2016 3. "White House Calls Business To TPP Meeting; Donohue Sees Lame Duck Vote," Inside U.S. Trade, January 27, 2016