Overtime pay is a right that all American workers should enjoy. But now that right is at risk for home care workers in California. California’s senior citizens and people with disabilities rely on the quality care they receive through the state's In-Home Supportive Services program (IHSS) and the dedicated home care workers who serve them. Home care workers earn very low wages for the important work they do keeping their clients healthy, safe, and out of the state’s hospitals and high-cost care facilities. Last year, Governor Jerry Brown followed President Obama's example by signing a bill into law allowing home care workers to earn overtime pay for the first time in history, starting January 1, 2015. But an out-of-state lawsuit by the for-profit home care industry was successful in convincing a federal judge to delay the implementation of this law, taking away these protections just hours before they were supposed to go into effect. Governor Brown can move forward with overtime pay for California home care workers anyway, and he's already set aside the money for it in the state budget. New we just need him to do the right thing and stand up for home care workers and the people they care for by confirming overtime pay for home care workers.

On their second day in session, the U.S. House voted on a bill designed to weaken the most important protections of Dodd-Frank. To add insult to injury, 35 Democrats voted with the Republican majority. A week later, after thousands of constituents expressed their displeasure, the House voted again on HR 37. Some of the Democrats got the message and switched their votes, but 29 House Democrats still voted for the bill. The 29 House Democrats were: Brad Ashford (NE-02), Ami Bera (CA-07), Don Beyer (VA-08), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), John Carney (DE-AL), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), John Delaney (MD-06), Bill Foster (IL-11), Gwen Graham (FL-02), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Jim Himes (CT-04), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Ron Kind (WI-03), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Dan Lipinski (IL-03), Sean Maloney (NY-18), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Scott Peters (CA-52), Jared Polis (CO-02), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), David Scott (GA-13), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) and Albio Sires (NJ-08). Dodd-Frank was passed in an attempt to prevent another 2008 financial crisis by lowering risk in various parts of the U.S. financial system. Since its passage, Republicans and Democrats in league with Wall St. have done their best to eliminate its most important protections—and leave the U.S. vulnerable to another economic crisis. Votes like this are calculated moves on the part of centrist Democrats to please donors and distance themselves from the Democratic Party. This isn’t the first offense for many of these bad actors and we’ll likely see more votes like this over the next two years. Every time a Democrat abandons the Party to shill for corporations at the expense of their constituents, we must let them know we are watching and won’t forget when it comes time for re-election.

Ahead of his State of the Union address, President Obama announced his plan to call on Congress to pass a federal paid sick days bill to give workers seven paid sick days for each year of work. President Obama's support for national paid sick days comes after big Working Families wins on the issue in Connecticut, New York City, and cities in New Jersey and Oregon! No one should have to go to work sick. But for millions of American workers, especially low wage working women, one stomach bug is all it takes to lose a week's pay or even your job. It's not healthy and it's not right. Let's pass paid sick days. Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/01/14/obama-child-care-paid-leave/21768969/

At the National Summit on Raising Wages last week, Elizabeth Warren laid out her economic agenda, to rebuild and reorient the American economy toward the 90%+ that are getting screwed by special interest groups and Wall Street and their sympathizers in Congress. It’s exactly the kind of comprehensive, commonsense plan that this country needs: to create more good jobs that pay a living wage, by making investments in infrastructure, education, and research; to protect and expand Social Security, Medicare, and pensions; and to address the deep structural flaws in our tax and financial regulatory system. Sign our petition here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/show-your-support-for-elizabeth-warrens-economic-agenda?source=Moveon And Stand with us in supporting her fight for the middle class

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade deal currently being negotiated between the United States and 11 other countries in Asia and the Pacific. If finalized, it would be the largest trade deal in history. In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, co-signed by Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Edward Markey, Elizabeth Warren warned that the deal could allow foreign companies to challenge United States financial regulations designed to prevent another financial crisis. They wrote: "Including such provisions in the TPP could expose American taxpayers to billions of dollars in losses and dissuade the government from establishing or enforcing financial rules that impact foreign banks. The consequence would be to strip our regulators of the tools they need to prevent the next crisis.” Warren has also spoken out forcefully against the secretive nature of the negotiations behind the deal being written by lobbyists from America’s biggest corporations and Wall Street’s biggest banks. Speaking at Public Citizen, Warren said, “From what I hear, Wall Street, pharmaceuticals, telecom, big polluters and outsourcers are all salivating at the chance to rig the deal in the upcoming trade talks. So the question is, ‘Why are the trade talks secret?’... I actually have had supporters of the deal say to me ‘They have to be secret, because if the American people knew what was actually in them, they would be opposed.’” Sources and more information: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/18/elizabeth-warren-trade-deal_n_6350312.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/elizabeth-warren-other-democrats-raise-concerns-about-free-trade-pact-with-asia/2014/12/17/19de1c48-8632-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/12/18/senator-warren-takes-tpp http://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/TPP.pdf

The housing crisis is tough on all of us, but for low income elderly and disabled Californians it has become almost impossible to get by. In 2008, then-Governor Schwarzenegger used his line-item veto power to eliminate a small tax rebate, just up to $347.50 per household, for elderly, blind and disabled renters making less than $44,096. Nearly 500,000 households relied on the “Renter’s Rebate” to pay the rent, buy groceries and get crucial medical coverage. With rents skyrocketing all over the state, the lack of such basic assistance is an outrage. California has its first budget surplus since the program was cut. And Governor Brown and the California legislature can immediately restore the Renter’s Rebate by funding it in the new state budget. But they’ll only do it if you demand it. Elderly and disabled Californians have been suffering in this housing crisis. Senior and disabled tenants need this basic lifeline back. We need to act right now while the budget is being written and debated in Sacramento. Tell your state representatives and Governor Brown to restore the renters rebate and bring relief to struggling California renters today.

My name is Nathaniel Smith. I am 22 years old and I live in West Philadelphia. I work as a baggage handler for PrimeFlight Aviation Services, a contractor for US Airways at the Philadelphia International Airport. I make $7.25 an hour with no meaningful benefits. I don’t make close to enough to provide for my family the way I’d like to. I have a 3 year-old daughter and a son on the way. Like any parent, I want to buy my children the world but sometimes I can barely afford to get them toys or take them to lunch. I am constantly juggling bills and my phone has even been cut off. Most of the time, I make sacrifices that affect me, and not my children like working more hours or going without eating. There are many workers at the Philadelphia International Airport who are in the same boat as I am. My coworkers and I get little or no health care. Most of us don’t get paid holidays, vacation time or sick days. Some of us even experience unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. This is no way to live. We deserve human dignity and respect. For nearly three years we have been speaking out for better wages and conditions. Philadelphia voters have heard our cries for help and overwhelmingly supported a wage raise to $10.88. Yet eight months later, we have yet to see the raise in our paychecks. It seems that our dream is delayed. Dr. King died supporting Memphis sanitation workers who were working under deplorable conditions and making what would be $11.41 per hour today. 46 years after Dr, King’s death, most airport passenger service workers work under deplorable conditions and earn just $8 per hour with little or no benefits. Dr. King’s dream—our dream—of good jobs and equality for all should be delayed no more. That’s why it is more important than ever that we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy as we demand a better future for our families and for our city. We demand and declare that MLK Day 2015 will be a paid holiday for all airport workers. Join me and pledge to stand with PHL airport workers to make MLK Day 2015 a paid holiday. Thank you. Nathaniel Smith, PHL Airport Worker

Hundreds of thousands of seniors and Californians with disabilities recieve quality in-home care through the state's In-Home Supportive Services program (IHSS) and the dedicated homecare workers who serve them. But recently, the for-profit homecare industry was successful in delaying the implementation of a federal regulation that would allow IHSS care providers to receive overtime pay and other labor protections for the first time in history. These protections were due to begin January 1, 2015--and they were taken away just hours before they were supposed to go into effect. Help protect our program and ensure equal rights for homecare workers by signing this petition to urge Governor Jerry Brown to move foward with overtime pay for IHSS workers in 2015. We've waited 75 years for this. It's time.

This past October the Steamship Authority Board voted a rate increase for January 1st 2015. This rate increase was voted to cover anticipated shortfalls in the current fiscal year budget. Included was a budget increase in the Fuel oil budget line item of 2.5%. The Authority budgeted nearly $10 million dollars for the current fiscal year for fuel. The fuel and oil markets have declined by roughly 50% since summer. This is now creating a multi million dollar surplus and thus should be reason enough to suspend and or repeal the current rate increase. By signing this petition you are sending a message to the Martha's Vineyard Steamship Authority Representative and other Island elected officials that you support a repeal and or suspension of these rate increases.

Barbara needs this job its the only thing she has done for 10 years and all the customers love her like she was part of their family for years. She has made lots of friends lover the years and is still making new ones. If it wouldn't have been for Barbara there wouldn't be any money going into that store at all.

Glencore Xstrata locked out 450 employees at Gregory, Texas in October 2014 when the workers refused to accept cuts to retirement and health benefits and overtime pay. Glencore Xstrata should end the lock-out and return to the negotiating table with the United Steel Workers local 235-A.

Yes my pension could be cut by more than 75% a month. This could hurt more than 10 million retired union workers,and untold current workers.