We've been on strike at Momentive Performance Materials in Waterford, NY since November 2 to save good jobs and stop Wall Street greed from destroying our community. Stand with us! Our jobs have been good jobs for decades, but hedge fund billionaires are trying to destroy them to line their own pockets, hurting working families. One of the billionaires who has been driving down our standard of living is Stephen Schwarzman. And Schwarzman isn't just any Wall Street billionaire - he chairs President Donald Trump's “Strategic and Policy Forum," which is supposed to help create good jobs. Surely if Schwarzman really cares about preserving and creating good jobs in places like Waterford he should stand with us to stop the pay and benefit cuts, support good jobs and put working people before Wall Street greed. Please sign the petition.

Hours after he was sworn in, Donald Trump's first executive order was an attack on middle-class homebuyers. This first presidential action--a direct attack on the American middle class--blocked the scheduled 0.25% reduction in mortgage insurance premiums issued by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)--effectively raising the annual taxes for a $200,000 mortgage by an average of up to $500. For some middle-class families just starting a 30-year mortgage, this could have added up to more than $15,000 in savings over their lifetimes.

For more than a year, Governor Haslam has been pushing a plan that he devised -- without the input of Tennesseans or the oversight of the legislature -- to outsource the facilities management of public universities, state parks, prisons, and more. If implemented, this plan would dramatically change the way that UT and other universities across the state are run and impact the lives of thousands of state employees. Tennessee has a concerning history with outsourcing. Deals with Jones Lang LaSalle, Enterprise, and other corporations have been steeped in controversy and have cost taxpayers millions of dollars under Gov. Haslam. And when custodial services at Tennessee Technological University were privatized, many campus workers were fired and those who kept their jobs saw their pay and benefits slashed. In the end, outsourcing at TTU didn’t lead to substantial cost savings -- and what they did save came directly at the expense of campus workers. And we already know what outsourcing looks like at UTK. Our custodial services were outsourced until 2012, when administrators made the intentional decision to bring those services back in-house. Dave Irvin, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Services, said at the time that in-house services would lead to “increased service, better cleaning and more responsiveness to the needs of the university” and “better wages, benefits and continuing education opportunities” for employees. It took us two years to transition out of this outsourcing on our campus. Why would we return to something proven to be the wrong choice for UTK now, just two years later? If our facilities management is outsourced again, several vital campus programs and services could eliminated, including: - Sustainability and recycling programs (including the public recycling drop-off) - The turf management team for Neyland - Master planning, which ensures we construct a cohesive campus environment - The STAR group (Special Team to Assist Research), which helps recruit researchers to UT and support them while they’re here - Priority HVAC upkeep for student housing, classrooms, and research facilities - A 65 percent overall cut of the current supplies and operations budget for facilities services Governor Haslam has claimed that individual schools, including UTK, will have the opportunity to opt out of this outsourcing plan next semester. With this petition, we appeal directly to UT President Joe DiPietro, incoming UTK Chancellor Beverly Davenport, and the UT Board of Trustees to listen to what students, campus workers, and community members are saying. Over the last year and a half thousands have protested, spoken out, written columns and passed SGA resolutions in opposition to this plan. We hope that this petition demonstrates what they have been saying all along: that Tennessee is not for sale. Sources: http://bit.ly/2ipHG3M http://bit.ly/2ilAzWP http://bit.ly/2jBBDqF http://bit.ly/2joSvS5 http://bit.ly/2jcIM3F

The messaging opportunity for the Democrats to begin to convince Trump voters that Democrats represent blue collar workers' interests lies with opposition to an anti-worker Labor Secretary. If the Democrats want to win in the midterms; this is the matter they should emphasize. And we should not accept a labor secretary with no record of supporting workers.

I live on the lands of the Ohlone People and believe they deserve Federal and State "Recognition" .

The North Carolina General Assembly put in place automatic rate cuts for profitable and powerful corporations as of January 1st that will result in $500 million less in annual revenue despite what is needed for communities, classrooms and families to thrive. Since 2013, the tax rate paid by profitable corporations has dropped from 6.9 percent to 4 percent and as of January 1st will drop to 3 percent. This is well below the 5.49 rate paid by North Carolina taxpayers on their taxable income. Given the rate is already among the lowest in the nation and the region and the evidence that shows such rate cuts do not generate boosts to the economy as promised, North Carolina policymakers should not again push an agenda that helps the powerful. Before the end of the year, it is critical to make clear that North Carolina's elected leaders should choose people and communities over profitable corporations. The tax rate on corporate profits should remain at 4 percent.

In the early months of 2016, three top-performing Macy's employees filed discrimination, harassment, and retaliation charges with the EEOC against the retail giant. While the charges have remained under federal investigation for nearly a year, instead of correcting problems and taking disciplinary action, Macy's corporate leadership responded by escalating their acts of harassment and retaliation while subsequently promoting nearly all the staff members who participated in the illegal and unethical violations to higher ranking positions. Currently, Macy's is amidst its annual "Believe" campaign, which is done in conjunction with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. This means that Macy's has erected letter-writing stations at each of its store locations and online at www. macys.com/believe . Adults and children can write a letter to Santa and for each letter submitted by Dec. 24th, Macy's donates $1.00 to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. We have, therefore, incorporated this wonderful feature into our public protest. We are not only asking supporters to sign our MoveOn petition but we are also asking supporters to stop by your local Macy's store or visit them online at www.macy.com/believe and drop a letter not only to Santa but also to CEO's Terry Lundgren and Jeff Gennette, telling them that you "believe" in workplaces that are free from discrimination and that foster a culture of inclusivity; charity begins at home. By utilizing Macy's "Believe" campaign stations in store or online you are not only sending a clear message to Macy's CEO's but for every "Santa Letter" Macy's receives the company donates a dollar to Make-a-Wish Foundation, even if it isn't exactly the message Macy's was expecting to see! This seems most appropriate since parents of Make-a-Wish Foundation recipients would be devastated to face harassment in the workplace because of disabilities and heath crises suffered by loved ones. Also, Make-a-Wish Foundation recipients who are able to eventually join the workforce may also have disabilities that require accommodations just like some of the staff members who filed charges against Macy's! People with disabilities not only deserve an inclusive, supportive workplace to live life to the fullest, but providing appropriate, effective accommodations is the law. Helping is just two simple steps! Step 1) Sign this Petition! Step 2) Log on to www.macys.com/believe and tell CEOs you believe in a workplace free from all forms of discrimination! For those interested in one example of how Macy's treated one mother (associational discrimination), here is that story: Macy's Manager told an employee with disabled children not to apply for a promotion she was qualified for because of her "family problems." The "family problems" she was referring to were the depression counseling her bi-polar son was receiving and her youngest daughter with Down Syndrome. Despite being one of the most experienced and efficient staff members in the department she was denied the opportunity to apply for the higher paying position because promotions require manager approval. This was the second time in a year she was denied an interview for a promotion. Weeks later her daughter's daycare told her that they were raising her rates by $100 dollars. With little to no pay increases over her three years at Macy's and unable to find an alternative daycare equipped to meet her daughter's needs, she was forced to split her family and send her daughter to live with her father. Depressed and struggling to cope without her daughter, her supervisor cited her for not being "happy enough" at work. When she pointed out that all her customers were happy with her service and that her area was neat and well attended, the manager replied by telling her that she could only assume based on how tidy her area was, by comparison, that she must have neglected to engage with her customers. The good work executed by targeted employees is consistently and systematically turned against them. If she wasn't caught up, she was reprimanded. When she was caught up, she was still reprimanded. We aren't asking for miracles or magic! We are, however, demanding that Macy's uphold the basic provisions set forth by law. If you'd like basic language to copy and paste into the form at www.macys.com/believe "I believe" in workplaces that are free from discrimination and foster a culture of inclusivity. I will return all goods purchased from Macy's and boycott the company until corrective actions are taken. Charity begins at home."

Think tanks funded by the Koch Brothers spend hundreds of millions of dollars to indoctrinate working class families about Social Security and Medicare. We do not subscribe to their mainstream media assault on these programs because we have paid for them in advance through payroll taxes.

Nobody listens to the working people, Fox News has finally elected a president, the government has allowed big corporations to write laws they want, the only power left to citizens is their spending, so spend less. Make this an unhappy xmas season. The popular vote was not for trump so we are not happy. if the politicians won't listen big business will if we slow down spending. It's easy to join, slow your spending. No need to sign on just spend less, tell a friend, lets hit big business shop locally.

The house ,Paul Ryan, is threatening to "privatize" social security and put into Wall Street. That is NOT their money. It belongs to the people who invested in it, including the interest they "borrowed" from it.. We do Not give you permission to STEAL IT.

People need to be thinking about what rule changes Obama made that need to be preserved as those are what can easily disappear on January 21st. Most of them have not been talked about in the campaign. Like the changes in the overtime laws that take effect December lst. There are a number of conditions that exempt people from being paid overtime- one is the type of salaried job that can be made exempt. Exemption is also dependent on the job’s salary level. The current level for exemption is $23,660 per year (about $11.37 an hour) set 12 years ago. This is less that what it costs to live in Madison Wi (much less New York, Chicago or San Francisco). Earn more than that in some jobs and you do not get paid for over time Obama used a rather low amount for the new exemption level $47,892 (about $22.83 an hour)- this is based on the 40th percentile for the lowest American regional market. He also indexed it for inflation so that such a large jump will not occur again. It will have two effects, people in the targeted job categories who earn near the exemption level will get raises. People in lower wage positions will either get overtime or other people will be hired to help them. This may be an issue that resonates with many Trump supporters a point of unity. Save Over Time is one logical grassroots effort for the next 60 days to focus Trump on the policies needed to make America great again. I am sure there are more. Do not just share the position - many lower income Trump supporters are not online- create a small leaflet with a call to action on the bottom - Something simple - SAVE OVER TIME - a couple of sentences and write Donald Trump c/o the White House- the point is to focus on rule changes and force these issues before the inauguration start focusing on the details as opposed to the sound bytes

The newly elected Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has pledged to pass the anti-union Right to Work Law. Right to Work is an attack on all workers, and will erode the standard of living for all Missourians, giving employers all the power over wages, benefits, and working conditions. Facts about 'Right to Work' for Less: - The average worker in 'Right to Work' states earns $6,109 (12.1%) less per year than workers in states without 'Right to Work' legislation. - Median household income in states with these laws is $8,174 (13.9%) less than in other states. - Poverty rates are higher in states with right to work laws (15.3% overall and 21.4% for children), compared with poverty rates of 12.8% overall and 18.0% for children in states without these laws - People under the age of 65 in states with right to work laws are more likely to be uninsured (13.0%, compared with 9.4% in free-bargaining states) - The rate of workplace deaths is 49% higher in states with right to work laws, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Don’t be fooled! As Martin Luther King, Jr. said in 1961, “In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as ‘right to work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining… We demand this fraud be stopped.” Please sign this petition and share with others. Governor Greitens needs to be stopped!