Labor and Industries has determined that Independent interpreters will be limited to cover only emergency, and urgent care appointments, when they implement the scheduling system in September. They also have chosen an out of state company to handle the distribution of appointments, a move that will drive interpreting jobs away from Washington State, and possibly out of the country. This company changed their name from MyLanguageLink to InterpretingWorks to do business in Washington. This is a company whose owners have ties with WFSE/Local 1671/Interpreters United. As independent contractors and Interpreters, we are a vital part of our economy, and provide an invaluable service to injured workers. With our economy already weakened by COVID-19, we must do everything we can to protect it. Please join us, and ask the Department of Labor and Industries to do what's right for the majority of workers which are independent interpreters. Let's keep jobs in our state, tell L&I to allow independent interpreters to work without restrictions!

COVID numbers have more than double with him making poor decisions for the state. The governor opened the state way too early. Now with him allowing the RNC to come to Florida shows extreme poor judgment and leadership. The handling of the vaccine in the state was totally chaotic. It could’ve been better. The vaccine with the help of President Biden setting a deadline has gotten distributed to several. If we left it to our governor, there will be several of us just sitting in our homes trying not to be infected.

The level of the barriers are the same height as handle grips of most bikes. Even at slow speeds once grip hits the barrier the bike's front tire turns and rider falls off. Since installed barriers have damaged bikes and worse caused bodily harm.

First, transparency and accountability from the City Commissioner’s office is critical to ensuring free and fair elections. As elected officials, the City Commissioners must act in good faith and engage in open dialogue with constituents so that we can ensure safe, secure, and equal access to the ballot box. Otherwise, our elections and our democracy will be at risk. Second, a clear plan is needed to address problems that arose in the primary election. From mail-in ballot accessibility to insecure ballot counting, these issues threaten the integrity of our elections: they have the potential to disenfranchise thousands of voters, cast doubt upon our election’s validity, and expose our results to lawsuits. But the City Commissioners have the power to solve them. To do that, they need to act now. All eyes will be on PA this November and, as a result, on Philly. Our health and our votes are at stake if action is not taken starting now.

The President has deployed unidentified federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security and sub-agencies to Portland over the objection of local and state governments. These agents have subsequently escalated conflict, and gleefully beaten, shot, and gassed peaceful protesters, and kidnapped others off the street in unmarked vehicles. The President has threatened to deploy more agents to Chicago and other "Democrat" cities, against the will of the states. It has become clear that the Department of Homeland Security has exceeded its original purpose. It has been transformed into a secret police force used by the President to inflict terror against those with whose politics he disagrees. Although unlikely, we are in a small window of time where it may be possible to undo the damage that has been done, and dismantle this occupying army being deployed against U.S. cities. If we hesitate to take action, the President will only be emboldened, and the precedent of using the Department of Homeland Security for political retribution will be established. Please tell Congress to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security and some sub-agencies.

WWU has stated their goal of holding in person classes in 2020, this makes sense as some classes simply can't be conducted online (For example Sculpting). Their plan involves attending classes until Thanksgiving break, afterwards, they intend to switch classes to online as to encourage student to stay home. One would expect as such the cost of housing would be decreased as to accommodate for this change. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. According to the WWU housing page the cost of housing for Fall 2020 will be even more expensive than the cost for Fall 2019 2019 https://housing.wwu.edu/apply/apply-now/room-and-board-rates & 2020 https://housing.wwu.edu/files/documents/Rates%20for%20Web%20Page_Quarterly%20Totals_with%20BT45_6-24-20_Covid%20Format_0.pdf). Additionally, students will be expected to pay for 17 days in which they won't be on campus. Take the cost of a typical Fall Quarter housing arrangement of a double room with a 100 meal plan at $4, 575. We attend for 80 days in the Fall Quarter, this comes out to $57 per day, multiply this by 17 days and you get $972. This is without including the cost of transportation and other campus utilities. While, we are happy with how WWU has responded to Covid-19. We shouldn't be expected to pay nearly $1,000 for housing and utilities in which we won't be using. If you support this petition please sign, it is a quick process and can potentially help many students!

Many students feel unsafe and are concerned for their health due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Allowing students a choice to take either online or in-person classes will cause less confusion and will prevent students from being excluded from classes they already enrolled in (which has been happening to many Bloomsburg University students in order to ensure safe social distancing protocol).

On the steps of the Capitol, Republican Rep. Ted Yoho called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a “f**king b*tch.” She had never even met him before.[1] She was defending her over-policing criminalizes the poor and marginalized. And for daring to have an opinion, Rep. Yoho thought it was okay to hurl a sexist, vulgar slur at her. Congress cannot let this stand. Rep. Yoho’s comments were abhorrent and need to be dealt with immediately. Tell Congress: Censure Rep. Yoho for his sexist, vulgar language toward Rep. Ocasio-Cortez! Let’s be honest: men hurl these insults at women to demean them. Men like Rep. Yoho need to use vulgar language toward women because they’re threatened by women who speak up, who stand by their convictions, and who challenge the antiquated notion that only men should hold power. But as much as men like Rep. Yoho wish for the sexist days of Mad Men, that’s not the world we live in. AOC and Ted Yoho have the same job. In other words, on the steps of Congress, they’re equals, no matter what kinds of names Rep. Yoho wants to throw at her. But this isn’t just a DC-spat, Congress has rules governing decorum and codes of ethics. They’re put in place to secure the American people’s trust that our elected officials are professional, lawful, civic-minded servants. Rep. Yoho violated those rules and ethics by cursing at Rep. Ocasio-Cortez. He needs to face consequences, and swiftly. Demand Progress has already filed a complaint against Rep. Yoho, but Congress to take action now by censuring him. Tell Congress: Censure Rep. Yoho for his sexist, vulgar language toward AOC! Source 1. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/508259-ocaasio-cortez-accosted-by-gop-lawmaker-over-remarks-that-kind-of

We, the people of South Carolina, urge you to put the welfare of every citizen before partisan politics We, the people of South Carolina, urge you not to put educators and school employees in harm's way. We, the people of South Carolina urge you to make masks, social distancing, and all recommendations of the CDC our state policies. We, the people of South Carolina, request you declare a state of emergency in education and find an immediate way for distanced learning to reach every child in communities with no internet connectivity.

United States citizens and residents have the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association. Protesters' civil rights are being trampled on and violated. Putin stops protests in Russia and Xi Jinping hurts protesters in China but this is not acceptable in the United States of America. Photo credit: Skylor Powell

As we reopen our schools, we must also support the safety and economic stability of our local communities by ensuring that frontline workers are valued with living wages, family health care benefits, and access to quality, affordable child care and education. We must take this opportunity not just to recover from the COVID-19 crisis but to reset the course of investment in education. We must also begin to tear-down the systemic racism that denies all children a quality education and make fundamental changes to ensure all students and employees can learn and work in safe, clean, and supportive schools – now and into the future. To do so, plans to reopen our schools must be guided by these principles: **Distance Learning Until It is Safe to Reopen Health experts recommend 14 days of no new cases before resuming school in person. All the school districts that do not have low community spread of COVID and adequate resources for a full reopening should be able to continue virtual learning. We call upon local counties and the state government to support virtual learning with community resources and technology support. **Maintain Local Control Local school boards have the constitutional power to make educational decisions for their communities and should be free to do so without threats or punishments from state and federal authorities. School boards are uniquely suited to make the best decisions for their communities, as they are elected leaders who work in conjunction with local organizations to best serve their community. Local school boards should work with a panel of local health experts during the reopening process to make reopening decisions without interference from the State government. **Cover ALL employees wages and benefits as budgeted All workers are essential. As soon as it is safe, School Districts will resume in person learning. In order to maintain continuity and availability of an experienced workforce, we are calling for the School Districts to continue to cover ALL employees wages and benefits as budgeted. The State should call on the Federal Government to allocate additional resources for School Districts struggling during this financial crisis. **Focus on our communities The pandemic has laid bare how much working families depend on schools for food, child care, wellness and other basic needs. Community organizations that support families by becoming “safe havens” for children during working hours should be fully supported by the school district. As communities recover, schools must more fully engage parents and front line workers to identify neighborhood needs and appropriately target the expansion of meal programs, after school activities, health care access (including COVID-19 testing) and other safety-net services. **Ensure full support and resources for our most vulnerable students The shutdown of our schools has disproportionately impacted students of color, immigrants and students with special needs, as well as the essential classified school workers who provide them with critical services. As School Districts are considering reopening plans, learning-loss and achievement gaps must be addressed immediately through expanded instructional assistance, full access to technology for all, counseling and other services that support vulnerable students. School boards need the flexibility to work with individual families and staff to best meet the needs of students, including home visits or other workable solutions. School boards must provide language and translation services for non-English-speaking parents **Prioritize safety and cleanliness for all In the past, the regular sanitizing of classrooms and campuses has long been regarded as a “wish-list” item for schools rather than a priority. As a result, maintenance budgets have suffered the greatest budget cuts, staffing levels have been drastically reduced and school districts have struggled to maintain basic cleanliness standards. We are calling for a SAFE reopening of schools, which will require proper protective equipment for all, training, testing and appropriate staffing of maintenance workers to protect students in every environment where they learn – from school buses to classrooms to playgrounds and cafeterias. CDC Guidelines should be fully adhered along with advice from local health experts. **Training and Technology Support School Districts must invest in providing training on new safety protocols as well as training on new technology. The schools should also provide technology support for the staff who are expected to perform duties virtually during this time. Staff and families also need additional training on best practices to reduce the spread of COVID and other germs. **Recognize and respect the role of essential school workers As most of the world has sheltered at home, custodians, food service workers and other essential school staff have risked exposure to COVID-19 to maintain the safety and well-being of our communities. But their recognition as heroes of the pandemic has also highlighted the low-wage, part-time nature of this predominantly Black and Brown workforce. As we rebuild our schools, we must also support the economic stability of our local communities by ensuring that the contributions of frontline workers are valued with living wages, family health care benefits, and access to quality, affordable child care. **Bold investment in our schools and communities Our response to this unprecedented pandemic cannot be budget cuts and business as usual. We must challenge elected leaders to create a more progressive fiscal system. We must create new revenue streams where the wealthy pay their fair share and our budget is not balanced on the backs of school custodians, cafeteria workers, special education assistants and other essential employees. We must put equity for all of our students and staff at the center of our rebuilding efforts.

America just lost a giant in the fight for civil rights. If our senators want to honor Rep. John Lewis, they must continue his legacy -- by passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act. For six decades, Lewis fought tirelessly to expand and protect the rights of Black voters and other voters of color. And the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 was one of the crown jewels of his lifelong struggle. Under the VRA, states and counties with a history of discrimination had to get federal approval for new voting laws -- which stopped thousands of harmful provisions from taking effect. But the Supreme Court gutted that requirement in 2013, inviting power-hungry politicians to silence voters. Strict voter ID requirements in Texas. Voter roll purges in Georgia. Polling place shutdowns in Arizona and Mississippi. And not even the COVID-19 crisis could put a stop to this blatant voter suppression -- many of the states once subject to preclearance are now refusing to make vote-by-mail more accessible. In December 2019, the House passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act -- a new, updated version of the Voting Rights Act that restores key protections for voters -- as Rep. Lewis himself held the gavel. But the bill has remained untouched on Mitch McConnell’s desk for months, even though the Senate voted unanimously to renew the VRA in 2006. So while McConnell calls Lewis an “American hero” and lauds his pioneering work -- he is also stonewalling the bill that Lewis risked his life for. [1] If you believe that Mitch McConnell and the Senate must pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act, add your name today. As Rep. Lewis said: "We have come too far and made too much progress to stop now." 1) https://twitter.com/senatemajldr/status/1284344881117364225