On Monday, I was told by the prestigious all-girls preparatory Ellis School where I work, that I was losing my job and would be replaced with someone making $4 less an hour. As a mother of three, I believe in the school’s mission to “prepare, empower, and inspire each and every girl through an excellent education in an all-girls environment” and I take pride in cleaning for the children and teachers, and maintaining the bathrooms, hallways, auditorium, and other facilities. To make matters worse, I lost my good union job on July 31: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. Ironically, the Ellis School prides itself on diversity but made the decision to cut their all African American cleaning crew so they can save money. Instead of continuing to work with a contractor that provides me and my co-workers with a union contract that provides living wages and benefits, the Ellis School decided to contract out our jobs to General Cleaning, which pays workers poverty wages of $8.68 an hour. I want to continue to provide the best learning environment possible for our next generation of women leaders—but I have to be able to provide for my family too. The Ellis School Values claim to “seek intellectual, emotional, and physical health for every member of our community.” We are asking the Ellis School to live up its values and look after me and my coworkers so we can continue to provide for our girls and families too. Sincerely, Alyce Toombs

This bill is designed to make a deal with a company that will set up cameras throughout the state to check license plates and find out-of-state drivers who lack insurance or registration. When these drivers are caught and have to pay fines, the company will keep half the money. But since these cameras see the license plates of everyone who drives, companies that process this data can figure out who's driving where and sell that information. The bill doesn't do anything to stop these companies from selling or misusing the information, and it should. When the government decides to have a camera system set up like this, the law should say clearly that it's not okay to abuse the system.

Our national gratitude and encouragement to ex-President Obama at this crucial time in our Democracy!

Please request a membership meeting by written request.

Recently, CNN hosts Alisyn Camerota and Chris Cuomo invited Dan Stein of the Federation for American Immigration Reform to appear on their morning show to argue in favor of the GOP's new bill to cut immigration to the US by half. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled Stein's organization a "Hate Group" saying their "leaders have ties to white supremacist groups and eugenicists and have made many racist statements. Its advertisements have been rejected because of racist content. FAIR's founder, John Tanton, has expressed his wish that America remain a majority-white population: a goal to be achieved, presumably, by limiting the number of nonwhites who enter the country." According to SPLC documents, Stein has complained that today's immigrants are engaged in "competitive breeding" to diminish the America's white majority. He also served as editorial adviser for The Social Contract, a nativist hate journal. In an interview with Tucker Carlson in 1997, Stein stated, "Should we be subsidizing people with low IQs to have as many children as possible, and not subsidizing those with high ones?" This isn't Stein's first appearance on New Day. He has been invited to the show several times since the election of Donald trump. CNN should not amplify the voices of Hate Groups! We have to keep their extreme racist agendas out of the mainstream. Please join with me in signing this petition. ---------Sources ---------- https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/federation-american-immigration-reform https://twitter.com/NewDay/status/893061749179650053

To request Kym Worthy, in her capacity as the Wayne County Prosecutor, to reverse the decision to not file animal cruelty charges against the AT&T contractor who deliberately shot and killed Kadie (a family dog, in Livonia, MI) on her own property. (Kadie is her correct name) The contractor failed to ask the family to secure Kadie before shooting and killing her. The contractor knew several of his actions were wrong, including violating AT&T's policy banning weapons. His statements to the police contradict his reckless actions that endangered the public, and his ruthless killing of Kadie. The family will address the Livonia City Council, Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. The contractor had numerous other options, then killing Kadie. Before beginning any work on any residential homes, the contractor could and should have knocked on doors to: 1) announce work he had to perform and, 2) request any dogs to be secured. Instead of shooting and killing Kadie, he could've instead screamed, yelled, ran, ran to his vehicle, banged on doors and yelled, "Secure your dog!" He never should have shot and killed Kadie. Regardless of easement rights, utility companies should always: 1) send notice to residents, when they will be in the area performing non-emergency utility work and, 2) request that residents secure their dogs. DTE does an exemplary job in providing notice whenever they're in the area to perform non-emergency work. They send notice of when they will be in the area, with days, dates, times, and ask people to secure their dogs. If DTE can do it, then AT&T has no excuse to not follow suit. Because, shooting and killing a family dog that was startled by the contractor, while the dog was on its own property, should never have been a first resort, nor any resort for that matter. Again, Kadie was shot by the contractor while on her own property. She remained within the electric fence boundary, while he deliberately shot her to death. The contractor is clearly abusing the defense, "I feared for my life." It doesn't matter that the contractor had no way of knowing an invisible fence existed. Because, again, the contractor had other options than to shoot and kill Kadie. The contractor was not justified in shooting and killing Kadie. He alleges she lunged at him, that he feared for his life. That still does not excuse him in killing her. He could've ran to his vehicle if he's going to claim fearing for his life. AT&T, the general contractor, and the contractor who killed Kadie have not bothered to apologize to the family. Prosecutor Worthy, we ask that you understand a civil action is not enough. We do not view dogs as the arcane law does; as property. We do not view dogs being the same as furniture; a desk, a table, or any other intangible object. Dogs and other animals are family members and faithful/loyal companions. For some, that is the only family and loyalty they have. We respectfully request that you and your office immediately reverse the decision to not file any animal cruelty charges. We ask for the immediate filing of felony animal cruelty charges against the AT&T contractor. The contractor knew exactly what he was doing, he deliberately killed her. He knew, and had reason to know his felonious action would result in her death. He didn't fire a warning shot, he didn't shoot at the ground to scare her off, he didn't shoot her in the leg. He deliberately shot and killed her with impunity. He acted with the same contempt in killing Kadie, as those who act with contempt when they kill rats. In absence of felony animal cruelty charges, animal abusers will hide behind the defense, "I feared for my life," when they shoot and kill dogs. Since no felony animal cruelty charges were filed, all dogs that bark at strangers who startle them or try to enter their property, are at risk of being shot and killed. Last of all, postal carriers don't carry guns. They only carry mace, and have far more encounter with dogs. However, they don't kill the dogs. Prosecutor Worthy, we need your office need to hear this message loud and clear: Contractors who fail to provide notice to residents, and fail to ask residents to secure their dogs, do not get a free pass in shooting and killing family dogs on their own property. In closing, we ask you Prosecutor Worthy to understand that Justice for Kadie begins with you and your office reversing your decision, and immediately file felony animal cruelty charges against the AT&T contractor who deliberately and with impunity killed Kadie.

I fear Trump may push the nuclear button if he thinks he can save himself by doing so.

President Trump and Republicans want to slash Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security Disability Insurance to fund even more tax breaks for the super rich. The last thing we need is to make the tax code even more rigged in favor of billionaires and corporate insiders. We say: Not one penny in tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires and wealthy corporations.

Donald Trump has released his plan to slash legal immigration, which requires immigrants to speak English, among other conditions. But English skills have nothing to do with whether an immigrant should enter and live in America--under this condition, Trump's grandfather would have been barred from our country.(1) And Trump should be one to talk. His English skills are so problematic, going by his frequent incoherent, garbled sentences.(2) That's why you should sign this petition to have Trump accept my challenge to a Spelling Bee. If he loses, he should dump his plan to slash legal immigration, which tears apart families and hurts America with cruel and senseless conditions. Sources: (1) "Under Trump's new immigration rule, his own grandfather likely wouldn’t have gotten in," Washington Post, Aug. 3, 2017 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/08/03/under-trumps-new-immigration-rule-his-own-grandfather-likely-wouldnt-have-gotten-in/ (2) "Leaked Trump transcripts show his incoherent, ill-informed narcissism," The Guardian, Aug. 3, 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/03/trump-transcripts-australia-mexico-narcissism

Stop the spread of Trump's conspiracy theories! They harm our fair and free press, and by extension, our democracy. The best way to stop Fox News' lies is to hurt their bottom line.

The Keystone-XL pipeline is just one permit away from having all the paperwork it needs to be built. Donald Trump may have given the Federal go-ahead as soon as he took office, but the Nebraska Public Service Commission can stop the pipeline in its tracks by rejecting the route that pipeline company TransCanada has proposed. This is a key opportunity to say no to fossil fuels and corporate power of our rights, as Keystone-XL threatens to pollute our water, wreck our climate, and run roughshod over native rights to their land. Call on the Nebraska Public Service Commission to reject the route!

Now is the time to openly and warmly thank disability rights activists for their fierce opposition that helped to defeat Trumpcare, and to commit to helping defend them against this administration. Disability rights activists--including members of ADAPT--must be recognized for their significant role in blocking Trumpcare and saving health care for millions of fellow Americans. Trumpcare would have killed people with disabilities. But threats to Medicaid and a president who has openly mocked disabled people and has labeled the Americans with Disabilities Act "oppressive" to business owners--are perhaps just as dangerous in the long run. Furthermore, the intersection of people with disabilities and people who already have societal odds stacked against them--LGBTQ individuals, Black people and people of color, immigrants, women, senior citizens, the working class and poor, and more--means solidarity is absolutely critical. To change the systematic structures that keep people with disabilities at the margins, we must all work together.