AFL-CIO

Campaigns

• Tell WMATA's Board of Directors: Don't Put MetroAccess Services in Jeopardy

  The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority provides safe, quality public paratransit through MetroAccess so that everyone can get where they need to go, like work, the doctor’s office or just to run errands. The staff is friendly and well-trained and the vehicle fleet is adequately equipped to provide a high level of service to persons with disabilities. But now, WMATA is considering contracting with companies like Uber and Lyft to provide these services to communities in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. This is concerning because neither company ensures drivers have adequate access for wheelchair-accessible vehicles. This partnership also may lead to the creation of a system that will segregate passengers into those with mobility challenges and those without—leading to a lower class of service for wheelchair users. The working conditions and regulation of Uber and Lyft also bring into question if they are the right fit to provide public transportation services. We applaud WMATA for making efforts to give passengers quality transportation options. Now, it’s up to us as riders to make sure the solutions it implements will work for all passengers, prioritize safety and promote good working conditions and decent wages.

  38 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Nadia Ibrahim, Ms. Wheelchair Maryland 2016
• Keep Minnesota's Middle Class Strong

  Despite bipartisan opposition, supporters of the irresponsible "Right to Work" Constitutional Amendment are trying to move the bill forward in the Minnesota Senate. They know that Minnesotans oppose this unsafe, unfair and unnecessary law, and have resorted to desperate gimmicks to try to pass it. This bill is not what its supporters say it is. Plain and simple, this isn't a right to work; it's the right to hurt workers, our economy, and the middle class.

  5,115 of 6,000 Signatures

  Created by Shar Knutson, Minnesota AFL-CIO
• It’s Time for AZ Lawmakers to Stop Supporting ALEC’s Extreme Agenda

  As a teacher in the Mesa Public School system, I know that you can only best serve the kids in your classroom by listening to them. The same principle should apply with Arizona’s legislators. They were elected to serve the people of Arizona and should be listening to us. But, lately, it seems legislators are only giving an ear to deep-pocketed, outside extremist corporate donors who are working through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to get their agenda passed. Recently, I participated in a press conference to speak out on ALEC’s extreme agenda. I spoke out because I am concerned with the way outside corporate power, through organizations such as ALEC, is taking over our democracy. Instead of measures to create good jobs and improve education for our children, our lawmakers are pushing radical policies from ALEC such as Arizona’s infamous immigration law, private school vouchers, “Shoot First” bills, voter suppression laws, and anti-worker measures. And while some companies, including Pepsi, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Wendy’s, KRAFT, Intuit and Arizona Public Service, the largest energy company in Arizona, have withdrawn from ALEC, some legislators in Arizona continue to blindly support ALEC's extremist legislation. Well, it’s time for lawmakers to start listening to Arizonans, not secretive, corporate front groups like ALEC. Please sign my petition to tell Arizona lawmakers to cut ties immediately with ALEC and focus on improving education and helping Arizonans get back to work.

  6,140 of 7,000 Signatures

  Created by Dr. Janie Hydrick, teacher, Mesa Public Schools
• American Crystal Sugar: Greed’s Never Sweet

  The CEO and board members of American Crystal Sugar (ACS)—the nation’s largest sugar beet processor—have blocked me and hundreds of my co-workers from our jobs for more than a year, denying us incomes and health care benefits to support our families. What’s worse, ACS made record profits last year and paid CEO David Berg $2.4 million in compensation. All this while we struggle to make ends meet, small businesses in our communities—that rely on us to keep the doors open—have been forced to close, and sugar beet farmers are being forced to “turn under” their crops and are seeing significantly lower payments for their beets compared with what they get from other sugar producers. Sign our boycott pledge to let CEO Berg and ACS board members you won’t stand for their corporate greed. American Crystal Sugar products being boycotted include American Crystal Sugar bags of sugar labeled Crystal Sugar and “Market Pantry” sugar sold in Target stores in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

  15,812 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Mel Morris, locked out American Crystal Sugar worker
• Stop attacks on AZ firefighters, teachers and others who keep our communities safe and strong

  Taking a page out of the playbooks of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, extreme Arizona lawmakers are pushing a series of bills attacking firefighters, teachers, nurses and others who work hard to keep our communities safe and strong. These bills would lead to larger class sizes in our schools, more dangerous working conditions for firefighters and police officers and making our communities less safe. As in Wisconsin and Ohio, these measures are not about balancing Arizona’s budget and are not about jobs. They are about the destructive political agenda of right-wing politicians and their corporate funders are pushing across the country to consolidate their power.

  12,761 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Rebekah Friend, Arizona AFL-CIO
• Help Create Montana Jobs

  The Columbia Falls Aluminum Company originally provided more than 350 good-paying, union jobs. But it was shut down because of the dramatic rise in electricity costs following utility deregulation passed by the Montana state legislature. Now, the Bonneville Power Administration is proposing to enter into a power sales agreement that would provide affordable power service to the company beginning April 1, 2012. This agreement will allow the company to reopen its doors, creating renewed opportunities for jobs in the Flathead Valley, a region with an unemployment rate of 11.4 percent.

  115 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Al Ekblad, Montana State AFL-CIO
• Pennsylvania’s future on the chopping block

  Urgent: a budget already approved by the Pennsylvania House inflicts massive pain on working families and the poor—and we only have days to stop it from becoming law. The current budget cuts almost $1 billion from Pennsylvania public schools and slashes $471 million in funding for health care, services for people with disabilities and vulnerable children. It even stashes away $540 million in a “rainy day” fund, while unemployment remains at record levels. But it fails to close corporate loopholes or enact a Marcellus Shale drilling tax—which could help avoid cuts to services for seniors, kids, and other vulnerable citizens, while also helping to mitigate the environmental impact of drilling. (Pennsylvania is one of the only states that does not tax drilling.) We still have a chance to influence the final budget—because negotiations with the governor and Pennsylvania Senate are ongoing. But there isn’t much time. A vote could happen as early as this week.

  7,514 of 8,000 Signatures

  Created by Rick Bloomingdale, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
• Tell Minnesota Republicans: Do Your Jobs!

  Update - 7/22/2011: Today, the Minnesota government re-opens, and Minnesotans can finally get back to work. Sadly, Republicans chose millionaires over Minnesota’s future. They insisted that tax hikes for the richest Minnesotans be off the table. But your pressure played a vital role in stopping GOP plans to erode critical public services, take away Minnesotans’ workplace rights and put tens of thousands in the private and public sector out of work through mass layoffs. And because of the huge public outcry, Gov. Mark Dayton was also able to put more Minnesotans back to work with his jobs and infrastructure bill. Because of GOP legislators’ continued insistence on protecting millionaires, Minnesota’s revenue shortfall will continue over the next two years. Ultimately, the only way we will truly solve Minnesota’s revenue shortfall and build a better state is for the richest to finally pay their fair share in taxes. We know the public is on our side. And with your help, we are confident that this is a fight we can win. To stay up-to-date on our work, "like" the Minnesota AFL-CIO on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mnaflcio and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/mnaflcio.

  18,073 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Shar Knutson, Minnesota AFL-CIO
• MSNBC Hosts: Stop The Attacks on Workers’ Rights at NBC

  MSNBC hosts Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton and Lawrence O’Donnell are strong defenders of labor and progressive causes. And now they have a chance to stand up for workers at NBC. Producers and associate producers for Peacock Productions—which is owned by NBC and creates nonfiction and reality programming for MSNBC, NBC, CNBC and other networks—have been trying to organize for fair pay and better working conditions for more than a year. But Peacock has fought them at every turn. After workers started to organize, Peacock began to hold mandatory group and one-on-one meetings to badmouth unions. Despite that, workers persisted and finally got to vote on whether to unionize. But Peacock has used legal tactics to impound the ballots and stall workers from getting the voice on the job they deserve. Peacock workers have called on Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton and Lawrence O’Donnell to stand with them. It’s time these MSNBC hosts practice what they preach and support the rights of these producers and associate producers to organize.

  11,029 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Writers Guild of America East
• Stop Attacks on the Unemployed in N.C.

  Extreme legislators in Raleigh are pushing a bill that would make the most draconian cuts to unemployment insurance in the country. The bill would reduce the number of weeks workers are eligible for unemployment insurance, drastically cut the maximum amount of weekly benefits unemployed workers can receive and require workers to wait longer to receive unemployment insurance. With the unemployment rate in North Carolina still greater than 9%, the last thing we need to be doing is asking workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own to take another hit. This bill has already advanced in the House. Tell North Carolina senators and Gov. McCrory to oppose this extreme, anti-worker measure.

  802 of 1,000 Signatures

  Created by Stacey Hinson