Dear friends,
I was hoping to deliver some more good news, but fresh chaos in Congress and a new Israeli onslaught in Gaza have temporarily squashed my optimism.
Yesterday, I was heartened to see that the US drafted a UN resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It turned out to be more of a show than a meaningful effort because
the resolution was silent on three contentious issues. In a clause directed at Israel, it urged all parties to cooperate with the investigations into the neutrality of the UN relief works agency UNRWA, but did not call for a return to funding of the agency at this stage. The future governance of Gaza was largely untouched save to give the UN special coordinator a clear role. It did not say if international humanitarian law was being breached.
And China and Russia vetoed the resolution. And of course, until the US stops sending weapons to Israel, it would not have meant much.
Tell President Biden to stop sending weapons to Israel! This action is updated.
It may seem a small thing, but we can send a message to Israel, too. Under Olympic sanctions, teams from Russia and Belarus may not compete.
Neutral athletes will compete only in individual sports this summer without flags, emblems or national anthems. Any athletes who actively support the war in Ukraine, or are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military, are not eligible to take part.
Ban Israeli sports teams from all international competition until the genocidal assaults on Palestinians cease. This petition is from Ekō.
Meanwhile, we’ve got to preserve democracy. Protecting the right to vote involves an array of efforts, including preventing voter suppression, gerrymandering, and harassment of poll workers. People who work at the polls face threats and intimidation.
The Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act would
broaden protections for those involved in administering America's elections, including volunteers, and prevent any damage to election infrastructure aimed at disrupting the electoral process.
Call on Congress to pass the Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act. This quick action is from Civic Shout.
Below is a repeat action to address the voter suppression that the Voting Rights Act was intended to prevent. Because the Supreme Court eliminated the pre-clearance requirements that prevented states and localities from implementing discriminatory measures, we still need new legislation.
Voting is still the mother of all rights. I know Congress is in chaos AND we can’t yet give up on governing.
Tell your Congressional delegation that we need to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. I made it easy.
The rate of injuries to warehouse workers in New York more than doubled in five years. Last month, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that NYS warehouse workers have an injury rate more than 50 percent higher than the national average.
One warehouse worker expressed surprise that only 1 in 11 workers require medical attention after a warehouse injury each year, and remarked that
“Every worker deserves to know that they’re going to go home at night safe, uninjured and being able to do what they’ve got to do at home.”
He is advocating for the passage of the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act. The bill requires that
employers establish an injury reduction program designed to identify and minimize the risks of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders among workers involved in performing manual materials handling tasks.
Tell NYS legislative leaders that we need the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act. This quick action is from Align.
For the second time in recent memory, the NYC Parks Department is trying to evict Big Reuse’s community compost operations from their facility in Queensbridge Park. When asked for their input, community members favored maintaining the compost operations, even as upgrades are done to Baby Queensbridge Park.
Petition Mayor Adams and the Parks Commissioner to save Big ReUse’s composting site in Queens!
Thanks for taking action!
with love,
L