(no subject)
Yesterday afternoon, at long last, both houses of the NY State Legislature passed the Working Families Party’s minimum wage bill. The vote was 116-19 in the Assembly, and 51-7 in the Senate.
Some 1.2 million people will benefit from this law, about 15% (!) of the workers in the state. That’s a pretty amazing fact.
The bill raises the state's wage floor by $2.00 per hour over two years. It has a 3-step phase-in: $6.00, $6.75, and $7.15 (from the current $5.15 per hour). For an individual working full-time (2000 hours in a year), it could mean an additional $4000 annually. No one is getting rich here -- the minimum wage is still NOT a living wage -- but it's a step, a big step, in the right direction.
This is a victory for justice and equality. It’s a blow against the “winner-take-all” society we live in, in which winners are overly rewarded and losers are left to consider their own flaws.
That's a phony and immoral approach, and the WFP has never accepted it. We want everyone to enjoy the blessings of this amazing country, and raising the minimum wage is both real and symbolic. It's real for the workers in lower-wage occupations, and it's a symbol that the society values all of its members. It makes us all more free and more equal, and that’s good.
For the Working Families Party as an organization, for our leaders and members and staff, for friends and allies, this is a moment to savor, and a moment to say thanks.
[Don't go overboard, this isn't the Oscars. Okay, okay, but just a few…].
Nothing substantial ever gets done without a lot of people sharing the load. There are hundreds of people who put in many, many hours on this campaign, and thousands more who did their share when called upon, and everyone -- no exceptions! -- gets a piece of the victory.
Demonstrations, lobby visits, flyering days, letter-writing campaigns, op-eds, door-to-door canvassing, research reports, candlelight vigils, clergy statements -- none of it happens by itself.
It happens because people were willing to organize and mobilize and think and write and translate and turn out and organize some more and raise money and give us great advice. People like Pete “Action” Sikora, Archer Hutchinson and Mary Carney at NYPIRG, Paul Sonn and Annette Bernhardt of the Brennan Center, James Parrott and Oliver Cooke at FPI, Deborah Axt at Make the Road, Saul Nieves at 32B-J, Chun-Wha Hong and Jacke Vimo at the NY Immigration Coalition, Mark Dunlea at Hunger Action, Ronny Canterino at CWA, Tony Speelman and Carlos Ramos at UFCW, Mary Clark and Eileen Hamlin of Citizen Action, Lauren Groh-Wargo and Ann Sullivan of ACORN, Saru Jayaraman and Juan Haro at ROC, Jean Kim and Ed Ott at the CLC, Mark Levitan at CSS, Sarita Gupta, Adrienne Shropshire and Simon Greet at Jobs with Justice, Emma Kreyche and Bill Abaum at Rural and Migrant Ministries, Carol Craft of the Westchester-Putnam Central Labor Body, Michael Carriere of the Painters, Wanda Williams and Oscar Alvarado of DC 37, Pete Meyers and Carl Feuer of the Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition, Brian O’Shaughnessy and Martha Schultz of the Labor-Religion Coalition, Jim Bertolone of the Rochester CLC, Annabelle Heckler of NYUP, Sandra Mendoza and May Chen at UNITE, Lauren Corcoran, Derrick Carr, Patrick Forde, Mozell Ductan and the indispensable Jennifer “Sherpa” Cunningham at 1199, and many, MANY others who we are no doubt neglecting to mention.
It happens because the Daily News -- in the person of Heidi Evans -- was willing to understand and make their readers understand what it’s like to live on low wages in this day and age, and Evans never let go. The Daily News did the people of this state an amazing service. [As for the New York Post, fish are too good for that newspaper].
And it happens, finally, because of the work of the WFP’s own staff, past and present. They know who they are, but you might not, and this is an appropriate moment to recognize several years of tireless effort and remarkably good humor from Rachel Berkson, Elissa Berger, Adina Berrios, Susan Birmingham, Amy Blair, Tom Bozeman, Ericka Bozzi-Gomez Cheman Chau, Francesca DiPalma, Jeff Dupee, Tsedeye Gebreselassie, Jeremy Hawn, Margarita Hernandez, Dan Hopkins, Chrystine Lawson, Bill Lipton, Josh Mason, Shannon McGarry, Demond Meeks, Alex Monticello, Larry Moskowitz, Alex Navarro, Oscar Owens, Louisa Pacheco, Clara Rodriguez, Asher Ross, Marty Rynearson, Deirdre Schifeling, Gabriela Schlau-Cohen, George Short, Kissima Sylla and scores of true-grit canvassers.
But while everyone helped to row this boat, someone had to steer. Her name is Eva Bonime, Director of Special Projects for the WFP, and she ran the campaign. Special, indeed.
OK, enough with the self-congratulation. What happens now?
Three things.
1. The Governor has to sign the bill. So far he has not taken a stand, but we’re optimistic. You can be sure we will ask for your help if he starts sending negative signals.
2. Beat Bush. [This is on all lists].
3. SUPPORT THE PARTY. If you haven't contributed to the WFP lately, you should know that we spent every penny we have and then some on this campaign, and are seriously over budget.
We don’t want to beg, but we do want to grow. If you think that the WFP is making a useful contribution to life in our state, PLEASE make a contribution yourself and help us get our heads above water - www.workingfamiliesparty.org/support. Best of all, become a monthly “Sustaining Member.”
We promise not to waste a penny. Okay? Click now.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
That’s it. There’s no rest for the weary and we’ve got a full plate of county, state and federal elections coming up, but more on that soon.
For the moment, we just want to say - Carry On!
Jim Duncan, Bertha Lewis, Bob Master, WFP Co-Chairs
Dan Cantor, WFP Exec. Dir.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“A Fair Economy. A Real Democracy. A New Party.”
Vote Working Families - Row E”
www.workingfamiliesparty.org
Dear Amy,
Wonderful news! Late last night, shortly before they adjourned until September, the US House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously passed resolutions designating Darfur a genocide and calling on the US government to stop the killing, including through a possible intervention.
The situation in Congress was “touch and go” until the last minute with several members threatening to water it down or block the vote. So the more than 52,000 messages sent by FaithfulAmerica.org members came at just the right time. Huge congratulations to everyone; we really made a difference. You can read the resolutions and relevant press coverage here: www.darfurgenocide.org/success.htm
These resolutions give us a powerful bipartisan mandate to push the US government to act.
Yet while a significant victory, this means little until we see real change on the ground to save lives. Unfortunately, the situation in Darfur is getting worse. The people of Darfur are still praying that we will answer God’s call to aid our brothers and sisters in distress.
We must redouble our efforts, and make sure this is not a summer we remember with regret. We hope to get a plan of action to you early next week.
Blessings,
The FaithfulAmerica.org Team
For more information on Darfur, or to get involved in local activism, please visit www.darfurgenocide.org
CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE COURT!
We are proud to announce that Kate Michelman, former President of NARAL Pro-Choice-America, has agreed to lead a new DNC initiative: CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE COURT.
This new Campaign will highlight the critically important issue of Supreme Court appointments in the 2004 Presidential election, energizing and mobilizing voters throughout the country.
"The past four years have witnessed a concerted attempt by Bush and others outside the mainstream to reverse decades of progress on civil rights, women's rights, workers' rights, disability rights, and the environment." said Michelman. "The Supreme Court is on the ballot this November, and the risks for America are just too great. Together, we are going to fight to protect our courts and our Constitution."
CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE COURT will hold an organizing workshop, sponsored by Democratic GAIN at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, July 28, 2004. For more information about this important project and how you can help, contact us.
Bottom Line On The Bush Economy: Bad News For Working People And For Women.
Workers' Incomes Going Backward. News reports this week confirmed what American families know: as a result of George Bush's economic policies, household budgets are being squeezed by rising prices for essentials like health care and gasoline prices -- while wages are not keeping up.
The Wall Street Journal reports "declines in working houses, low wages, hurt workers." Hourly earnings of non-management workers including nurses and teachers, went down for the second month in a row this June. The Chief Economist for Morgan Stanley says "...fully 81 % of total job growth over the past year was concentrated in low-end occupations...This puts households under enormous pressures."
The New York Times writes that that the average take-home pay for workers, adjusted for inflation, is actually less than it was in January, 2004. In fact, it is "the lowest level of weekly pay since October 1991" -- when that other Bush was President!!
Next time George W. Bush tells us the economy is "good news" -- remember the millions of hard working Americans who are getting bad news every week in their pay checks.
And Problems For Women At Work. A new report by the National Partnership for Women and Families shows a continuing patter of discrimination against women in the workplace, with the problem worse for "women of color as well as older and immigrant women." 40 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the report concludes that America has a long way to go to live up to the promise of that Act.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration shows its own disregard for the problem by opposing efforts to strengthen the Equal Pay Act; trying to cut funds for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which monitors enforcement of the Civil Rights Act -- and paying women in the White House staff less than their male counterparts!
For a copy of the report "Women At Work: Looking Behind the Numbers 40 Years After the Civil Rights Act of 1964" contact the National Partnership.
George W. Bush To World's Most Vulnerable Women: Tough. President Bush has once again stopped the United States from contributing to UNFPA, the United Nation Fund which supports women's health care in the poorest nations of the world. "The world's neediest women and children are again paying the price for the president's reelection campaign to play to his far-right base," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY), who has led the Congressional effort to resume the U.S. contributions to UNFPA.
Rep. Maloney had offered a compromise which directed that the funds be spent to combat obstetric fistula, a serious, painful and debilitating condition -- but the Bush administration refused. The administration claims UNFPA supports the Chinese government in forced sterilizations and coercive abortions -- but that charge has been refuted by a number of fact-finding teams including one of religious leaders and one sent by the State Department itself.
"The Bush Administration decided to put politics above public health by withholding tens of millions of dollars that could help prevent needless deaths of mothers, infants and children," said Senator John Kerry. "As President, I will restore U.S. funding to the United Nations Population Fund and reassert America's leadership in the fight for women's health both at home and around the world."
Women Swing Voters And 2004 Elections. EMILY's List released new information this week on a key voting block that, could be the margin of victory for Democrats in 2004 elections: swing women voters, who make up 17% of the electorate. Another key finding: voters, especially women, are unhappy with the direction of the country, and prefer Democratic policies on issues important to their lives. Click here for more information.
Democrats Taking The Lead
Join Us In Celebrating The 2004 Convention. Join thousands of supporters who are hosting or attending convention house parties to watch John Kerry accept the Democratic nomination on Thursday, July 29th. This speech will be John Kerry's most important of the campaign, as he introduces himself to the nation and lays out his vision for a stronger America. Before the speech, John Edwards will join us on a live conference call linking all of our parties together.
We have two goals for this special evening: first, to celebrate how much we have accomplished so far in this incredible campaign. And second, to kick off the general election by signing up 100,000 new volunteers on this one night -- volunteers who will be critical to winning on November 2nd. Hosting a party only takes a few hours -- and signing up to host a house party only takes a few minutes. Even a mother of two children thinks so:
"I am a mother of a 7 month old and a 2 1/2 year old. I almost used them as an excuse to NOT have a house party (with the sleep deprivation and difficulty having a phone conversation and all). Then I realized that because of them I HAD to do something...if one of my main jobs as a mom is to keep my children safe, then I cannot let George Bush get reelected. Stop thinking about it, and start inviting everyone you know to a Kerry [Edwards] House Party! You can do it. We have to." -- Jenny from Portland, OR
Democratic Women Will Be Featured At The Convention.
Monday: Nine Democratic women senators led by Sen. Barbara Mikulski; Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton introduces former President Bill Clinton; Representative and DNC Chair Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of Ohio, Representative Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin;
Tuesday: Former New Hampshire Governor and Kerry-Edwards Campaign Chairwoman Jeanne Shaheen as Master of ceremonies; Teresa Heinz Kerry; Christie Vilsack of Iowa; Governor Janet Napolitano (AZ). A tribute to Fannie Lou Hamer on the 40th anniversary of her courageous and efforts featuring Dr. Maya Angelou, the Freedom Singers, and members of the original Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party,
Wednesday: Governor Jennifer Granholm (MI); Elizabeth Edwards and Cate Edwards
Thursday: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and House Democratic Leader (and Convention Co-Chair) Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-MacDonald; Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; Congresswoman Louise Slaughter leading the Democratic women of the House, Alexandra and Vanessa Kerry
Democratic women know the convention is just the beginning. Representative Slaughter said, "Following the Convention, the 42 Democratic women of the House plan to travel to the battleground states, mobilizing and registering the millions of women who did not vote in 2000. American women need to know that the issues at stake affect them directly, and that their vote will determine the outcome of this election -- and their futures. When women go to the polls, Democrats win."
Off To Boston -- Back In Two Weeks! The Women's Vote Center will be in Boston next week, so look for your next Week in Review edition on August 6. Meanwhile, check the DNC Blog, for daily updates from women delegates and the Women's Caucus. And be sure to check out the final draft of the Democratic Platform, which delegates from all over the country will vote on next week.
Republican Quotes Of The Week.
"Despite these overwhelming problems facing our nation's manufacturers, I must say I have yet to see any significant action on the behalf of the administration to respond..."
- Sen. George Voinovich, (R-IA) 7-15-04
"President George Bush should have been more skeptical about economists' predictions regarding jobs created by tax cuts totaling $1.7 trillion over 10 years, a Senate ally said. 'His economists screwed up'. Bush was not right in not questioning his economists."
-Senator Charles Grassley [Bloomberg, 4/15/04]
"I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life."
-Senator Charles Grassley [Bloomberg, 4/15/04]