These photos from around the world should scare the pants off of McDonald's and Walmart.

 Curator: Eric March

This thing is spreading all over the world.

These photos from around the world should scare the pants off of McDonald's and Walmart...  READ MORE HERE. 

Low-wage workers all across America are walking off the job today to protest for a $15-per-hour minimum wage and a union.

"What?" You might be saying to yourself. "Why does the 16-year-old grimacing at me from behind the counter at Wendy's while she texts her boyfriend selfies of her new temporary tattoo deserve to make that much money?"

(OK, Stephanie. OK.)
Because contrary to popular belief, most minimum- and low-wage workers aren't teenagers working a first job. And most aren't fast-food workers either.
(Although, hey! Teenagers working a first job deserve to be paid respectfully too, no matter how sullen and emo they are.)
And not only are they out on the streets, shouting their lungs out for their right to be paid like human beings, they have support from all over the world.
I'm talking far-away places, people.
Places like Hamburg, Germany, where they're encouraging their American colleagues to keep up the fight.

São Paulo, Brazil, where they're staging die-ins in the street, despite intervention from military police.
Finland (What up, Finland!), where in addition to showing solidarity, they're also protesting exploitative contracts.
Bangladesh, where garment workers are still struggling to unionize a year after a horrific building collapse left over 1,000 people dead.
Tokyo, where for over a year they've been demanding a 1,500-yen wage (about $12.60) to make living in one of the most expensive cities in the world actually somewhat livable.
And Auckland, New Zealand, where many fast-food workers work on "zero-hour" contracts that force them to make themselves available to work but give them no guaranteed hours.

So yeah. This thing is getting real. Really, really real.

The Fight for $15 movement has already had some major success. $15 minimum wage ordinances were passed in Seattle and San Francisco last year, and other cities across America might follow suit soon.

But the pressure needs to stay on for that to actually happen!

If you believe all workers should be treated with dignity and respect — and paid accordingly — then please share and spread the word!

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A groovy jazz solo greets you as you open this email. It continues playing as you read this, but stops once you click a link. Enjoy! *appreciative finger snapping in your general direction* These photos from around the world should scare the pants off of McDonald's and Walmart...  READ MORE.  Sarah Silverman just life-coached everyone who's felt undeserving. Such a cool perspective. Here's what life is like with an 'invisible disease.' It's kind of intense.

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

April 18 - global protests against trade deals that threaten democracy

April 18 - global protests against trade deals that threaten democracy Unions including IUF affiliates will be joining with civil society organizations in many parts of the world in the actions planned for April 18 to oppose the cluster of giant trade and investment treaties currently being negotiated which would grant vast new powers to transnational corporations and investors. The US-EU TTIP, Canada-EU CETA, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) between the United States and eleven Pacific Rim countries (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam) and the secretive Trade In Services Agreement (TISA) being driven by the US, EU, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and South Korea pursue the common goal of strengthening corporate power at the expense of governments' capacity to regulate in the defense of worker and consumer health and safety, protect the environment, limit financial risk and volatility and pursue democratic public policy objectives. The recently leaked investment chapter of the TPPA exposes the corporate power grab at the heart of these treaties, which are deliberately and misleadingly packaged as 'trade agreements'. They are all Trade Deals that threaten Democracy  A full list of events around the world organized for the global day of action is available here - contact the organizers to learn more and take part!   April 18 - global protests against trade deals that threaten democracy Unions including IUF affiliates will be joining with civil society organizations in many parts of the world in the actions planned for April 18 to oppose the cluster of giant trade and investment treaties currently being negotiated which would grant vast new powers to transnational corporations and investors. The US-EU TTIP, Canada-EU CETA, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) between the United States and eleven Pacific Rim countries (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam) and the secretive Trade In Services Agreement (TISA) being driven by the US, EU, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and South Korea pursue the common goal of strengthening corporate power at the expense of governments' capacity to regulate in the defense of worker and consumer health and safety, protect the environment, limit financial risk and volatility and pursue democratic public policy objectives. The recently leaked investment chapter of the TPPA exposes the corporate power grab at the heart of these treaties, which are deliberately and misleadingly packaged as 'trade agreements'. They are all Trade Deals that threaten Democracy  A full list of events around the world organized for the global day of action is available here - contact the organizers to learn more and take part!

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

Huntington Hospital Union Busters Play Voter Suppression Game

BY PETER DREIER

Huntington Hospital Nurse Dolly Farquhar with two critical care unit colleagues.

How low will Huntington Memorial Hospital stoop to undermine its nurses’ union drive?

Dolly Farquhar – who has worked at the Pasadena, California hospital for 31 years – just found out.

The hospital arbitrarily moved her resignation date from April 16 to April 12 so that Farquhar – an outspoken supporter of the nurses’ affiliation with the California Nurses Association (CNA) – wouldn’t be eligible to vote in the union election scheduled for April 15 and 16.

Since the union drive began last May, the 123-year old 625-bed hospital (named for Henry E. Huntington, a turn-of-the-century railroad baron) has engaged is a nasty and expensive union-busting effort, paying a bevy of experienced and high-priced anti-union firms and consultants – including Littler Mendelson, IRI, and Genevieve Clavreul of Solutions Outside the Box – to harass and intimidate nurses and undercut their organizing efforts. If a majority of the 1,220 nurses vote to unionize, the hospital will be required to negotiate a collective bargaining contract with the nurses, who will be represented by CNA.

Last month, Farquhar – who is well-known within the hospital as a pro-union supporter – met with Patricia Villarroel, a senior benefits officer, to announce her plan to retire, effective April 16. They talked about Farquhar’s pension plan and other benefits. When Villarroel told Farquhar that the hospital could continue to cover her health insurance until April 30, the 66-year old nurse was relieved, and began filling out paperwork to switch to Medicare starting May 1. Farquhar submitted her official resignation on March 26, went on a short vacation, and returned to Pasadena expecting to cast her ballot yesterday (April 15) in favor of giving nurses a voice at work.

She learned about the hospital’s devious (and likely illegal) action last Friday night, when the hospital sent a letter to her house announcing the change. A hospital-sent courier entered through the service gate and dropped the envelope on Farquhar’s front doorstep. The letter, signed by Candace McMullin from the hospital’s human resources office and dated April 10, said that “we’ve processed your resignation effective April 12.” It noted that her benefits, including health insurance, would expire on April 12.

“Is this how they treat someone who has worked there since 1984?” Farquhar asked. “This is very dirty and very low.”

“The letter was a huge surprise, a real shock,” explained Farquhar, “because I had filled out my forms last month indicating that I had planned to retire effective April 16. I wanted to vote in the union election.”

“Is this how they treat someone who has worked there since 1984?” Farquhar asked. “This is very dirty and very low.”

Last Monday morning, Farquhar went to the hospital where she’s worked for three decades to talk with CEO Steve Ralph. She had to enter the hospital through the patients’ entrance because her employee identification card had already been deactivated.

“He knows me,” explained Farquhar, who worked in the critical care unit. “I’ve been there over 30 years. My two daughters volunteered at the hospital when they were in high school. I figured he’d see me.”

Farquhar met Ralph in the hospital cafeteria, where they talked for about 20 minutes.

“I told him I was really upset. I’ve done everything right. Then I get this letter, cutting off my medical benefits. I gave him all the paperwork. I said I didn’t expect this kind of treatment. I’ve served this place loyally. Somebody had the audacity to arbitrarily change my date of my retirement from April 16 to April 12.”

“I told him that this is very dirty and very low.”

Farquhar – who had spoken out in favor of the union at several hospital-sponsored forums where Ralph was present and had attended pro-union rallies – didn’t mention the union election in her conversation with Ralph, who makes over $1.2 million a year.

“I didn’t have to say anything about it,” Farquhar explained, “He knew why it happened.”

Yesterday (Wednesday), Farquhar went to the hospital to cast her vote in favor of unionization.

“My suspicion was 100% accurate,” she said. “My name was on the list of employees, but I was in a different category than most of the other nurses.

At a pre-election conference yesterday, Robert Millman – an attorney with Littler Mendelson, the expensive union-busting law firm that represents the hospital – insisted that Farquhar be removed from the list of nurses eligible to cast ballot. CNA disagreed, so her name was kept on the list and she cast a ballot which a hospital-sponsored “observer” then officially challenged. The dispute will be resolved by the National Labor Relations Board after the election results are tabulated.

“It’s like not being a full citizen,” Farquhar said. “I’ve earned the right to vote.”

A native of the Philippines, where she earned her nursing degree, she came to the United States in 1970 to work at the famous Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. After two years, she moved to California, worked at a hospital in downtown Los Angeles, then joined the Huntington staff in 1984.

Farquhar expects to spend her retirement years traveling, playing with her three grandchildren, and tending to her new vegetable and herb garden.

“But before that, I want to make sure that my vote will count. We’re going to fight this. They’re trying to disenfranchise me. That’s why nurses need a voice at work. That’s why we need a union”.

Peter Dreier

POSTED ON APRIL 16, 2015

About Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier teaches Politics and chairs the Urban & Environmental Policy Department at Occidental College. His most recent book is The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century: A Social Justice Hall of Fame (Nation Books, 2012)

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THURSDAY, 16 APRIL 2015 Hospital Union Busters Play Voter Suppression Game Peter Dreier: Since the union drive began last May, the 123-year old 625-bed hospital has engaged in a nasty and expensive union-busting effort, harassing and intimidating nurses and undercutting their organizing efforts. READ MORE The “Fight for $15″ and the Return of the Vanishing Worker Richard Eskow: The Fight for $15's greatest importance may lie in the fact that it represents the return of the “vanishing worker” to the American political stage.   READ HERE Trial By Jury Steve Hochstadt: We are lucky to live in a society where our guilt or innocence is judged by free women and men. But if we want to be tried by a well-functioning jury of our peers, we must be willing to serve.   READ MORE On May Day, No Justice Delayed Miguel Paredes: The May Day coalition invites organizations like yours to participate in the City of Los Angeles to participate in the free May Day Resource Fair. READ MORE Okay, Then Who Should Democrats Nominate for President? Rosemary Jenkins: If Clinton asks Julian Castro (former Mayor of San Antonio and current Secretary of HUD) to be her running mate, I would support that ticket whole-heartedly! READ MORE

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

HOWARD_17APR15_5th TIME_EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS AS EVALUATED BY ERES WITHHELD BY COOPER

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

HOWARD_17APRIL15_7TH TIME_USURPATION OF AUTHORITY COMMITTED BY ANDREW COOPER

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

Powerful Street Art Pieces That Tell The Uncomfortable Truth

As the world moves to cities, so does art. And just as art can inspire political action and resistance, so too do the walls of the city become canvases for important street art messages. The graffiti and street art on this list is perfect for spreading messages about environmentalism and climate change to a wider audience.

This street art uses simple slogans and provocative images to spread important and inspiring ideas in ways that are easy to remember. Such art can inspire people to action or at least remind them about important issues that they may have forgotten.

Be sure to vote and comment for your favorite street art pieces! If you've spotted a powerful graffiti as well, do not hesitate adding it to this list!


READ AND SEE MORE

Julija K.

BoredPanda Staff

In love with all things cute/ Like Pusheen, pet rats and Groot/ A bit geeky, some would say/ But I was born a panda, a panda I will stay!

The TRUTH will set you FREE.