December, 01 2017, 10:30am EDT
CREDO Mobile Announces December Recipients of $150,000 Grant
“Carrier With a Conscience” bolsters organizational efforts to support workers’ rights, freedom of the press and a clean, healthy environment.
SAN FRANCISCO
CREDO Mobile, the mobile carrier with a conscience, today announced that National Domestic Workers Alliance, Pesticide Action Network North America and ReThink Media will receive grants in December to advance progressive goals.
Each month, CREDO members vote on how to divide more than $150,000 in donations to three progressive groups. This month, CREDO is focusing on efforts to advance workers' rights, to protect an independent press and to fight for a just and viable food system.
"At CREDO Mobile, we're committed to supporting organizations that champion social change in everything they do. With the activism and support of our customers, NDWA, PAN and ReThink will be even better positioned to bringing progressive change," said CREDO Mobile CEO Ray Morris.
CREDO Mobile's donations to progressive causes total roughly $2 million per year, and over $83 million has been given since CREDO's founding in 1985. These donations are powered by CREDO Mobile customers: a portion of their phone bill payments go to the grantees, at no additional cost.
"Domestic work is the work that makes all other work possible, and yet it's so undervalued. NDWA is proud to partner with CREDO in the fight to bring dignity and respect to this and all work," said Ai-jen Poo, Executive Director of National Domestic Workers Alliance
"Thanks to the generosity of CREDO and its members, PAN's work to protect frontline communities from hazardous pesticides is even stronger. Together, we are creating a just, thriving food system to sustain this generation and those to come," said Kristin Schafer, Executive Director of Pesticide Action Network
"Everything ReThink does is aimed at strengthening the capacity of movements for progressive social change. We don't seek public credit; we seek outcomes where groups win real victories and build power. CREDO has been a unique partner in this work and your support is genuinely invaluable," said Peter Ferenbach, Co-Founder of ReThink Media
CREDO Mobile is a progressive phone company that makes it easy for its customers to fight for change - and raises millions of dollars for nonprofit groups that do the same. CREDO Mobile has raised more than $72 million for progressive groups, including the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Rainforest Action Network.
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Report Exposes Trump Proposal to Stop Taxing Tips as 'Hollow Promise'
"In contrast, low-wage voters will be asking, What are Democrats providing as an alternative?" said the head of the group that published the report.
Jul 23, 2024
Most U.S. workers who rely on tips to supplement their often meager incomes would see no benefits from a tax exemption proposed by former President Donald Trump that the authors of a report published Tuesday called a "hollow promise."
The report—published by One Fair Wage and the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley—details how the proposal by Trump, the Republican nominee for president, and Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) related No Tax on Tips Act would deliver little relief to tipped workers.
According to One Fair Wage, "66% of tipped restaurant workers would not benefit from tax exemptions on tips because they or their households do not earn enough to pay income taxes."
"Trump tried to make tips the property of owners the last time he was in office, so he's clearly NOT a genuine advocate for working people."
While the proposal may seem beneficial to tipped workers, the group said it "falls too short of having a real impact and fails to address the fundamental issue facing working-class Americans: the need for a stable, living wage."
According to One Fair Wage, the report's key findings include:
- Tipped restaurant workers earn a median income of just $15,198, a mere 37% of the national median income of $40,480;
- Over 95% of these workers earn less than $53,000 annually, with nearly half earning below the federal income tax threshold of $13,850, making them ineligible for significant tax benefits; and
- The proposal does not address the core issue of higher wages and economic insecurity: The subminimum wage for tipped workers, currently $2.13 per hour federally, perpetuates economic instability, high rates of sexual harassment, and poverty among workers, which tax relief on tips does not address.
While Trump has picked Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate in an apparent bid to win over working-class workers, President Joe Biden on Sunday left the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic presidential nominee.
"Regardless of who's on the ticket, it's clear that candidates who want to win this cycle should address the needs of working people," One Fair Wage president Saru Jayaraman said in a statement. "Let's remember that for his part, Trump tried to make tips the property of owners the last time he was in office, so he's clearly NOT a genuine advocate for working people."
"In contrast, low-wage voters will be asking, What are Democrats providing as an alternative?" Jayaraman added. "In order to reach this critical voting bloc, their response should be loud and clear: It is time to raise the minimum wage and end the subminimum wage for tipped workers."
In a recent interview, Jayaraman toldCommon Dreams that "the restaurant industry has used tips for 150 years in place of what people need, which is a stable base living wage with tips on top."
"It is helpful, for sure, to not have your taxes tipped, but that is a red herring," she added. "That should be on top of what workers really need."
Last week, the Center for American Progress (CAP) published an analysis that found Cruz's bill is "deeply flawed": In addition to excluding 95% of low- and moderate-wage workers who are not working tipped jobs, "it contains few, if any, guardrails to prevent high-income professionals such as hedge fund managers from shifting their compensation to a tax-free tipping model."
"The No Tax on Tips Act potentially kicks the door wide open for tax abuse by the wealthy and fails to deliver any meaningful tax cuts for low- and moderate-wage workers," said CAP senior director for economic policy Brendan Duke. "Just 5% of all workers making less than $25 per hour receive tips. And even among those that do receive tips, the tax cuts would be minimal at best."
Duke asserted that restoring the American Rescue Plan's earned income tax credit and child tax credit expansions would broadly benefit "both tipped workers such as waiters and nontipped workers such as home health aides."
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Labor Unions Urge Biden to Halt Military Aid for Israel
The coalition said the move is needed "as part of the work to secure an immediate and permanent cease-fire in the war in Gaza."
Jul 23, 2024
A coalition of labor unions representing millions of U.S. workers on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to halt military aid to Israel—which is waging war on the Gaza Strip—as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington, D.C.
Since Israel launched its assault on Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas-led attack, U.S. labor leaders and unions have been among the individuals and groups pushing for an end to U.S. complicity—in the form of both weapons and diplomatic support on the world stage—in what is being investigated by the International Court of Justice as genocide.
The groups behind the letter are the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Auto Workers (UAW), and United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE).
"The Israeli government will continue to pursue its vicious response to the horrific attacks of October 7th until it is forced to stop."
Writing to Democratic President Joe Biden—who on Sunday dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris—the seven unions called for a pause on U.S. military aid to Israel "as part of the work to secure an immediate and permanent cease-fire in the war in Gaza."
After expressing disappointment that neither Israel nor Hamas, which governs Gaza, accepted a cease-fire proposal Biden outlined this spring, the coalition warned that "the Israeli government will continue to pursue its vicious response to the horrific attacks of October 7th until it is forced to stop."
As the letter details:
Recent reports only underscore the urgency of our demands. Large numbers of Palestinian civilians, many of them children, continue to be killed, reportedly often with U.S.-manufactured bombs. Rising tensions in the region threaten to ensnare even more innocent civilians in a wider war. And the humanitarian crisis deepens by the day, with famine, mass displacement, and destruction of basic infrastructure including schools and hospitals. We have spoken directly to leaders of Palestinian trade unions who told us heartwrenching stories of the conditions faced by working people in Gaza.
The Israeli assault and blockade have killed at least 39,090 Palestinians and injured another 90,147, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Most of the territory's 2.3 million have been displaced—many multiple times—and thousands are missing and presumed dead beneath damaged and destroyed buildings.
The letter argues that "Israel's refusal to minimize civilian harm and its demonstrated restriction of U.S. humanitarian aid call for a halt to U.S. military aid" under the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act, challenging a U.S. State Department report from May which enabled the Biden administration and Congress to keep arming Israeli forces.
The coalition's call comes as Netanyahu prepares to address a joint meeting of Congress, a Wednesday event expected to be met with protests, including from lawmakers. Harris—who faces pressure to oppose more U.S. arms for Israel—has opted to attend a previously scheduled event instead of presiding over his speech. The Israeli leader is set to meet with Biden, who is recovering from Covid-19, at the White House on Thursday.
"Our unions are hearing the cries of humanity as this vicious war continues," APWU president Mark Dimondstein said in a statement Tuesday. "Working people and our unions are horrified that our tax dollars are financing this ongoing tragedy. We need a cease-fire now, and the best way to secure that is to shut off U.S. military aid to Israel."
Union members and other observers were quick to note the coalition letter's significance. Yasmine Taeb, a human rights lawyer and advocate, said: "Wow. This is huge."
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, encouraged "those who thought that fury over Biden's facilitation of the Palestinian genocide was limited to Arabs and Gen Z" to read the letter.
Workers who belong to groups in the coalition expressed pride in the letter to Biden while others urged their unions to follow suit.
The Democratic Socialists of America National Labor Commission declared: "Major unions are taking a stand against genocide! Stop military aid to Israel. Free Palestine!"
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Green Groups Endorse Kamala Harris, Say She'll 'Raise Climate Ambition'
"Harris grasps the urgency and scale of the challenge," an expert said. "She'll advance the climate progress we've made at home and internationally."
Jul 23, 2024
Four environmental groups on Monday evening endorsed the presidential run of U.S. vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, whom many campaigners view as slightly stronger on climate issues than President Joe Biden.
The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund, the Sierra Club, and Clean Energy for America Action issued a statement of support for Harris and pledged to mobilize millions of their supporters behind her.
“Kamala Harris is a courageous advocate for the people and the planet," said Ben Jealous, Sierra Club's executive director.
"She has worked for decades to combat the climate crisis and protect our health and future," he added.
Manish Bapna, president of NRDC Action Fund, agreed that the vice president was well-equipped to step into the top role and deal with the climate crisis.
"Harris grasps the urgency and scale of the challenge," Bapna said. "She'll advance the climate progress we've made at home and internationally. She'll raise climate ambition to make sure we confront the climate crisis in a way that makes the country more inclusive, more economically competitive, and more energy secure."
The Sierra Club is proud to endorse @KamalaHarris for President. The Biden-Harris administration has made historic strides in environmental and climate action. We must continue this progress with Harris at the helm. Our future depends on it!https://t.co/DDCiUBcK2F pic.twitter.com/Hdkl5mQ1U5
— Sierra Club (@SierraClub) July 22, 2024
The joint statement followed a wave of endorsements from leading Democrats in the day and a half after Biden dropped out of the race and backed Harris. Evergreen Action, a climate advocacy group, also endorsed Harris.
The Sunrise Movement thanked Biden for stepping aside, after pushing him to do so. The group hasn't endorsed Harris but has, on social media, touted Harris' earlier climate proposals and initiatives, encouraging her to be as bold as she was on the issue in 2019 while running for president. That year, as a senator from California, she co-sponsored a Green New Deal bill pushed by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), saying that climate change posed an "existential threat to our nation."
As a presidential candidate, Harris ran to the left of Biden on climate issues, calling for $10 trillion in climate investment, a carbon tax, and a ban on fracking and on new oil leases on federal lands. She even said that she would support eliminating the Senate filibuster rule in order to pass a Green New Deal.
And during a 2019 town hall on climate, Harris identified an underlying climate problem more squarely than many corporate Democrats are willing to do.
"On this issue, guys, as far as I'm concerned, it's not a question of debating the science," Harris said at the time. "It's a question of taking on powerful interests, taking on the polluters, understanding that they have a profit motive to pollute."
Yet that Harris candidacy, wedged awkwardly between corporate Democrats such as Biden and progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), flopped and she dropped out of the race in December 2019.
As vice president, Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden, in his momentous letter on Sunday, called "the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world." She also represented the U.S. at the COP28 climate change summit in Dubai last year, speaking in strong terms about the need for action.
"The urgency of this moment is clear," she said in Dubai. "The clock is no longer just ticking, it is banging. And we must make up for lost time."
"Around the world, there are those who seek to slow or stop our progress, leaders who deny climate science, delay climate action, and spread misinformation," she added. "In the face of their resistance and in the context of this moment, we must do more."
Longtime Harris observers in California commend her environmental record there. As district attorney of San Francisco, she established one of the nation's first environmental justice departments. She later pushed environmental measures as state attorney general and U.S. senator representing California: electrifying school buses, replacing lead water pipes, and strengthening vehicle emissions standards, for example.
As attorney general, she sued oil companies including Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips over pollution issues and took legal action against the Obama administration over fracking. Later, in the town hall event, she she said was proud to be a "fighter" who "took on the Big Oil companies—great, powerful interests."
Bloombergreported Sunday that Harris is "seen as [a] tougher oil industry opponent than Biden."
Though Harris no longer calls for a Green New Deal and has moderated her rhetoric as part of the Biden administration, she still offers a stark contrast to Republican nominee Donald Trump, whose administration rolled back over 100 climate policies from 2017 to 2021. The new Republican platform doesn't mention climate change and vows to "drill, baby, drill"—in all caps.
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