John,

We are living through a global pandemic that is killing tens of thousands
of people. But many of the world’s corporations are using this crisis to
grab bailouts, roll back regulations, and pad their profits.

We are mobilizing to make sure our shared humanity is at the center of our
communities, our economies, and our health care system.

Last week, SumOfUs members sent a mobile billboard to circle Jeff Bezos’s
house, ring-fencing him with the [ [link removed] ]demands of Amazon customers and
employees for sick pay to keep us all safe from massive coronavirus
spread.

[ [link removed] ]paid sick leave mobile billboard outside of Besoz house

And that’s just one tactic for one campaign -- check out all we’ve
achieved together in only the past six weeks!

Connecting across borders to save lives

We are offering support to the most vulnerable. More than 200,000 people
have come together in the only [ [link removed] ]global mutual-aid portal in the world,
offering direct support to the most vulnerable. From offers to run errands
or send direct financial support, requests for a chess partner, or a
French teacher for a small collective school, The SumOfUs Covid Support
Network has brought people together.                          [ [link removed] ][IMG]

Tom wrote in to tell us, “Someone helped me with $20. To me, it was the
greatest thing ever. I still tear up in my eyes when I think of it. This
person doesn't know me and will probably never meet me, but they helped me
regardless. The kindness of those who can help others in this crisis is
amazing."

Kate sent me an email saying, "I was feeling incredibly useless with
everything going on in the world. I wanted to help those in need, but
couldn't figure out how to do it while maintaining a safe distance. I used
SumOfUs' online tool to connect with a woman who faced eviction because
she was struggling to pay her rent after losing work because of
coronavirus, and put her in contact with a lawyer who was able to help. It
felt like we were making a small difference in this chaos.”

And there are thousands more stories like this!

Protecting essential workers while they help us survive

More than [ [link removed] ]100,000 SumOfUs members are demanding comprehensive paid sick
leave for all workers globally, pressuring companies to do right by their
employees and customers, and give comprehensive sick pay to drivers and
other workers. Together, we launched a [ [link removed] ]beautiful viral video calling
for companies to provide support to their workers through the poem of CJ
Suitt, a ride-share driver struggling to stay safe and keep food on the
table — and it’s already passed a million views!

[ [link removed] ][IMG]

And we just ran a hard-hitting ad targeting Lyft in the San Francisco
Chronicle, a series of ads calling on Lyft to protect their workers that
got a quick response email from the CEO of the whole company.

[ [link removed] ][IMG]

Ensuring free and available testing and treatment for all

[ [link removed] ]Almost 200,000 SumOfUs members are calling on governments and
pharmaceutical companies to ensure free coronavirus testing and treatment
for everyone who needs it. Over 13,000 members wrote personal emails and
messages to the CEO of Gilead—the pharmaceutical corporation responsible
for an early promising treatment—and he responded announcing that the
treatment would be offered affordably! It’s a huge win for our community
and we’re using the momentum to ramp up the pressure on Gilead and other
companies to commit to an affordable price and wide distribution.

[ [link removed] ][IMG]

Blocking Big Oil’s Bailout

Right now, governments everywhere are debating how to keep economies going
through the crisis. And when it was announced that Canada was thinking of
giving 15 billion dollars to the oil and gas industry, thousands of us
mobilized to make sure any bailout helped people and the planet, not a
dying dirty industry. With partners, we delivered a massive national call
to MPs. And then we launched hard-hitting ads in the premier political
newspaper. We even flew a massive banner over the Prime Minister’s daily
press conference calling for an end to any oil bailouts.

[ [link removed] ]And we won! The final package was just under $3 billion and supported
workers and the environment, not oil executive bonuses.

[ [link removed] ]Massive win -- no more big oil bailout win graphic with aerial banner 

It’s the first of many campaigns to reimagine our economies with a focus
on people and the planet — including major efforts in France, the United
States, the UK, and the European Parliament.

Also…

We have mobilized tens of thousands to demand supermarkets open early for
elderly and vulnerable shoppers, challenged UK private hospitals to offer
[ [link removed] ]free beds to the NHS, pushed for a living wage for frontline workers,
and garnered unprecedented support for a shareholder resolution calling on
major Canadian bank, TD to put climate sustainability at the center of its
business strategy.

These are the bedtime stories I will tell my young daughter when she asks
me what it was like during the virus crisis — and I know that actions like
these will be an inspiration for generations to come. Thank you for all
you do. [ [link removed] ]And if you have a little extra to power this amazing work,
please make a small donation here.



With hope and strength,
Emma and the team at SumOfUs


More information:

[ [link removed] ]Amazon and Jeff Bezos should take note – looking after employees when
they’re sick keeps brands healthy, The Independent, April 29, 2020
[ [link removed] ]The SumOfUs Covid Support Network
[ [link removed] ]Coronavirus: Demand paid sick leave for workers, including drivers and
couriers, SumOfUs
[ [link removed] ]Make Coronavirus testing and treatment free, SumOfUs
[ [link removed] ]Trudeau, don’t bailout Big Oil with Canadian taxpayer money, SumOfUs
[ [link removed] ]Private hospitals: offer your beds to the NHS for free!, SumOfUs
[ [link removed] ]Supermarkets: Open early for elderly and vulnerable shoppers during the
coronavirus crisis., SumOfUs

 

 

SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]