TONIGHT, our National Organize to Win Call will focus on Rebuilding the Labor Movement with Michigan Congressman and former national AFL-CIO organizer Andy Levin and other special guests! Be sure to join us on TONIGHT, May 3 at 8:30pm EST.
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News from the Frontlines of the Political Revolution!
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May 1st was International Workers' Day, and Our Revolution celebrated by fighting to get the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2021 over the finish line!
Watch Saturday's LABOR LIVESTREAM double-header!
We held a rally outside the home of U.S. Sen. Mark Warner to call on him to co-sponsor the PRO Act. Warner is one of only 3 Democratic senators who hasn’t signed on. (The other 2 - Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly - are also getting called out by our organizers on the ground in Arizona.)
WATCH THE ACTION
We also hosted a Virtual National Town Hall on the PRO Act featuring US Reps. Katie Porter and Jamaal Bowman, as well as leaders from the Communications Workers of America, the Democratic Socialists of America, the Working Families Party, and OTHERS!
CLICK HERE TO SEE!
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Significantly, in his speech to Congress this week, President Biden called on Congress to Fight for $15 and a Union:
“The guys and women on Wall Street, Wall Street didn't build this country. The middle class built this country. And unions build the middle class. And that's why I'm calling on Congress to pass the Protect the Right to Organize Act, the PRO Act, and send it to my desk to support the right to unionize. By the way, while you're thinking about sending things to my desk, let's raise the minimum wage to $15."
While we welcome Biden’s words of support for our progressive agenda, we need real action. That’s we’re organizing to get Senate Democrats to fight the filibuster and deliver for working people.
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Workers have been fighting for $15 and a union for years. This week, Biden signed an executive order tackling the first part of that fight, raising wages for federal contract workers to $15 an hour. EPI estimates that up to 390,000 low-wage federal contractors will see a raise under this policy - up to $3,100 per year on average. About half of these impacted workers will be women and about half will be Black or Hispanic.
"While it's a huge step for the federal government to show an example, we need to actually deliver results," said Larry Cohen, chairman of Our Revolution. "This would be a big result for federal contractors, but there are many millions more that are obviously not covered, and we shouldn't give up on them either, and we should use the budget process because otherwise there's no chance of raising the minimum wage in the Senate."
Our Revolution is calling on Biden to also address the “union” part of the Fight for $15 and a Union. He can do so by punishing federal contractors that violate labor laws, steal wages and abuse their workers, while rewarding good employers who respect the right of workers to organize.
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Our Revolution is carrying out our 5-Point Plan to Win on Labor Reform by:
- Mobilizing our national network of local Our Revolution groups from coast to coast to support unionizing efforts across the country;
- Holding our elected officials accountable to pass the PRO Act, crack down on union-busting and wage theft, and pass a $15 minimum wage;
- Electing progressive champions who will stand with workers, protect their right to organize, and strengthen unions;
- Fighting for policies like ensuring gig workers have labor rights; and
- Pushing the Democratic party to adopt a progressive platform of meaningful labor reforms, and elect more of our members to Party positions.
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IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: Criminal justice reform, expanding Medicare, new endorsements, and more!
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On our Monday Organize to Win Call, we were joined by Ben Cohen, activist and author who recently released a book, “Above the Law: How Qualified Immunity Protects Violent Police,” with a preface by Killer Mike. Ben described how qualified immunity protects police officers that have engaged in questionable behavior, and the efforts to end it. Our Revolution members in Maryland, Illinois and other states are organizing to end qualified immunity in their communities.
Special Offer for Our Revolution Movement Builders! Click HERE to get 30% off Ben’s book!
If you are not yet a Movement Builder, click the button below to join and get your discount!
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Our Monday Organize to Win Call also featured two progressive prosecutors, both endorsed by Bernie and Our Revolution, who were elected to office in November and are already bringing transformative change to their communities.
Eli Savit, Prosecuting Attorney for Washtenaw County, Michigan, has enacted an impressive number of reforms in his 4 short months in office - including ending cash bail, rescinding zero tolerance, and refusing to bring charges involving “pretext stops” - the type of traffic stop that led to the killing of Daunte Wright. “Pretext stops are fishing expeditions rooted in racial profiling. They are what Driving While Black is. They build mistrust in communities of color, can lead to police killings, and are not necessary to public safety. Ending pretext stops can be one step towards police reform.”
Monique Worrell, State Attorney for Orange-Osceola County, Florida, ran on a platform that included favoring restorative justice wherever possible. In her first 100 days in office, she enacted a policy to reduce the jail population of non-violent offenders due to the spread of Covid-19, redirected priorities and resources to focus on violent crime, and created a unit to investigate allegations of police brutality and misconduct. “I’ve started prosecuting law enforcement officers who abuse their discretion. We are not going to tolerate this behavior — we have to ensure the safety of our communities, and that means keeping them safe from officers who are bad actors.”
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This week, Our Revolution joined with 18 progressive groups to call on the Biden administration to remove Deputy Attorney General-designate Lisa Monaco from the deliberation process over who will lead the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. Monaco has previously worked with both Apple and Google, two of the Big Tech giants that the DOJ Antitrust Division is responsible for holding accountable. The DOJ Antitrust Division needs leadership committed to reigning in the power of Big Tech giants, and an individual with ties to a targeted corporation should not play a role in determining who will lead the office.
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The Hillsborough Mayor & Township Committee rolled out a ban on retail cannabis shops in the township, although Hillsborough residents voted 2 to 1 in favor of cannabis legalization in November. Our Revolution Hillsborough is advocating for a full and comprehensive roll-out of retail cannabis shops and urges the community to speak up at the May 25th council meeting. Our Revolution Hillsborough members will attend the May 25th meeting and will continue to urge the township to respect the voters of Hillsborough who strongly voted in support of this popular legislation. “Cannabis retail will proactively stimulate the local economy and will create dozens of good-paying jobs for Hillsborough” said Didier Jimenez, chair of Our Revolution Hillsborough.
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While Our Revolution members are fighting for Medicare for All on the outside - mobilizing to pass local resolutions and statewide single payer bills and holding their elected officials accountable - our allies on the inside are pressing the White House to take us one step closer to healthcare justice.
Over 80 House Democrats signed a letter to President Biden and Vice-President Harris, calling on them to expand Medicare as part of their American Families Plan by (1) lowering the eligibility age; (2) adding dental, vision, hearing, and an out-of-pocket cap; and (3) allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. The House letter followed a similar letter signed by Bernie and 16 other senators: “Medicare has been one of the most successful and popular federal programs in our nation’s history … the time is long overdue for us to expand and improve this program so that millions of older Americans can receive the health care they need.” They argued that the expansion could be paid for with the hundreds of billions of dollars that would be saved if Medicare were allowed to negotiate drug prices.
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Our Revolution activists have been working in coalition with Amazon Watch and other environmentalists on behalf of attorney Steven Donziger. After Donziger won a billion dollar judgment against Chevron for dumping toxic sludge into indigenous Amazon lands a decade ago, he has been persecuted by Chevron and its attorneys. For over 600 days now, Steven has languished under house arrest for trumped up charges.
The tide may finally be turning in Steven’s favor. After Our Revolution led or participated in email campaigns and rallies, 6 Members of Congress, led by Reps. Cori Bush (MO) and Jim McGovern (MA) are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to conduct an investigation into whether these unjust legal proceedings constitute judicial abuse.
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Our Monday Organize to Win Call on Criminal Justice Reform featured two progressive district attorney candidates: Philadelphia’s Larry Krasner, a trailblazing D.A. who’s running for re-election, and Pamela Price, a civil rights attorney in Alameda County, CA who ’s challenging an incumbent on a platform of Justice with Compassion.
For 30 years, Philly D.A. Larry Krasner was a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer who specialized in suing the police. In 2017, he’d “had enough” and ran for D.A. on a progressive platform, winning the most votes of any Philly D.A. candidate in 20 years. On our call, he thanked Our Revolution for our support, and gave credit to “a people-led, grassroots movement, including a whole lot of people who get stepped on."
He’s accomplished a lot in his 3 years in office, including holding police accountable; cutting future years of incarceration in half and future years of supervision by two-thirds; reducing the number of juveniles sent to “snake-pit” facilities by 80%; exonerating 18 people; breaking a 10-year contract with ICE that facilitated deportations; and establishing the first-ever unit to protect workers from crimes committed by employers. “You steal food from a convenience store, you get busted. You steal thousands from your workers, you can't just drive off in your Range Rover and say, ‘Whoops, I went bankrupt.’"
Larry said he believes the rise in crime nationwide during the pandemic confirms the need for defunding and reform. “The lesson isn't build more jails and hire more cops. It's that we need to put more money into prevention. We need to shrink the footprint of law enforcement. We need to move funding from police, prosecutors, probation departments to things that actually prevent crime - public schools, treatment programs, community based organizations. This is what people want.”
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Pamela Price has spent her entire legal career fighting for justice on behalf of women, workers, low-income people, and communities of color. “I got arrested in my first demonstration at age 13 and I’ve been fighting ever since.” She’s running for Alameda County District Attorney on a platform of holding police accountable, working to end mass incarceration, and other reforms. “For too long in Alameda County, we've over-incarcerated and over-criminalized. Racial disparities are off the charts. We can do better.” When Pamela ran in 2018, it was the first time in 53 years that anyone had challenged an incumbent D.A. in the county. “Police unions from around the state came here and spent $1.5 million to stop us. And we will need your help to fight this fight because we know they're coming back.”
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Our Revolution Ohio’s State Organizing Meeting featured Sen. Nina Turner, who gave members an update on her race to represent CD-11 in Congress. She announced the opening of two campaign offices - in Akron and Cleveland - and the launch of a biographical campaign video. She thanked Our Revolution for being “on the front lines” for progressives across the state. “You are part of the movement that is pushing the current administration to the left. And the policies we are pushing for are not only popular, they are necessary.”
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Our Revolution endorsed Aftab Pureval in the race for Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Pureval is a strong progressive and was the first Democrat elected to the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts in over a century. He has a clear plan for economic recovery and growth for all of Cincinnati, for reforming the police department and investing in public safety, and for creating more affordable housing and improving public transportation. “True, holistic justice means that everything we do serves to support and advance the rights and needs of those at systemic disadvantages,” Aftab said.
The primary election is on May 4th.
Join us to call voters on Sunday from 6:30 to 8:30pm EST.
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Atlantic County Our Revolution’s Mico Lucide has been endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund. Mico’s running to transform the Atlantic County Clerk’s office into a hub for local political involvement and activism, and is a critical voice in the campaign to abolish the establishment-friendly Party line in New Jersey primary elections. “In some counties, a county chair makes the determination, and that is not fair,” Lucide said. “The ballot is not giving candidates equal access to the eyes of the voter, and that is something we should change."
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TEXANS - VOTE TODAY! Our Revolution Texas has a full slate of nearly 50 progressives running for office across the state. Our endorsements include Deborah Peoples - who Bernie called a “true progressive” - for Mayor of Fort Worth; Our Revolution member Diana Saleh for Arlington City Council District 3, where should would be the first Palestinian-American elected; and former Bernie delegate Mina Davis in her race for the Hutto Independent School Board. We also urge those in Austin to VOTE NO on Proposition B, a mean-spirited Republican initiative aims to criminalize homelessness in this fast-growing and increasingly unaffordable city.
FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE
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Our Revolution Virginia’s Democratic Primary Kickoff featured several candidates, including Delegate Lee Carter who spoke about the pernicious influence of money in politics. Carter, who is running for Governor, stated: “I have the freedom to get at our root problems because I do not take corporate money.” Our Revolution Virginia has endorsed Carter, as well as Sam Rasoul for Lt. Governor, and Jay Jones for Attorney General.
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Our Revolution Massachusetts hosted a Forum on Inequality to build support for the Fair Share Amendment which would impose a 4% surcharge on income above $1 million to fund progressive priorities. Over the past 40 years, the top 1% of earners in the Bay State have seen income rise over 500% to $1.8 million. Meanwhile, the bottom 80% have barely managed to keep pace with inflation.
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Our Revolution-PDA Arizona has submitted a resolution to the Arizona Democratic Party calling on Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly to back President Biden’s agenda “by publicly declaring their support for ending the Senate Filibuster and voting to eliminate it from the Senate rules.” The resolution also underscores that recent polling shows “over three quarters of Arizona Democrats, two-thirds of Arizona independent voters, and nearly half of Arizona Republicans believe that passing major legislation to address the problems we face as a nation is more important than preserving traditional Senate rules like the filibuster.” The resolution has nearly 100 co-signers representing over 70% of Arizona’s legislative districts.
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DNC SURVEY! From the beginning, Our Revolution has been focused on transforming the Democratic Party so that it represents working people, not corporate donors. That means fighting for a progressive platform and it means working towards structural change within the party. After the 2016 election, we successfully organized to get so-called super or non-elected delegates out of the nominating process, open up primaries to unaffiliated voters, and allow vote by mail for both primaries and caucuses. These reforms are all part of how we build a party that represents working people - and we need to make sure these reforms are kept in place, and expanded.
That’s why, at last year’s Democratic Party Convention, we helped pass a resolution that calls on the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee to solicit public input on the on-going reform process. As a result, the DNC has just released a public survey about party reforms on its website, and we need to make sure that the party leaders hear from the grassroots about our organizing priorities, like permitting same-day party registration for primaries, encouraging vote by mail, and continuing to keep superdelegates out of the nominating process.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD - TAKE THE DNC SURVEY HERE!
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Are YOU a Movement Builder? Make a recurring monthly donation of $5 and become an official member of Our Revolution!
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Join activists across the nation on Saturday, May 8th at 2pm EST for the John Lewis Votercades! Hosted in more than 100 cities, these votercades will bring awareness to S1, HR4, and HR 51- bills that aim to expand voting and civil rights. Find your nearest action at www.JohnLewisDayofAction.org!
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Join Our Revolution South Carolina and renowned single-payer advocate Wendell Potter and Medical University of South Carolina student activist Ian O'Connor for a discussion on Medicare for All and expanding Medicaid in the Palmetto State!
RSVP HERE
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Join Our Illinois Revolution and special guests Rep. Marie Newman and Rep. Chuy Garcia for our monthly virtual meeting.
RSVP HERE
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