Child labor, train derailments, Arctic drilling, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
- By phone: (202) 224-3121
- By email: democracy.io
- By US mail: Representatives / Senators
- By fax: Representatives / Senators
- By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
- SPEAK OUT AGAINST CHILD LABOR IN THE U.S.
Migrant children, some of whom crossed the border alone, are working long hours in unsafe conditions in factories that sell products to many U.S. Corporations including Ben & Jerry’s, Fruit of the Loom, Ford, General Motors, J. Crew, Walmart, Whole Foods and Target. Hearthside Food Solutions, which makes and packages food for other companies, including Frito-Lay, and Quaker Oats (which are owned by PepsiCo) and General Mills is one of the corporations that are employing these children. Other reports indicate that non-migrant children are also illegally being used for labor. Let’s contact these corporations through social media or on their website, to express our concern and pledge not to buy their products until they assure us that nothing in their supply chain is made with child labor. Let’s also contact the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services, who are conducting a joint investigation and tell them one thing they can do is to raise the fines for violation of child labor laws, which are currently only $15,000.
- MORE PROTECTIONS AGAINST TRAIN DERAILMENTS
In the wake of the train wreck that has devastated East Palestine, the spotlight has fallen on railroad regulations which were weakened by Donald Trump. Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) have introduced the DERAIL Act, which would expand safety protections by classifying a wider range of trains as “high-hazard flammable” and so requiring them to have newer cars, slower speeds and better brakes. While the Ohio train derailment caught our attention, these kinds of accidents are far too common with at least seven last month. Let’s call our members of Congress and tell them that if they’re serious about avoiding more East Palestines, they’ll sign on to this legislation.
- STAND UP FOR SELF-DETERMINATION IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Washington, D.C.’s city council recently passed, by an overwhelming majority, the first update to the district’s criminal code in over a century. The measure eliminated most mandatory minimum sentences and reduced the maximum sentences for several crimes, although it left the code far harsher than those in many red states. The federal government maintains the ability to block policy changes in the district, and House Republicans have passed measures to overturn this reform and an expansion of voting rights in DC local elections. They had significant Democratic support, and Senator Manchin has announced he’ll vote with the GOP on the sentencing bill. These measures are up for a Senate vote next, one that can be easily discharged and cannot be filibustered. Let’s contact our senators and tell them to oppose this effort to stifle self-determination for residents of Washington, D.C., and let President Biden know we expect him to veto if these efforts pass.
- END ARCTIC OIL AND GAS DRILLING
The Arctic Refuge Protection Act, should it pass, will repeal the Trump-era law that opens the Arctic Refuge’s coastal plain for oil and gas development. Let’s tell our U.S. representative to co-sponsor H.R.724 and our two U.S. senators to co-sponsor S.282.
- LEGAL REPRESENTATION AT THE BORDER
The Access to Counsel Act, introduced in Congress by Rep. Pramila Jayapal every year since Trump’s Muslim Ban violated the rights of U.S. citizens and green card holders at airports and elsewhere, will, if enacted, guarantee that people with valid documentation have access to a lawyer if they are detained by Customs and Border Protection at ports of entry for more than an hour. Let’s tell our representative to co-sponsor H.R.666 and our two senators to co-sponsor the companion bill filed by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), S.342.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- MI: CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION FOR OUR LGBTQIA+ CITIZENSThe long-sought after legislation to include gender identity and sexual orientation protections to the state’s civil rights law passed the State Senate yesterday with bipartisan backing. It now moves on to the State House for a vote. Since we champion equal rights and protections for everyone, let’s contact our representative and tell them we want them to approve this bill.
- NY: LEGISLATION FOR THE STATE TRANSITION TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGYBill No. A01787 (see here and here) in the New York State Assembly would require New York’s state government to transition to using 100% clean, renewable energy by 2032. If we’re in New York, let’s tell our Assembly Members to co-sponsor Bill No. A01787.