California NOW

Huffington Post isn't exactly cutting edge when it comes to women

California NOW Action VP, Linda Long

Ok Huff Post…you really need to “lean in” on women’s issues!

Why does nearly every article on the Women’s Voices page have to do with relationships, beauty, weight or “Girls”? Really? I get that women will only eat Haagen-Das if that is all that is offered, but it doesn’t mean that is all we want or need!

The Black Voices page offers articles on the politics of being black, the problems of being black in America, and solutions to the problems. The Latino Voices page more of the same. But, holy cow, if you believe the voices on the Women’s page, we are a shallow bunch of white 1%ers.

There’s nothing on the UN Commission on the Status of Women and the problems with passing the Violence Against Women resolution because of the Vatican’s opposition citing tradition and religion? Considering how the issue of rape has been on every woman’s Facebook page every day this week, seems like someone would have mentioned that the Vatican is more worried about controlling women than protecting them.

There’s nothing on the ongoing problems with health care implementation in states which are doing everything to exclude women because we are “expensive.” I mean, really - those darn women who want to have the children to guarantee our future. The gall of them!

There’s nothing on raising the minimum wage (that was on the Latino Voices page) even though the majority of minimum wage earners are women and a huge bunch of them are home health care workers, none of whom is protected under National Labor Relations Act! No, just the stupid “Lean In” crap which probably makes the majority of women who struggle every day to afford child care and food on their tables want to “LEAN ON” a few of the 1%er women who don’t pay their fair share of taxes, or offer their child care workers a decent salary, overtime or even health care.

Frankly, I can’t imagine how much more leaning without falling over a woman for whom one sick day can make the difference between eating at the end of the week or not can do!

There are lots of articles on makeup…most of which is toxic and can’t even be sold in Europe where the standards are much higher than in America (darn those socialists…always thinking of women’s health)!

There are articles on stay-at-home moms which fail to talk about advocating for social security to be paid into the system by the society which supposedly “values” them so much. We forget to tell those stay-at-home moms that they will get nothing for their retirement. Their work has so much “value” it’s free! Bet that is going to help them eat in 50 years.

Let’s face it, women are complex. We do care about relationships and the way we look but all of that is the Haagen Das and we only eat that after getting out of a really bad relationship. What we need is a real meal (steak, vegetables, salad and maybe some wine) and we want the media to stop trying to make us only eat the ice cream and, instead, offer us up some nutrition because that is something we can “lean in” to.

Monday's Action List

This week we're focused on health.  Women's health, children's health, our family's health.

Here in California, there's a proposition on the November ballot (Prop 37) that will require clear labels letting consumers know if foods are genetically modified. We already have food labels showing nutrition, allergy information and other facts consumers want to know. This measure adds information telling us if food is produced using genetic engineering, which is when food is modified in a laboratory by adding DNA from other plants, animals, bacteria or viruses.  Over one million people have contacted the FDA and told them we have a right to know what’s in our food. Become part of this growing movement and join them today. Take Action NOW:  Sign this important petition to the FDA and make sure your voice is heard!

No one should have to spend every working day in a toxic environment, and this week dozens of salon workers from across the country are descending on Washington, DC, sharing their stories with lawmakers and demanding safer products and safer hair and nail salons--and they need your support! While each of us is exposed daily to a cocktail of toxic chemicals when we use personal care products, salon workers are also exposed to highly toxic products as they work (like hair dyes and straighteners and nail glues and solvents) -- all day, every day. And, due to a labeling loophole, salon products aren’t required to list ingredients, which means workers (and their customers) can’t make informed decisions about what they’re using.  Take Action NOW:  Stand with salon workers in demanding safer products for a safer workplace! Write to your member of Congress today!

Did you know that that air pollution can stunt growing lungs, particularly in children who spend a lot of time outdoors? Exposure to air polluted with nitrogen dioxide, acid vapors and particulate matter (soot) has been found to have the greatest association with impaired lung growth.  The EPA has proposed new Soot Standards, which would decrease the allowable limit of soot in the air from the current 15 micrograms per cubic meter to as low as 11 micrograms per cubic meter.  The EPA is now taking public comments that will be used to determine the final standard.  Your voice will be critical in this comment process to help drown out the specious arguments of pro-polluters! Take Action NOW:  Ask the EPA to say "no" to soot!

Monday's Action List

We only have one action item this week - because it's that important!

It's only June and the UFW has informed us of another tragic farm worker death here in California from extreme heat.  Maximo Lopez Barajas died last Friday while pruning in a pomegranate orchard. According to the Fresno Bee Maximo "collapsed in heat that exceeded 100 degrees that day." Erika Monterroza, spokeswoman for the state Department of Industrial Relations, said emergency crews were called and the man was taken to Coalinga Regional Medical Center, where he died.

Even though California issued emergency 2005 regulations to keep farm workers from dying of extreme heat, preventable farm worker deaths like this continue to occur at a similar pace as before. Not only that, but when Cal-OSHA, the state work safety agency, finds violations of its regulations, reports shows the state often does not issue citations, go back to recheck violators and make sure the violations have been corrected.

Since the state has clearly failed to adequately enforce its heat standards, the UFW is sponsoring AB 2346, the Farm Worker Safety Act by Assemblymember Betsy Butler. This crucial bill will let farm workers enforce mandatory shade and drinking water requirements by taking delinquent employers to court. It will also make growers jointly responsible with farm labor contractors they hire to ensure that farm workers on their properties are given shade and water when temperatures soar. In addition, AB 2346 will set meaningful penalties for employers responsible for heat-related deaths.

Legislators are being inundated with opposition from growers who complain that there are "crippling fines” for violations attached to this bill. Are they kidding us?  If employers simply comply with the law, there are no penalties at all and workers like Maximo stay healthy.

The bottom line is that we can't let farm workers continue to die needlessly. AB 2346 just passed the California state Assembly. It will be heard next in the Senate Labor Committee. Please take action NOW by clicking on this link to support this crucial bill.  After you sign the petition, share this information with everyone you know by clicking here.  Even a bill as sensible as this one might not make it through if we don't let our representatives know that we are demanding their support.

For more information on Assemblymember Betsy Butler's life-saving legislation, click here.

Monday's Action Checklist

American Reclamation is a family-owned recylcing and solid waste company in El Monte.  However, Teamsters Local 396 who has been helping the employees form a union says employees are badly treated and that management is fighting unionization.  Dozens of employees of the city-contracted trash-hauler are rallying for change in what they say are dismal working conditions and environmentally detrimental and illegal practices.  Workers say rats and roaches are in the company's bathrooms and break areas. They also allege that the management team ignores employee safety hazards and have detailed the lack of adequate training and safety features on trash trucks.  Take Action NOW: Click here to watch a video and learn how you can help.

31 Republican Senators - all men - voted last week against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act.  We cannot simply ignore those 31 votes against women.  Voters need to know the names of these 31 and MoveOn has made it super simple for us to do just that through social media.   Take Action NOW:  Click here to ensure that the names of those 31 senators are spread like wildfire through our social media channels.

Parents have enough on their plates; we shouldn't need a degree in chemistry to pick safe toys and safe food for our children. That’s why we need comprehensive chemical reform today.  Scientific studies demonstrate that toxic chemicals we are exposed to every day can significantly increase the risk of developing childhood cancers, infertility, and learning and developmental disabilities.  Take Action NOW:  Click here to sign the petition urging senators to pass the Safe Chemical Act.

Monday's Action Checklist

The Supreme Court could very well repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act.  And unfortunately, too many women don't understand what's at stake.  There's so many benefits to women and the more people know about what's in the bill, the more likely they are to support it and use those great new benefits.  Right now - when healthcare is in the news - we need to share these facts with all the women we know.  Take Action NOW:  Click here to read the top 5 health care benefits for women and then share the list with everyone you know through social media.

What are all those chemicals in your lipstick and in your child's shampoo? Some of them are linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility and other health problems. We need your help to convince Congress that the beauty industry needs a safety makeover!  The Safe Cosmetics Act (H.R.2359) gives consumers, parents and environmental health advocates a real chance at national legislation that will eliminate harmful chemicals from the products women, men and children put on their bodies every day.  Take Action NOW:  Tell your Representative that safe cosmetics are important to you and ask them to support the Safe Cosmetics Act.

Farm workers are still dying from heat. In fact, since California issued its 2005 heat regulations to keep farm workers from dying of extreme heat, preventable farm worker deaths have continued at about the same pace as before. Since the state has failed to enforce its heat standards, we're joining the UFW in supporting AB 2346 (Butler) , the Farm Worker Safety Act. This allows farm workers themselves to be able to enforce mandatory shade and drinking water requirements by taking delinquent employers to court.  The measure would also make growers jointly liable along with farm labor contractors they hire if contractors fail to supply farm workers with shade and water when temperatures soar.  This bill does not impose any costs on taxpayers.  Take action NOW:  Click here to sign a letter to Labor and Employment Committee Chair Sandre Swanson asking him to support this bill.

"Pink slime" is a term used to describe a food additive made from spare beef trimmings that are treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill off E. Coli, salmonella, and other possible bacteria. Until women spoke out, it was in grocery stores, school cafeterias, and restaurants across the nation. In fact, an article published just a week or two ago noted, "ABC cited a former U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist in saying that 70% of supermarket ground beef contained the additive."  Although some stores like Kroger and Safeway have stopped selling pink slime and many schools have said they'll stop purchasing meat containing it, pink slime is still unlabeled and being sold in many grocery stores. Take Action NOW:  Tell the USDA and FDA to get pink slime out of ALL ground beef now, or at very least to require labels to list it as an ingredient so that we can decide whether or not to buy it for our families.

Cesar Chavez was instrumental here in California, leading the historic non-violent movement for farm worker rights with Dolores Huerta where they built a movement of poor working people that extended beyond the fields and into cities and towns across the nation.  Cesar inspired farm workers and millions of people who never worked on a farm to commit themselves to social, economic and civil rights activism.  His legacy, like the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., continues to educate, inspire and empower people from all walks of life.  Take Action NOW:  Support proposed legislation to make his birthday observed nationally on the fourth Friday of every March as "Cesar E. Chavez Day."