Recommended Actions for the Week of 20180330

Source: Fossil Free Bellingham Coalition including RE Sources and 350 Bellingham

Description: 

On Monday, the Bellingham City Council adopted a detailed plan outlining steps the city can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 85% below 2000 levels by 2050.

Residents, including a number of Riveters, have also been pushing the Council to aim higher by setting a goal of 100% renewable energy. The City Council plans to vote on a resolution that could include this goal on April 23. We have until them to convince them that it’s worthwhile!

Background: 

Our communities can be free from fossil fuel dependence in the 2030’s — but only if our city’s planning policies and building codes are compatible with that future. The Council is considering a resolution that creates a task force to study and report on how to accelerate goals aiming for 100% renewable energy used in:

• City-owned facilities (electricity, heating and transportation) by 2030;
• The Bellingham community’s electricity supply by 2030;
• The Bellingham community’s heating and transportation by 2035.

After severe backlash from fossil fuel industry proponents, the Council withdrew the resolution on Monday, and plan to reintroduce a new version on April 23rd. Now more than ever, they need to hear from Bellingham residents!

Contact Information:

Please send a brief message NOW to the City Council urging them to pass the resolution for 100% renewable energy to ccmail@cob.org. Share with the Council why this matters to you and what commitments you’re making to lower your carbon footprint (biking, weatherizing your home, installing solar panels, etc.)
Thank you for speaking out!

Source: wholewashington.org

Description: Read the AMA with Sara Erickson So of Whole Washington.  Request petitions for universal healthcare I-1600 and get your friends to sign!

Background: Whole Washington needs to gather 300,000 signatures by early July in order to get I-1600 on the ballot in November. You can help by ordering a petition or two and getting everyone you know to sign. Carry it around in your bag and bring it out when you run into people you know. You only need 20 signatures to complete one petition! You can do that at one kid’s sports match.

Contact Information: 

Request petitions here 

Additional Information:

For more info, contact Paula Smith or visit wholewashington.org

Source: Community to Community Development

Description: Boycott NatuRipe Berries AND make phone calls to state leaders asking for a task force investigation of the H2A program and a state-level policy to protect guest workers in Washington

Background: 

“We want to first say thank you for the work you did in solidarity with Familias Unidas por la Justicia’s struggle for a historic union contract. Without the actions that you all took victory would not have been possible.

From this experience you are already educated and committed consumer activists who understand the fundamental reasons for fighting for justice for farmworkers. You are now the leaders who have power to help us continue to move towards economic justice for farmworkers in Washington state.

We are reaching out to you now to again ask you to use your powers as active consumers and activists to right another great wrong.

Those of us who have already worked to support farmworkers in WA state are now facing another challenge to farmworker families in Whatcom and Skagit County.

As many of you know Honesto Silva Ibarra died this summer after being denied medical treatment while working under the smoky conditions of wildfires at Sarabanand Farms as an H2A guest worker in Sumas WA. When about 100 of his co workers stopped work to protest the conditions on the farm and ensure Silva got proper care they were all summarily fired and told they had one hour to move out of company housing. 78 of these brave workers stayed and established Campo Zapata in the yard of a local Mexican couple living near the farm. For a month the workers lived at Campo Zapata. They organized protest marches on the farm, spoke to the media and government agencies, and won back pay from the company.

All of this happened after a California based agri-corporation, Munger farms (parent of Sarbanand), bought up 1,500 acres of land in Whatcom County 6 years ago and became the first farm here to bring in H2A guestworkers to harvest their berries. Because the H2A program makes it so that workers can only legally work for a specific employer they are routinely treated as indentured servants. Last year Sarbanand’s exploitation caused the death of Honesto Silva Ibarra. This year we say BASTA!

We are launching a campaign to block the expansion of the H2A guestworker program in Whatcom and Skagit county, and to ensure that any guestworkers that are brought in do not suffer the exploitation we witnessed at Sarbanand last summer.

Community to Community is now asking you to stop purchasing berries under the NatuRipe label under which Sarbanand and their parent company Munger sell their berries!

This could be a long fought campaign. Right now we ask you to take some very important actions to get this off the ground.

Thank you for taking action for farmworker justice! We will be in touch again soon as we expect this to be a big fight!

En Solidaridad,

Community to Community Development”

ACTIONS:

1. Find out where NatuRipe Berries are being sold in your local area.
2. Call Governor Inslee and tell him he needs to set up a task force to do an in depth investigation of the H2A guestworker program in WA, and develop policy to shield our state from the negative impacts of the federal guestworker program.  Governor Inslee’s office: 360.902.4111
3. Call Labor and Industries director Joel Sacks and demand that he re-open the investigation in to Honesto Silva Ibarra’s death.  Joel Sacks: 360 902 5584 (this number is for the employment standards specialist, try to get transferred to Joel Sacks or his assistant if you can).
4. Call the WA Employment Securities Department and the WA department of Agriculture and tell them they need to stop following the leadership of corrupt farm labor contractors like Dan Fazio and the Washington Farm Labor Association and tell them they need to ask the Governor to set up a task force on the H2A program.
   • Alberto Isiordia 509 630 8599 ESD Central Regional Director
   • Dale Peineke Commisioner of Employment Securities Department: dpeinecke@esd.wa.gov
   • Derek Sandison Director of WA Dept of Ag: 360 902 1887

Additional Information:

Article in the Stranger: Northern Washington Farmworker’s Complaints of Headaches Went Ignored Before His Death, Colleague Claims

Source: RC

Description: What campaign info can I post to the RC group if I am a candidate/fan of a candidate/terrified of a candidate?

Background:  Please read our posting policy for details!  In general, candidates can post a campaign announcement and host an AMA in the group.  Non-candidates can discuss candidates, but please refrain from using the group as a candidate promotion tool.

Source: Stand.earth

Description: 

California regulators can avoid devastating oil tanker disasters from happening along the Pacific coastline by rejecting Phillips 66’s proposal to double the amount of oil tankers coming into its San Francisco Bay refinery.

Help pile on the pressure and tell California regulators to reject Phillips 66’s proposal to double the number of tar sands oil tankers traveling up and down the Pacific coast to its San Francisco Bay refinery.

Contact Information: Sign the petition here.

Source: Washington Wild

Description: Over the past year, it has become clear that our roadless areas are going to be attacked on a national and local scale. In response to mounting threats to the 2001 Roadless Rule and our Roadless Areas here in Washington State, Washington Wild coordinated a joint comment letter signed by 152 conservation, recreation and wildlife groups, faith leaders, hunting and fishing organizations, faith leaders, local businesses, and elected officials. Now they’re asking you to write your members of Congress and ask them to stand up for the roadless rule and our roadless areas.

Contact Information:

Click here to access their submission form!

Suggested Script:

“Continuing to allow roadbuilding in Inventoried Roadless Areas and allowing statewide exemptions sets a dangerous precedent for the future management of the Forest and in Roadless Areas. This puts healthy forests, clean water, outstanding recreation opportunities, and wildlife habitat at risk. Stand up for our Roadless Areas today!”

Additional Information: