FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2012

CONTACTS:
Brett Abrams : 516-841-1105 : brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com

BULLIED STUDENT URGING THE MPAA TO REMOVE “R” RATING FROM “BULLY” TRAVELS TO WASHINGTON, DC TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT HER CAMPAIGN

High school junior Katy Butler started the campaign on Change.org after the MPAA issued an “R” rating for “Bully” by just one vote

More than 290,000 people have thrown their support behind Katy’s campaign, including a bipartisan group of 26 Members of Congress, and celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Demi Lovato, and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees

WASHINGTON, DC - Katy Butler, a bullied Michigan high school student who has mobilized nearly 300,000 people calling on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to drop its “R” rating for the upcoming documentary “Bully,” will travel to Washington, DC this week to raise awareness about her campaign and to continue pressure on the MPAA to change its rating for the anti-bullying film.

WHO: Katy Butler, a 17-year-old bullied student who started a campaign on Change.org that has received support from nearly 300,000 individuals, urging the MPAA to drop its “R” rating for the film “Bully” and replace it with a “PG-13” rating.

WHAT: After the MPAA ruled by one vote that the upcoming documentary “Bully” should receive an “R” rating, Katy Butler started a petition on Change.org urging the MPAA to reconsider. According to Butler, the movie “Bully” needs to be seen by middle school students and high school students the most, given the epidemic of school bullying in the United States. An “R” rating, Butler says, will prevent that audience from being able to see the film. Butler, who was bullied so bad in middle school that bullies broke her finger during an assault, delivered more than 200,000 petition signatures to the MPAA’s office in Los Angeles last week, and her campaign continues to pick up supporters, including celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Drew Brees, as well as a bipartisan group of 26 Members of Congress, who have sent a letter to the MPAA in support of Butler’s petition.

WHEN: Katy Butler will be in Washington, DC from Thursday, March 15 -- Saturday March 17, 2012

PETITION: Katy Butler’s petition can be viewed at www.change.org/bully

Live signature totals from Katy Butler’s campaign (and comments from signers):
http://www.change.org/bully

Rep. Mike Honda’s Congressional sign-on letter to the MPAA:
http://honda.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1170:supporting-bullying-awareness&catid=16:blog-posts&Itemid=357

Katy Butler appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (March 7):
http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2012/03/ellen_discusses_bully_0307.php

Katy Butler appearance on FOX & Friends (March 6):
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-friends/index.html#/v/1491016262001/teen-stands-up-to-bullies-petitions-mpaa/?playlist_id=86912

Journalists interested in contacting the MPAA should try:

Joan Graves
Head of the Classification and Rating Administration, MPAA
Joan_Graves@mpaa.org
(818) 995-6600

Howard Gantman
Vice President of Corporate Communications, MPAA
Howard_Gantman@mpaa.org
(818) 995-6600

For more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 12, 2012

CONTACT:
(USA) Brett Abrams : (516)-841-1105 : brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com
(EUROPE) Guillaume Bonnet : guillaume@allout.org

Russian Governor Signs Anti-LGBT, Anti-Expression Bill Into Law

After Months of Massive Worldwide Protests, AllOut.org & ComingOut-St. Petersburg Respond


New York, NY - Despite months of sustained international protests led by global gay rights organization AllOut.org and their partners in Russia - ComingOut, SidebySide and the Russian LGBT Federation - St. Petersburg Governor Georgiy Poltavchenko signed a law yesterday that would criminalize reading, writing, speaking or reporting on anything related to gay, lesbian bi or trans (LGBT) people.

Andre Banks, co-founder and executive director for AllOut.org responded:

“By validating a new regime of censorship and intolerance, Governor Poltavchenko has diminished the reputation of his city with the stroke of a pen. 100,000 people have promised not to visit the "new" St. Petersburg after this law goes into effect. Travel companies are considering revising their scheduled trips to the city. St. Petersburg's sister cities have even begun to put pressure on the Governor to reject this law. Together, we have sent a very clear message to Poltavchenko and leaders around the world: there will be a high price to pay for advancing the cause of bigotry and intolerance. AllOut.org continues to stand with our partners in Russia and will work through diplomatic channels, creative online campaigns and offline events to ensure that this law is repealed and that others like it never see the light of day.”

Polina Savchenko, general manager for ComingOut, a St. Petersburg-based LGBT organization issued the following statement:

“Today it became known that the governor of St. Petersburg Georgiy Poltavchenko signed the homophobic law, imposing administrative fines on the so-called ‘propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgenderism.’

Authorities project "traditional values" and clerical rhetoric onto politics, and prioritize "interests of majority" over the value of human individuality. We realize that today, fascist-like rhetoric in Russia is becoming basis for legislative activity.

In fact, this law has little to do with protecting minors. Today, neither homosexual people, nor human rights defenders, nor lawyers can answer the question of how this law is going to be applied in practice, due to its vague nature and non-legal terminology. To talk about existence of homosexuality, to publicly denounce homophobic violence, to develop sense of self-awareness and dignity in homosexual people, to promote tolerance – all of these acts can fall under the "propaganda" law. This law will serve directly to further isolate and marginalize the gay community and encourage hate towards a social group.

We are convinced that no authority can deprive people of their right to dignity, to respect of private and family life, to freedom of expression and to protection from discrimination and violence. We are offended and outraged by this act by city authorities and will continue fighting for the rights of LGBT citizens until the barbaric law is repealed.”

BACKGROUND:

In December and January, AllOut.org was one of the first international organizations to bring critical attention to the issue with a petition of over 270,000 worldwide that encouraged Vice President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton to formally discussed the issue in a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in January.
For more information: http://allout.org/russia_silenced.

AllOut.org members then hit the phones and organized a call-in campaign that pushed 6 countries to make official statements condemning the law.
For more information: http://allout.org/russia_call

In February, AllOut.org members were joined by dozens of human rights organizations around the world in demonstrations at Russian embassies in Argentina (Buenos Aires), USA (New York), France (Paris), Germany (Berlin and Hamburg), Italy (Milan), Portugal (Lisbon), Belgium (Antwerp) and Brazil (Rio de Janeiro). At the Embassies, AllOut.org hand-delivered 300,000+ signatures condemning the law.
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.377889628905236.99154.169042736456594&type=1

AllOut.org also produced a viral video that had over 300,000+ views on YouTube that expressed a simple message urging Governor Poltavchenko to veto the law: “Pass the law, and we won’t go there.”
Video: http://allout.org/actions/stpetersburg-dont-go/

# # # # #

AllOut.org is a global campaign organization of over 800,000 people from 190 countries around the world dedicated to LGBT equality. A movement working online and on the ground to build a world in which everyone can live freely and be embraced for who they are, All Out is adding global people power to the historic fight for LGBT equality.

For Immediate Release: Monday, March 12, 2012
Contact: Doug Gordon (202) 494-5141

*** View The New TV Ad Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzr9W0I9B6M ***

As GOP Continue War On Women, New TV Ad Ties Romney To Limbaugh’s Offensive Comments

30-Second TV Ad By New Group, Ultraviolet, Urges Romney To
“Stand Up To Rush And Stand Up For Women”

Washington, DC -- A new 30-second television ad, released today by the new group Ultraviolet, urges the Republican Presidential frontrunner, Mitt Romney, to stand up to Rush Limbaugh and stand up for women.

As the GOP continues their war on women, the ad, which will air on cable in DC, is a spoof of an online dating site matching Mitt Romney and Rush Limbaugh after other prominent conservatives from George Will to John McCain distanced themselves.

You can see the ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzr9W0I9B6M

The ad is being released by Ultraviolet, a new community of women and men, fighting to expand women's rights and combat sexism everywhere - from politics and government to media and pop culture.

Last week, Ultraviolet collected more than 170,000 signatures on a petition urging Limbaugh’s advertisers to drop their support of the show.

“By refusing to fully condemn Rush Limbaugh’s hate speech, Mitt Romney is sending a message to the girls and women of America that if they speak out, they should expect to be attacked and called awful names. That’s unacceptable.” said Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of Ultraviolet.

“Time and time again Romney has tried to duck questions about Limbaugh’s offensive comments. It is far past time for Romney to stand up to Rush and stand for women. Our ad will remind women everywhere where Romney really stands,” added co-founder, Shaunna Thomas

###

UltraViolet is an online community of more than 250,000 women and men who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public sector, private sector and the media.

For Immediate Release
March 9, 2012

Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
202-503-6141

Common Cause seeks IRS review of Koch Brothers takeover attempt at Cato

Letter questions whether Cato can retain its tax-exempt status without changing its unusual structure

Amid attempts by industrialists Charles and David Koch to take control of the Cato Institute, a long-established think tank advocating libertarian ideas, Common Cause called Friday for an Internal Revenue Service investigation of Koch efforts to use Cato’s corporate structure and tax exempt status to serve their own political and economic interests.

“We may disagree on many public policy questions, but Cato has an admirable history of independent thought and advocacy,” said Bob Edgar, Common Cause’s president and CEO. “Cato should have a corporate structure that protects its independence; if it lacks such a structure and can be turned into a partisan political organization, it should not be permitted to enjoy the benefits of a tax exemption.”

In a letter to the IRS, Common Cause noted that Marcus Owens, a former top IRS official and expert on tax exemptions, has suggested that Cato’s current structure contains a “fatal flaw” that “raises questions about whether it meets the requirements for a nonprofit under federal tax law.” Because Cato’s charter apparently allows the board to agree to sell control of the organization to the highest bidder, it is “completely at odds with the requirements for [a nonprofit],” Owens contends.

The Koch brothers filed a lawsuit last week seeking to take control of Cato. Charles Koch is one of Cato’s founders and he and his brother own two of four “shareholder” seats on its board. The Kochs, who’ve reportedly organized efforts to raise $100 million or more to defeat President Obama in November, are seeking a third seat, which was vacated last year by the death of one of the other founders.

“This is an effort by the Kochs to turn the Cato Institute into some sort of auxiliary for the GOP,” Edward H. Crane, who is president of Cato, told the Washington Post this week. “What (Charles Koch) is doing now is detrimental to Cato, it’s detrimental to Koch Industries, it’s detrimental to the libertarian movement.”

“Of course the Kochs have every right to express their political ideas and support or oppose any candidates they choose,” Edgar said, “But using a tax-exempt group to pursue partisan or economic gain cheats American taxpayers and violates federal law.”

“This dispute dramatically illustrates the growing threat to our democracy caused by powerful corporations and billionaires misusing nonprofit groups to influence our elections and elected representatives, and drown out the voices of American voters,” Edgar said.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest, and accountable government that works for the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to make their voices heard.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2012

Contacts: CJ Frogozo, 310 570 2622
Blair FitzGibbon, 202 503 6141

**Statement from Andy Igrejas, Director of Safer Chemicals Healthy Families **

Silent Spring Institute Study Shows Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Products

Urgent Need For Congress to Protect Consumers

Washington, DC -- Today's study from the Silent Spring Institute is an important reminder that no one is minding the store when it comes to toxic chemicals in the consumer products that we all bring into our homes, and there is an urgent need for Congress to take action to protect consumers. The study shows that we are exposed to a complex mixture of toxic chemicals simply by going through our normal routines and current labeling isn't accurate enough for consumers to avoid even some of the most well-known toxins . The solution, however, can't simply be better labeling. We need the federal government to sort through the chemicals on the market and ensure they are restricted where necessary. We also need to prevent new harmful chemicals from entering the market. The Safe Chemicals Act by Senator Lautenberg would set up such a system and we urge the Senate to pass it as soon as possible.



Study can be viewed here: http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1104052



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For Immediate Release:
March 7, 2012

Contact: Blair Fitzgibbon
202-503-6141

Why Doesn't Sen. Rubio Support the DREAMS of Over 2 Million Danielas?

Florida Senator Marco Rubio has come out in support of DREAM Act student, Daniela Pelaez, the North Miami Senior High School valedictorian whose case has drawn national attention. Presente Action and Latinos throughout the country also support Daniela, but unlike Rubio, we all support the legislation that would put an end to the difficulties and injustices faced by the millions of students like Daniela - the DREAM Act.

"Had Marco Rubio endorsed the DREAM Act, as Latino students and Latinos throughout the United States have repeatedly asked him to do so, Daniela Pelaez and her sister would not have feared deportation in the first place,” said Arturo Carmona, Executive Director of Presente Action. “Instead, Rubio is trying to cover over his lack of support for the over 2 million DREAM act students whose situation is just like Daniela's. If Rubio was serious about supporting students like Daniela Pelaez, he would announce his support for the DREAM Act. Without publicly supporting the DREAM Act, Rubio's media appearances and meetings with Daniela appear to be nothing more than a cynical ploy to look pro-immigrant when he is actually anti-immigrant.”

"Presente Action and its allies have consistenly supported and continue to support the DREAM Act. We've seen hypocritical politicians, but Marco Rubio, the anti-immigrant son of immigrants takes the cake. Taking pictures with and making statements in support of Daniela while both opposing the DREAM Act and supporting SB-1070, the most anti-latino, anti-immigrant legislation in the country - this is the height of hypocrisy and cynicism. This is why growing numbers of Latinos are joining Presente Action's NO SOMOS RUBIOS campaign.”

For Immediate Release:
March 7, 2012

Contact: Blair Fitzgibbon
202-503-6141

Consumer Watchdog Calls for Apple to Prove New iPad Was Made Without Illegal Overtime

SumOfUs.org “Calls Apple’s Bluff” On Workers’ Rights, Demands Release Of Timecard Data for Employees Who Made the New iPad

http://sumofus.org/campaigns/ipad/

Today Apple will announce the impending release of its latest iPad, likely called the iPad HD. Watchdog group SumOfUs.org has launched a new petition calling on Apple to release workers’ clock-in and clock-out data for the last 4 months to prove that the new iPad was made without forcing workers into illegal and dangerous levels of overtime.

“The few months leading up to product launches are the worst time to be an Apple worker. Apple has a track record of putting its workers through grueling night shifts and dangerous levels of overtime to meet its artificial product launch deadlines. Do we really want to buy an iPad made under those conditions? Apple owes it to us to prove that this product was made ethically,” said SumOfUs Executive Director Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman.¹

The demand comes in the wake of revelations in the New York Times in January that Apple workers were roused en masse in the middle of the night to revamp the entire design of the first iPhone just weeks before launch.²

“As Apple customers, we have a right to know whether the new iPad was manufactured illegally and unethically,” said Stinebrickner-Kauffman. “We hope as much as anyone that Apple has nothing to hide. If Apple releases genuine, original records that demonstrate that there has been no illegal overtime at iPad factories in the lead-up to the new product launch, then we will be the first to celebrate. But until Apple proves otherwise, we can only assume that they are bluffing about caring about workers’ health and safety -- and we’re calling that bluff.”

“Consumers are waking up to the consequences of Apple’s greed. We don’t want products made this way. We can wait a few more weeks if it means that workers get to sleep and see their families.”

The SumOfUs petition specifically calls for clock-in and clock-out times. Records that simply state total hours worked are insufficient, as they are easier to massage or doctor. Apple’s largest supplier, Foxconn, told the New York Times that its workers use computerized timecards – so their clock-in and clock-out times should be easy to collate and release.³

In recent years, Foxconn workers surveyed by independent researchers from a coalition of Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwan universities reported an average of 83.2 hours of overtime a month, more than twice the amount of China’s legal limit of 36 hours per month.⁴ Workers also report the most severe violations during large pushes for new products, like the soon-to-be-released iPad HD.⁵

SumOfUs.org, a fast-growing advocacy group for consumer and workers, recently topped over 250,000 members worldwide.

SumOfUs petition with over 130,000 consumers calling for an ethical iPhone can be found here: http://sumofus.org/campaigns/ethical-iphone/

Its new petition page, calling for overtime data to be released, was sent to its members today and can be found here: http://sumofus.org/campaigns/ipad/

---

<sup>1. Tim Cook's Email to Apple Staff Regarding Supplier Responsibility Report http://www.macrumors.com/2012/01/13/tim-cooks-email-to-apple-staff-regarding-supplier-responsibility-report/ ↩

2. “How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?pagewanted=all↩

3. “How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?pagewanted=all ↩

4. “Survey Accuses Foxconn of More Labor Violations” http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-10/09/content_11389573.htm↩

5. “Foxconn and Apple Fail to Fulfill Promises” http://sacom.hk/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011-05-06_foxconn-and-apple-fail-to-fulfill-promises1.pdf ↩</sup>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 6, 2012
CONTACT: Rafael Noboa y Rivera, raf@fitzgibbonmedia.com, (202) 455-4673

Progressive Groups Gather More Than 650,000 Signatures Demanding Limbaugh Advertisers Pull Support For Show

CREDO ACTION, Ultraviolet and Daily Kos To Deliver Petitions To Advertisers In Coming Days

San Francisco, CA -- Following Rush Limbaugh’s offensive verbal assault on Georgetown Law Student, Sandra Fluke, progressive groups CREDO Action, Ultraviolet and Daily Kos today announced that they have collected more than 650,000 signatures on petitions demanding that Limbaugh’s advertisers pull their support for this show. Many of the signatures came after Limbaugh attempted to damage control over the weekend with his unacceptable so-called apology.

The groups plan to deliver the petitions to advertisers in the coming days.

"Rush Limbaugh has a long history of hateful and misogynist rhetoric," said Becky Bond, political director of CREDO Action. "But with his comments this week, Rush Limbaugh has crossed the line at a moment when women, and the men who believe in equal rights for women, are more organized than ever and are ready to fight back."

"Rush Limbaugh attacked a young woman 53 separate times over a period of three days by using some of the most hateful and offensive language imaginable,” said Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet “Abusive language aimed at women is unacceptable--that's why 20 companies have stopped advertising on his show. And our members are committed to making sure others follow suit."

“For three days, Rush Limbaugh used his radio show to viciously attack Sandra Fluke for daring to say all women should receive basic health care,” said Kaili Joy Gray, associate editor at Daily Kos. “Because of thousands of online activists, many sponsors, and even two local radio stations that carried Limbaugh's show, have decided to send Rush and Republicans who stand with him a message by cutting their support. Even though he was forced to issue a non-apology apology, he is still using his show to attack women's health care. His remaining sponsors need to ask themselves, "Who do we stand with? Millions of American women or Rush Limbaugh?"”

CREDO Action's petition can be seen here: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/limbaugh_appalling/. Ultraviolet's petition can be seen here: http://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/rushads/. And Daily Kos' petition can be seen here: http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=84.

###

CREDO Action has 2.75 million members across the U.S. who fight for progressive change and equal rights for women and girls. Since 1985, CREDO and its membership have donated over $70 million to progressive causes including Planned Parenthood, the Ms Foundation for Women, and Room to Read for Girls Education.

UltraViolet is an online community of women and men who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public sector, private sector and the media.


Daily Kos is a news organization, online community, and activist hub. Among luminaries writing on the site are President Jimmy Carter and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. More exciting than that are the regular Americans who have used Daily Kos to shape a political world once the exclusive domain of the rich and powerful.

For Immediate Release:
March 5, 2012

Contact: Blair Fitzgibbon
202-503-6141

More than 10,000 GM Owners Demand Company Pull Its Support from Heartland Institute

Over 20,000 Join Campaign against GM Hypocrisy on Climate Change

http://forecastthefacts.org/stories/gm_heartland/

San Francisco, CA – More than 10,000 current and former owners of General Motors vehicles are calling on the company to pull its financial support from the Heartland Institute, a leader in efforts to deny the science behind climate change. The campaign coordinated by Forecast the Facts comes in response to leaked documents that revealed a host of major corporations funding Heartland.

“Supporting the Heartland Institute stands in direct contradiction to GM’s public stance on climate change and its effort to reinvent itself around cars like the ChevyVolt,” said Daniel Souweine, Forecast the Facts campaign director. “When taxpayers bailed out GM, this is not where they were expecting their money to go.”

Heartland has long been a key cog in the climate change denial machine. They hold a regular conference of leading climate change deniers, publish reports questioning the broad scientific consensus, and provide direct funding to prominent deniers. The leaked documents also unveil their intention to insert climatechange denial into American classrooms through curricula that positions climate change as “a major scientific controversy." Prior to their climate change work, Heartland worked closely with tobacco company Phillip Morris to question links between secondhand smoke and cancer.

The petition drive around GM began two weeks ago, immediately after the leaked documents were published. On Wednesday, Forecast the Facts sent the first 20,000 signatures to General Motors CEO Daniel Akerson and has also posted selected comments from GM owners online here: http://forecastthefacts.org/stories/gm_heartland/. General Motors has yet to respond, but a spokesman did previously defend their support of Heartland, saying: “We support a variety or organizations that give careful and considerate thought to complex policy issues and Heartland is one of them."

The comments from GM owners reflect both their deep affinity for the company and their intense frustration that GM would provide support to a group like Heartland. For example, John C. of Ballston Spa, NY had this to say upon signing the petition: “I have been a Chevy fan from a very young age. I am now 61. My parents bought only Chevys and it has been my usual car of choice. I own a classic 74 Camaro LT. However your donation to the Heartland Institute, with its anti-science, pro-oil stance, has me angry. Change yourpolicy or I will never buy another GM auto.”

In the coming weeks, Forecast the Facts will use a host of online and offline tactics to ensure that GM is well aware of the customer frustration their support of Heartland has caused.

For Immediate Release:
February 29, 2012

Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
202-503-6141

If Romney Wins

Statement by Communication Workers of America Union

"Gov. Romney barely won the Michigan primary, said CWA President Larry Cohen. "He probably doesn't know it, but he’s had a hard time hiding his contempt for working people. He’s been working hard to alienate a big part of the Michigan electorate. And I think he succeeded. Where was Romney on the issues important to families in Michigan? Nowhere. From still insisting that we should have let Detroit “go bankrupt,” despite the amazing success of saving jobs and the industry, to supporting every possible attack on workers’ rights and bargaining rights, Romney makes it clear where he stands. It’s not with rebuilding the middle class. It’s with the 1 percent."

###

CWA, the largest telecommunications union in the world, represents over 700,000 men and women in both private and public sectors, including over half a million workers who are building the Information Highway.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 28, 2012

CONTACTS:
Brett Abrams : 516-841-1105 : brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Guillaume Bonnet : guillaume@allout.org

Major Protests at Russian Embassies Around the World As St. Petersburg Adopts Anti-LGBT, Anti-Expression Law

300,000+ Urge St. Petersburg Governor Poltavchenko Not To Sign the Bill Into Law

**LINK TO PHOTOS**

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.377889628905236.99154.169042736456594&type=1

New York, NY — Today, lawmakers in St. Petersburg adopted a bill that would impose fines of up to $16,700 for the “promotion of homosexuality.” The bill, if signed in to law by the City Governor in the next 14 days, will criminalize reading, writing, speaking or reporting on anything related to gay, lesbian bi or trans (LGBT) people. Pride parades, literature, theater, or NGOs that openly serve LGBT people will be criminalized, and pushed underground. Several ruling party's officials have also voiced their interest to push the law nationwide.

On Tuesday, AllOut.org members were joined by dozens of human rights organizations around the world in demonstrations at Russian embassies in Argentina (Buenos Aires), USA (New York), France (Paris), Germany (Berlin and Hamburg), Italy (Milan), Portugal (Lisbon), Belgium (Antwerp) and Brazil (Rio de Janeiro).

In solidarity with the coalition of Russian human rights organizations opposing the law, the flash-mobs delivered 300,000 signatures collected worldwide that demonstrate the level of global opposition to this proposed law, and employ creative visuals sending a loud and clear message to the Governor of Saint Petersburg, who has the power to veto the law: “Don’t Go There Saint Petersburg.”

“This radical law undermines the great legacy of our city’s past and future. If it passes, it would be illegal to mention that famed Russian composer of the 1812 Overture, St. Petersburg native Tchaikovksy, was gay,” said Polina Savchenko, director of Coming Out, an LGBT organization based in St. Petersburg. “This law installs a culture of censorship in what was once Russia’s most cosmopolitan city and is a huge blow to the freedom of expression in Russia. At a time when people all over the world are opening up and coming out, this law puts Russia back in the closet.”

Conservatives in Saint Petersburg insistent on passing the "gay gag rule" have ignored calls from world leaders and the country's own international treaty obligations respecting freedom of expression. But Russia is not immune to global public opinion. The government recently announced that it wants to spend $11 billion dollars in five years to attract international tourists, and Saint Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, thrives on its reputation as Russia's cosmopolitan "window to the west" to attract visitors from around the world.

“This reputation can’t coexist with a new law that will muzzle artists, writers, musicians and regular citizens who live in - or visit - the city,” says AllOut.org Executive Director Andre Banks. “This bill, which would violate Russia's own constitution as well as any number of international treaties, is an outrageous attack on the freedom of expression for all Russians - straight and gay. It must not be allowed to stand.”

PARIS, FRANCE: Guillaume Bonnet, AllOut.org - “Today was a great day of global solidarity for LGBT rights. More than 60 people gathered at the Stavinsky Fountain in front of a giant piece of art, representing a man making a sign of silence. Today we showed, in the face of persecution, we will not be silent.”

PARIS, FRANCE: François Zimeray, the French Ambassador for Human Rights. "I never understood how public figures in the world would decide to forbid people to be who they are and love who they want. Our century is facing other stakes and challenges, and it deserves better! France publicly called the Saint Petersburg's Assembly to ask them to respect the International treaties that Russia signed. It's our honor and duty to closely insure that they are respected."

ANTWERP, BELGIUM: Björn Pius, Outrage - “In Belgium, we are lucky to have protection by law against discrimination. But what happens in Saint-Petersburg shows us that we have to stay vigilant about our rights, for they can be taken away again when we let down our guard. Today, we have not only shown support for the LGBT in Russia, shown our outrage to the policy makers there, but also made a clear sign that we will keep on fighting for our rights and we will not back down.”

NEW YORK, USA: Joseph Huff-Hannon, AllOut.org - “"Two dozen of us dropped in on the Russian Mission to the United Nations at lunchtime, and delivered a strong message with a soundtrack from Tchaikovsky (via boombox), a one-time Saint Petersburg resident - and gay man. Extremists around the world should take note -- our solidarity is global too, and together we will fight tooth and nail for full equality for everyone, everywhere."

MILAN, ITALY: Yuri Gualana, Segretario - “Human rights know no borders and that was what we demonstrated in Milan. There were many passers of different nationalities, genders and ages who stopped to ask why we were there and when we explained them our reasons they decided to join us in support.”

RIO DE JANIERO, BRAZIL: Flavia Sosinho, AllOut.org - “ It was a great moment when the Ambassador himself came downstairs and spoke with us. He was trying to convince us that this anti-gay law was " good for children". But when I asked him if my stepdaughter, who was in this protest with me, would become a lesbian for supporting human rights, he was muted. We delivered him All Out big poster, but it was clear that Russia is still believing in censorship for LGBT people."

The “Gay Propaganda” bill inspired an international outcry when first proposed in the fall of 2011, and over 270,000 around the world have signed AllOut.org’s petition denouncing the initiative (http://www.allout.org/russia_silenced), resulting in European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton committing to take up the issue with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

In less than a week over 65,000 have signed AllOut.org’s “I won’t go there” letter to the Governor of Saint Petersburg: http://www.allout.org/stpetersburg-dont-go

# # # # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2012

Contact: Rachel Tardiff, 202.746.1507
Rachel@FitzGibbonMedia.com

**Statement from National Domestic Workers Alliance Director Ai-jen Poo**

Domestic Workers Congratulate Octavia Spencer for Oscar Win

The Help Actress Shines Light on Real Life Help With Award-Winning Performance

Los Angeles—The National Domestic Workers Alliance congratulates actress Octavia Spencer on winning the Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance as Minny, a domestic worker, in The Help.

In response to Ms. Spencer’s victory, NDWA co-founder and executive director Ai-jen Poo made the following statement:

“Ms. Spencer’s win is a profound victory for a talented artist and for domestic workers everywhere. We thank her for lifting up the stories of domestic workers and the dignity of the work. But the biggest win happened before the event tonight started. A movie with a powerful message and a cast of strong women characters including some of the most invisible women in society - domestic workers - was seen by millions of people around the world. When women's voices and stories are heard, anything is possible.”

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Co-founded in 2007 by award-winning social entrepreneur Ai-jen Poo (“The Nannies’ Norma Rae” –New York Times), the National Domestic Workers Alliance has 35 local, membership-based affiliate organizations of nannies, housekeepers and caregivers for the elderly located in 19 cities and 11 states around the country.

http://www.domesticworkers.org/

For Immediate Release
February 23, 2012

Contact: Rachel Tardiff, 202.746.1507
Rachel@FitzGibbonMedia.com

Apple CEO Tim Cook Ignores Calls for Worker Protections Despite Protest at Shareholders Meeting

SumOfUs.org Members Gather at Apple’s Annual General Meeting to Deliver Letter from Poisoned Chinese Workers & Petitions, Rally for Improved Working Conditions in Supplier Factories

Concerned Consumers to Apple CEO Tim Cook: “Stop the iSweatshop, Make an Ethical iPhone”

Cupertino, CA—Global consumer watchdog group SumOfUs.org led a delegation of Apple consumers to Apple’s annual shareholder meeting today. Dozens of protestors rallied outside for an ethical iPhone while representatives in the shareholder meeting attempted to deliver 300,000 petitions calling on Apple to improve working conditions in their factories.

Apple consumer Lanie Wieland attended the AGM and submitted a question on behalf of her fellow petition signers from around the world. “I love my iPod Touch, and I’ve been thinking about upgrading to an iPhone. But now that I know about these terrible working conditions in Apple’s factories, I have to take a stand – like the more than 300,000 people around the world who signed the petition calling on Apple to make their next iPhone ethically produced. I want to be able to buy Apple products with pride.” Wieland, 30, is a SumOfUs member and local San Francisco resident who works in children’s theater.

Images of the rally can be found here: http://bit.ly/A02pfk and http://on.fb.me/wCQqSi

Open Letter from Apple workers to Apple consumers

The actions come in the wake of SumOfUs’ release yesterday of an open letter from two Chinese workers poisoned by neurotoxin n-hexane at an Apple supplier’s iPhone factory last year. The workers, Guo Rui-Qiang and Jia Jing-Chuan, say in their letter (translated from Chinese):

“In early 2010, it was independently confirmed that 137 workers, including us, were poisoned by a chemical called n-hexane which was used to clean iPhone screens. N-hexane is known to cause eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation, and leads to persistant nerve damage. Apple admitted to gross labour rights violations more than a year later.

We have been pressuring Apple, and its new CEO Tim Cook, for years to compensate those of us who were injured working for them, and demanding reform of working conditions at their Chinese factories so that their workers don’t suffer like we do. Now we need your help as customers or potential customers of Apple.”

“Apple has a moral obligation to workers like Gou Rui-Qiang and Jia Jing-Chuan. The company must take the hard steps required to make sure that tragedies like this never happen again,” said SumOfUs.org Executive Director Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman. “Ethical consumers won’t be fooled by whitewashing by organizations like the Fair Labor Association. We insist that Apple grant full access to its factories to truly independent NGOs, not groups funded and controlled by the corporations they’re supposed to monitor.”

The full letter and more information about Guo Rui-Qiang and Jia Jing-Chuan can be found here: http://sumofus.org/campaigns/apple-message/.

Over 350,000 Petition Signatures from Concerned Consumers

SumOfUs.org has already collected more than 90,000 petition signatures from concerned consumers around the world, along with over 225,000 from Change.org, over 30,000 from GetUp.org.au, and over 15,000 from the AFL-CIO calling on Apple to make the iPhone 5 the first ethical iPhone. Around 200 SumOfUs.org members individually attempted to deliver the petition in person at each of their local Apple stores over the past week – with many managers refusing to receive the petition.

The petition deliveries came just days after Apple’s biggest supplier, Foxconn, announced a pay raise for some workers. “We are cautiously optimistic that this pay increase will help some workers,” said Stinebrickner-Kauffman. “But much of the raise can be attributed to state-mandated increase in the minimum wage as well as increasing cost of living. Moreover, Foxconn has a track record of granting nominal raises but then charging its workers more for housing and food. So, without access to the factories to really find out what’s going on, it’s hard to get too excited.”

Stinebrickner-Kauffman continued, “A Nightline special on working conditions at Apple factories earlier this week was a case study for how Apple is trying to spin these atrocious conditions. No reasonable person, let alone a journalist, should be willing to draw conclusions about working conditions from a tour arranged by company executives. Videotaped, public interviews with workers desperate to keep or get a job are virtually useless in assessing working conditions. We are waiting for Apple to stop spending money on PR and start spending money on actually improving workers’ lives.”

Coverage of SumOfUs.org’s Ethical iPhone Campaign:
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Wired
The Guardian

SumOfUs.org petition link: http://sumofus.org/campaigns/ethical-iphone/

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SumOfUs.org is a global movement of consumers, investors, and workers all around the world, standing together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable and just path for our global economy.

http://sumofus.org/about/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2012

CONTACT:
Brett Abrams : (516) 841 1105 : brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Tim Newman, Senior Campaigner, Change.org, (202) 684 2552, press@change.org

GRIEVING MOM FIGHTS ENTERPRISE’S OPPOSITION TO SAFETY BILL
Mother whose two daughters died in accident in recalled Enterprise rental car launches explosive petition campaign.
Petition calls on Missouri-headquartered Enterprise Rent-A-Car to stop opposing proposed law that would prevent rental car companies from renting recalled automobiles.

WASHINGTON, DC – Thousands of concerned consumers have joined a grieving mother’s breaking campaign on Change.org calling on Enterprise Rent-A-Car to stop opposing proposed legislation that would prohibit rental car companies from renting cars that have been recalled due to safety risks.

The campaign was launched this week by Cally Houck, a mom whose two daughters were killed in an accident when they drove a recalled car rented to them by Enterprise. Raechel, 24, and Jacqueline, 20, died in 2004 when the power-steering fluid leaked in their recalled PT Cruiser and caught fire, causing them to lose control of the car, which crashed into a semi tractor-trailer. About 30 days before the fatal crash, Enterprise received the safety recall notice from Chrysler, but did not fix the car, and continued to rent the defective PT Cruiser to three other customers before renting it to Ms. Houck’s daughters. Eventually, after a five-year legal battle, Enterprise admitted it was 100% liable for the young women's deaths.

“I want to keep this from happening to another family and to be sure that my daughters' memory is preserved,” Ms. Houck said. “My daughters were incredible human beings. Until there is real accountability and Enterprise has a responsibility to its customers, we are still going to have problems like this. I created this petition because I have to go forward on this. My daughters' memory demands it.”

Ms. Houck launched her campaign on Change.org when she learned that Enterprise is working behind closed doors to oppose an amendment that Senator Charles Schumer and Senator Barbara Boxer plan to include in an upcoming surface transportation bill. The amendment would prohibit car rental companies from renting recalled cars until they are fixed, a regulation that already applies to car manufacturers and new car dealers. This week, Enterprise’s competitor, Hertz, reached an agreement with a leading consumer group, calling for grounding recalled rental cars until they are fixed.

“Cally has taken an incredibly traumatic event, the death of her two daughters, and sworn to do anything to keep this tragedy from repeating itself,” said Change.org Senior Campaigner Tim Newman. “Thousands of people, from Cally’s close friends to Enterprise customers to concerned drivers, have left emotional comments of support on her petition. Change.org is about empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the issues that matter to them, and it’s been powerful to watch Cally’s campaign resonate with so many people.”

Enterprise Holdings is the nation’s largest rental car company and owns the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car, and National Car Rental brands.

Live signature totals from Cally Houck’s campaign:
http://www.change.org/petitions/enterprise-rent-a-car-stop-opposing-a-law-prohibiting-companies-from-renting-out-recalled-cars

USA Today coverage of the issue:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/story/2012-02-20/Safety-advocates-Rental-car-recalls-should-be-regulated/53180374/1

Journalists interested in contacting Enterprise Holdings’ public relations staff should try:
Laura Bryant, Spokesperson, Enterprise Holdings
laura.t.bryant@ehi.com
314-512-4178

Meghan Maguire, Spokesperson, Enterprise Holdings
meghan.maguire@ehi.com
314-512-2040

Lisa Martini, Spokesperson, Enterprise Holdings
lisa.martini@ehi.com
314-512-2352

For more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about

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Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change — growing by 1 million new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.

For Immediate Release:
February 21, 2012

Contact: Naomi Seligman, 310.617.4577
CJ Frogozo, 310.570.2622
Rafael Noboa y Rivera, 202.455.4673

Unemployed Veterans Find New Champion – America Wants You Enlists Corporate America to Find Jobs for 800,000 Veterans Now Out of Work
Actor Chris O’Donnell Stars in New Video Asking Corporate America to Do Its Part
AWY Running Full Page Ad in Wall Street Journal

Los Angeles, CA - Military veterans looking for work in a tough economy have a new champion in America Wants You (AWY), a unique private sector initiative that is teaming up with corporate America to find job opportunities for those men and women who have served in our Country’s military. Together, industry and America’s veterans can team to build the America of tomorrow.

The non-partisan organization, led by three retired private-sector executives from Los Angeles, is establishing contacts across the corporate spectrum to carve out opportunities for some of the more than 800,000 veterans currently out of work.

CareerBuilder is building a dedicated job site on AmericaWantsYou.net and corporations including Southwestern Energy and Careerbuilder have pledged their support. The effort is also supported by a number of veterans organizations including: The Vet Voice Foundation (Foundation arm of VoteVets.org), Bob Woodruff Foundation, Hire Heroes USA, Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

“America Wants You and its supporters are calling out to the corner offices to stand up and do their duty,” said the group's chairman and CEO, John S. Pike, a veteran and former president at Paramount Network Television.

Pike's principals are Dallas Marvil and Cliff Allman, who were both top publishing industry leaders.

“With over 800,000 veterans out of work, it is imperative that companies step up and help those who have been helping us," Pike said. "It’s a corporate call to arms. There is no employer too big or too small to aid in this American effort.”

Actor Chris O’Donnell is starring in a new video asking corporate America to jump in and help veterans in this job market. The video can be viewed here: http://d.pr/8q5P.

“America Wants You is coming at the right time. Right now, the unemployment rate among the youngest veterans, ages 18-24, is upwards of 30 percent. Efforts like these are desperately needed, and we’re proud to support their efforts,” said Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, and Chairman of the Vet Voice Foundation.

AWY cannot achieve its goal without strong support from “Cornerstone Partners” who believe in this initiative and embrace the objective. Southwestern Energy, a leading company in the natural gas industry, was one of the first to join up. “History has shown time and again that no challenge is too great for the collective resolve and determination of the American people,” said Mark Boling, Executive Vice President for Southwestern Energy.

“We are behind this initiative 100% and have been and are committed to providing jobs to those that have served our nation.”

AWY is also running a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal today, which can be viewed here: http://d.pr/WN5u.

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For more information please visit AmericaWantsYou.net.

For Immediate Release:
February 21, 2012

Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
202-503-6141

Watchdog to Sheldon Adelson:
Stand Up For Reform

Washington, D.C.--In response to Sheldon Adelson's comment in Forbes magazine that he was "against very wealthy people attempting to or influencing elections," Public Campaign Action Fund sent the casino mogul a letter urging him to donate to organizations working to address the problem of big money in politics.

The letter, signed by Public Campaign Action Fund Executive Director David Donnelly, states:

We read with attentiveness your statement to Forbes Magazine that you are “against very wealthy people attempting to or influencing elections” and that you will continue to make gifts totaling as much as $100 million, saying “as long as it's doable I'm going to do it.”

We think there’s a better way. If you are truly opposed to wealthy people attempting to influence elections, we would welcome your support behind a number of different proposals to address the problem of big money in politics. Specifically, the congressional Fair Elections Now Act, which matches small donations from home-state voters with limited public funds, and legislation providing moredisclosure on outside money so that, in your words, donors don’t “go through ten different corporations to hide [their] name.”

Other efforts – including a constitutional amendment that would prohibit wealthy individuals or corporations from dominating elections – are also important.

We encourage you to support the growing efforts to reform the political fundraising system so that it reflects the time-honored American values of being “of, by, and for the people.” Attached to this letter is a list of 11 national organizations that have robust programs in addressing the problems of money-in-politics.

Your contributions to these organizations, instead of your generous campaign donations, could be your most important political legacy. You would be joining a number of leading political donors who have already taken a stand for such change.

We would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you to discuss your options if you are interested. Please feel free to contact me if you’d like to schedule a meeting.

Visit http://bit.ly/wfwgb3 to view this release and download the complete letter that includes a list of suggested organizations.

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Public Campaign Action Fund works to hold politicians who are against comprehensive campaign finance reform accountable for where they get their political donations. Learn more at www.campaignmoney.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 18, 2012

CONTACT:
(PARIS) Guillaume Bonnet guillaume@allout.org
(STOCKHOLM) Ulrika Westerlund ulrika.westerlund@rfsl.se
(USA) Brett Abrams, 516-841-1105 brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com

BREAKING NEWS - In Major Reversal, Sweden Is Poised to End Forced Sterilization of Transgender People
Conservative Christian Democrats announce, "It's time to abolish the requirement for sterilization at sex change."
With no remaining obstacles, Sweden's repeal sets a new precedent for the 28 remaining European countries with laws requiring forced sterilization

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Today the conservative Christian Democrats - members of the governing coalition in Sweden and the primary obstacle to ending the policy of forced sterilizations - went public with a decision to reverse their position. "It's time to abolish the requirement for sterilization at sex change," leaders of the Christian Democrats wrote in an opinion piece published today in the Swedish press.

The current law forces transgender persons in Sweden to undergo sterilization before legally changing their gender. The surgery renders a person permanently infertile and unable to have children in the future.

"This is an incredible news for Sweden: it means that anyone will be able to have their true identity recognized without having to be sterilized, says Ulrika Westerlund, President of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights. “It's crucial that the new law comes into place as soon as possible."

The announcement come after several years of mobilization in Sweden followed by a massive international outcry coordinated by AllOut.org, a global alliance of over 850,000 straight, gay, lesbian, bi and trans people. The global campaign to stop forced sterilization in Sweden was the largest online campaign in history supporting human rights for transgender people.

"Swedish activists have worked for years to lay the foundation for this victory and I am so proud that AllOut.org could build the international momentum that finally pushed Prime Minister Reinfeldt and party leaders to end this cruel practice," says Andre Banks, Executive Director of AllOut.org. "It's a victory for Sweden, but it is also decisive for Europe. AllOut.org members across the continent will continue to push online and in Parliament until each of these appalling laws are thrown out with the trash.”

Since January, the international campaign coordinated by AllOut.org generated incredible energy on an issue that rarely receives coverage in mainstream media outlets. After 50,000 Europeans called on Swedish Prime Minister Reinfeldt to take a clear stand against forced sterilization, one news article rose to the top of Reddit.com, a popular social news aggregator, receiving more than 150,000 views and generating thousands of comments. AllOut.org's video of Love, a young Swedish transgender man directly impacted by the law has also become an international sensation - generating more than 50,000 views in a few days.

Love's video and the AllOut.org campaign with comments from supporters around the world can be found here: http://allout.org/stop_forced_sterilization

*Surgery leading to sterilization has been identified as a requirement in 29 member states (Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark,291Estonia, Finland,292France, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine) http://www.coe.int/t/Commissioner/Source/LGBT/LGBTStudy2011_en.pdf

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AllOut.org is a global campaign organization of over 800,000 people from 190 countries around the world dedicated to LGBT equality. A movement working online and on the ground to build a world in which everyone can live freely and be embraced for who they are, All Out is adding global people power to the historic fight for LGBT equality. Find out more at: www.allout.org/about

For Immediate Release
February 17, 2012

Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
202-503-6141

Things Should Never Have Reached this Point

Every day, the American Dream seems a little farther away. More of our grandparents are being thrown from their homes. Our mothers and fathers can’t retire because their pension funds tanked. Our brothers and sisters are burdened by student loan debt. For our children, budget cuts have resulted in crumbling schools, skyrocketing class sizes, and teachers being denied the support they need to do their best. Our friends and family are being denied collective bargaining rights in their workplaces and are falling further and further behind. Our neighbors are being poisoned by pollution in our air and water.

The numbers are staggering: in recent years, millions of jobs have been destroyed,homes foreclosed, and an unconscionable number of children live in poverty.

And worst of all: this is no accident. It is a result of rampant greed—the deliberate manipulation of our democracy and our economy by a tiny minority in the 1%, by those who amass ever more wealth and power at our expense.

We are at a crossroads as a country. We have a choice to make. Greater wealth for a few or opportunity for many. Tax breaks for the richest or a fair shot for the rest of us. A government that can be bought by the highest bidder, or a democracy that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people.

The choice is in our hands. This spring, we will act on that choice and rise up in the tradition of our forefathers and foremothers. We will not be complicit with the suffering in our families for another year. We will prepare ourselves for sustained nonviolent direct action in the spirit of Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, and many others.

From April 9-15 we will gather across America, 100,000 strong, in homes, places of worship, campuses and the streets to join together in the work of reclaiming our country. We will organize trainings to:

1) Tell the story of our economy: how we got here, who’s responsible, what a different future could look like, and what we can do about it

2) Learn the history of non-violent direct action, and

3) Get into action on our own campaigns to win change.

This spring we rise! We will reshape our country with our own hands and feet, bodies and hearts. We will take non-violent action to forge a new destiny one block, one neighborhood, one city, one state at a time.

We know great change is possible. We inherit a history of everyday people standing up for their own dignity, freedom, and self-determination, shaping our direction as a country. The seamstress in Alabama who launched a bus boycott. The farmers in New England and Virginia who imagined we could be a free nation. The workers in Flint, Michigan who occupied their plant to win collective bargaining rights. The farmworkers in California who liberated our fields. The women in New York who dreamed they could one day speak with equal voice. The mother who stood up in Love Canal to stop the poisoning of her community. And the students who risked their lives during Freedom Summer to register voters.

In the last year alone we watched the teachers and fire fighters of Wisconsin stand for the rights of workers. And we joined those who Occupied Wall Street, inspiring us to stand with the 99%.

We will rise this spring, because we DO hold these truths to be self evident—that all men and women are created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Will you rise with us? Can we count on you to join us April 9th to 15th to stand with the 99% for America?

Jobs With Justice, Sarita Gupta
United Auto Workers, Bob King
National Peoples Action, George Goehl
National Domestic Workers Alliance, Ai-jen Poo
MoveOn.org, Justin Ruben
New Organizing Institute, Joy Cushman & Judith Freeman
Movement Strategy Center, Liz Butler
The Other 98%, John Sellers and Andrew Boyd
Service Employees International Union, Mary Kay Henry
Rebuild the Dream, Van Jones and Natalie Foster
Color of Change, Rashad Robinson
UNITE-HERE, John Wilhelm
Greenpeace, Phil Radford
Institute for Policy Studies, John Cavanagh
PICO National Network, Scott Reed
New Bottom Line, Tracy Van Slyke and Ilana Berger
United Steel Workers, Leo Gerard
Working Families Party, Daniel Cantor
Communications Workers of America, Larry Cohen
United States Student Association, Victor Sanchez Jr.
National Education Association, John Stocks
Rainforest Action Network, Becky Tarbotton
American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten
Leadership Center for the Common Good, Brian Kettenring
UNITY, Randy Jackson
National Guestworker Alliance, Saket Soni
350.org, Bill McKibben and May Boeve
The Ruckus Society, Sharon Lungo and Megan Swoboda
Citizen Engagement Lab, Ian Inaba
smartMeme Strategy & Training Project, Patrick Reinsborough and Doyle Canning
Right to the City Alliance, Rachel LaForest
Pushback Network, Brigid Flaherty
Progressive Democrats of America, Tim Carpenter
Change to Win, Bob Callahan
Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Michael Leon Guerrero
Campaign for America’s Future, Roger Hickey
Fuse Washington, Aaron Ostrom
Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, Jeff Ordower
Citizen Action of New York, Karen Scharff
Engage, Marianne Manilov
United Electrical Workers Union, Bruce Klipple
National Day Laborers Organizing Network, Pablo Alvarado
Alliance for a Just Society, LeeAnn Hall
The Partnership for Working Families, Leslie Moody
United Students Against Sweatshops, Teresa Cheng

For Immediate Release:
February 16, 2012

Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
202-503-6141

Watchdog: Tipton Should Return Contributions From SG Interests

Washington, D.C. — Campaign finance watchdog Public Campaign called on Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Co.) to return thousands of dollars in contributions he received from the executives of SG Interests, a company being forced to pay a $275,000 fine as part of an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.

"The people of Colorado need to know that their elected officials are working for them and not big donors trying to defraud taxpayers," said David Donnelly, national campaigns director at Public Campaign. “Scott Tipton should immediately return contributions from the company or donate them to charity."

The agreement to pay the fine, according to a report by the Denver Post, is part of the first federal challenge to an anti-competitive bidding agreement for mineral rights after SG Interests and Gunnison Energy entered into an agreement that only SG would bid at gas field auctions but would split the acreage with Gunnison.

Tipton has close ties to SG Interests and has faced criticism for taking contributions from company donors while simultaneously working to address a local dispute between landowners and the company. He received $8,100 from donors at SG Interests based in Houston in 2011 and has taken $15,300 from company donors since 2009, according to Public Campaign analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission.

The company wants to increase drilling operations on public lands in Tipton’s district and the congressman has been “trying to mediate ” a solution between both SG Interests and the ranchers, local elected officials and citizens opposed to expanded drilling in the area.

Release available online at http://bit.ly/wnNElP.

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Public Campaign is a national nonpartisan organization that fights to raise the voices of everyday people in our democracy throughchanging our campaign finance laws and through holding elected officials accountable. Learn more at www.publicampaign.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2012

Contact: Rachel Tardiff
202.746.1507

Consumer Watchdog Group Calls Out Apple for Whitewashing Labor Concerns

SumOfUs Redoubles Efforts After Fair Labor Association’s Conciliatory Comments on Working Conditions in Apple Supplier Factories

Hundreds of Consumers to Visit Apple Stores Around the World and Speak to Manager

Washington, DC — Consumer watchdog group SumOfUs is doubling down on efforts to make the iPhone 5 Apple’s first “ethical iPhone” following discomfiting remarks by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), the labor standards group Apple partnered with to monitor factory standards.

"It is inappropriate in the extreme for the FLA to be making any statements whatsoever this early in an allegedly independent investigation,” said Taren Stinkebrickner-Kauffman, executive director of SumOfUs. “So far all they've done is have a guided tour of the premises by Foxconn executives—what exactly were they expecting, that the company would voluntarily show them the dark underbelly of the factory life on the first day?"

Just days after announcing a partnership with Apple to discuss concerns regarding working conditions in the factories of the company’s Chinese suppliers, FLA president Auret van Heerden made statements regarding an organized walkthrough of FoxConn facilities, calling the factories “tranquil” and citing “alienation and boredom” for workers’ suicides, undermining claims of excessive overtime, workplace exposure to neurotoxins, and other dangerous working conditions.

“The FLA is funded and controlled by the same companies it is supposed to be monitoring,” Stinebrickner-Kauffman continued. “Moreover, most of the so-called ‘monitoring’ conducted by the FLA is actually outsourced to for-profit firms – and all of their incentives line up to provide a clean bill of health to factories.”

Over the past few weeks, 78,000 SumOfUs members have signed a petition calling on Apple to clean up labor abuses in their supply chain before the release of the next iPhone, making it the first “ethical iPhone. In response to the remarks from the FLA, and in the lead-up to Apple’s Annual General Meeting in Cupertino next Thursday, SumOfUs will ramp up its campaign. The organization announced today that it will do a “distributed” petition delivery, with hundreds of its members delivering the petition to managers at their own local iPhone stores around the world next week. This delivery ups the ante after SumOfUs.org and Change.org jointly delivered over 250,000 petition signatures last week to six Apple stores on four continents.

“Apple clearly took note of consumers’ concerns, but it responded with a whitewashing campaign instead of real solutions,” said Stinebrickner-Kauffman. “If hearing from customers at 6 stores isn’t enough, maybe hearing from then at a hundred will get the message across.”

Coverage of Ethical iPhone Campaign:

Countdown with Keith Olbermann

Wired

The Guardian

SumOfUs petition link: http://sumofus.org/campaigns/ethical-iphone/

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SumOfUs is a global movement of consumers, investors, and workers all around the world, standing together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable andjust path for our global economy.
http://sumofus.org/about/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, February 16, 2012
CONTACT: Rachel Tardiff, (202) 746-1507, rachel@fitzgibbonmedia.com

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS CHAMPION EXPANSION OF HEALTH CARE TAX CREDIT
Proposal in President’s budget would mean many more businesses can benefit, lower effective health insurance costs

Washington, DC – Small business leaders across the country in the Main Street Alliance network are cheering an expansion of the small business health care tax credit proposed in the President’s budget earlier this week. The proposed expansion would mean every small business with fewer than 50 FTEs, average wages under $50,000 a year, and paying at least half of health insurance premium costs for employees’ would qualify for some credit, and many would qualify for a bigger credit than before.

Small business leaders in the Main Street Alliance network responded to the proposal today with excitement:

“This is a big deal for a small business like mine,” said David Borris, owner of Hel’s Kitchen Catering in Northbrook, Illinois on the North Shore of Chicago and a member of the Main Street Alliance network’s national steering committee. Borris’s business employs about 25 full-time employees and additional part-time workers to bring his FTE count to about 33. “Under the old version of the credit, we were above the threshold to qualify,” Borris added. “Under this new proposal, we’d be right in the sweet spot. We just did a quick run on the numbers and it looks like we’d qualify for something like a 13 percent credit. That’s over $8,000. That’s money I can use to expand our health coverage, either getting more employees covered or improving our benefits. It’s a win-win for us.”

"I already qualified for the small business health care tax credit this past year. We got over $12,000 back on our health insurance costs. It was a real help to me in stemming the relentless increases in health insurance costs we've had to swallow for the past few years," said Jim Houser, owner of Hawthorne Auto Clinic in Portland, Oregon. "I'm excited to see that many more small businesses would be able to benefit in a big way from this credit under the new proposal. This is just the kind of thing the small business community needs right now. We've got to keep moving forward on making health insurance more affordable for small businesses, and building on this tax credit is a great step forward."


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The Main Street Alliance is a national network of state-based small business coalitions. MSA creates opportunities for small business owners to speak for themselves on issues that impact their businesses and local economies.
www.mainstreetalliance.org

For Immediate Release
February 15, 2012

Contact: Trevor FitzGibbon, 202.406.0646
Trevor@FitzGibbonMedia.com

Global Zero: Reducing Cold War Arsenal Makes National Security and Fiscal Common Sense

Calls On Critics to Justify Maintaining Massive Arsenal on National Security Grounds

Statement by Global Zero Co-Founders, Bruce Blair and Matt Brown

It’s only sensible – from a national security standpoint and a budget standpoint -- for the Administration to be looking at options for reducing the massive Cold War nuclear arsenal. If the arsenal were cut from the approximately 5,000 nuclear weapons it is today to 1,000 total weapons – deployed and non-deployed -- that would still be far more than we need to deter any adversary and would save approximately $100 billion over the next ten years.

The defenders of maintaining a massive Cold War arsenal of thousands of nuclear weapons need to answer some questions for the Americanpeople:

Two decades after the end of the Cold War and Mutually Assured Destruction, what is the purpose of the massive overkill stockpile of thousands of weapons? What are these weapons for? What are they targeting? Why do we have literally hundreds of nuclear weapons targeted at single cities, such as Moscow? Whatmissions would nuclear weapons execute that modern conventional weapons cannot?

The fact is that maintaining this massive arsenal of thousands of nuclear weapons serves no national security purpose. Nuclear weapons don’t address the threats we face today, most importantly terrorism and proliferation. As a 2010 Pentagon nuclear policy review concluded, “The massive nuclear arsenal we inherited from the Cold War era of bipolar military confrontation is poorly suited to address the challenges posed by suicidal terrorists and unfriendly regimes seeking nuclear weapons.”

Conventional weapons such as precision-guided munitions have become so accurate and lethal that they can destroy virtually the entire spectrum of targets. Nuclear weapons – which we do not actually use -- could be replaced wholesale by conventionalforces, which we do.

Why would the American people pay hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years for a massive nuclear arsenal that doesn’t serve our national security, especially when we are facing steep cuts to vital domestic and defense programs?

The skyrocketing cost of building new submarines, bombers and intercontinental missiles to deliver nuclear weapons means that replacement plans now under consideration would bankrupt the defense budget. Replacing the Trident submarine fleet alone would consume 75 percent of the Navy’s ship-building budget. The Navy would be building nuclear weapons -- which it does not actually use -- at the expense of the new conventional ships that it needs and wants, such as destroyers.

The United States spends four times more than Russia on nuclear weapons and six times more than China.

A massive nuclear arsenal of thousands of weapons serves no purpose today and will cost hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years. It should be cut to 1,000 total weapons or fewer.

It seems that the remaining defenders of our massive Cold War arsenal haven’t gotten the memo: the Cold War is over. It ended two decades ago.

###

For Immediate Release:
February 14, 2011

Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
(202) 503-6141

Three US Children to be Taken From Father Being Deported to Mexico

Presente.org Petition Calls for Allegheny County, NC Dep. of Social Services to reunify Felipe Montes and his Children

A nationwide action launched today by Presente.org and the Applied Research Center is rallying public support to save a family scheduled to be torn apart by the Department of Social Services in Allegheny County, NC. Felipe’s family is emblematic of thousands of families devasted by immigration enforcement and child welfare systems that collide and greatly increase the chance that children will never see their families again.

On February 21, Felipe Montes, husband to a US Citizen and father to three US Citizen children, will have his parental rights stripped away in court due to his deportation. The petition to save this family is available at presente.org/felipeschildren.

The petition will flood the North Carolina Division of Social Services with thousands of emails and hundreds of calls, and possibly compel a delivery action next week.

More than 46,000 cases involving mothers and fathers that were deported away from their U.S.-citizen children in the first six months of 2011 alone. An undocumented immigrant, Felipe is a devoted father and was breadwinner for his family. He resided for many years in the United States and has unwavering support of his longtime employer. The February 21 hearing is a pivotal moment in the lives of these three children, and possibly the final opportunity to reunify them with their father.

"The day of my detention was the saddest day of my life,” said Felipe. “I took my kids to daycare at 8 in the morning. I woke them up like always. I changed them. I fixed some things for them to take to daycare. I got detained, and they took me to another state. Without being able to say anything to my wife. Without seeing my children even one more time." Felipe was deported as a result of driving without a license and insurance.

Presente.org’s petition calls on the Allegheny County Department of Social Services to ensure that Felipe’s family is not permanently separated, but rather that they be reunified in the United States or Mexico. presente.org/felipeschildren.

“As if it isn't enough that Latinos have to deal with the devastation of the broken federal immigration system, we also have to deal with child welfare departments that are ruthlessly destroying families and traumatizing children,” said Arturo Carmona, Executive Director of Presente.org. “Felipe Montes should be united with his three U.S. citizen children, immediately, and steps should be taken to make sure thousands more children aren’t legally separated from their parents forever.”

According to the Applied Research Center’s recent “Shattered Families” report, more than 5,000 children around the country currently in foster care have parents who have detained or deported. North Carolina was one of the key states ARC focused on in researching “Shattered Families.” Interviews and surveys with child welfare caseworkers and attorneys in a handful of NC jurisdictions found a growing number of children in foster care have detained or deported parents. Petition signers are also calling on the North Carolina Division of Social Services to develop clear policies to ensure that families separated by a parent’s deportation are quickly reunified.

“The heartbreaking experience of the Montes family reminds us that our immigration policies affect the lives of real families,” said Rinku Sen, president of the Applied Research Center. “They need action now, at every level of the system.”

The Applied Research Center’s report on the perilous intersection of immigration enforcement and parental rights has been featured on ABC News & World Report, ABC Nightline, MSNBC Rachel Maddow, dozens of other media outlets, and the issue commented on by President Obama and Newt Gingrich. Unfortunately, there has been little movement to reform the immigration and child welfare systems. In the meantime, thousands of families are being torn apart.

Child welfare departments must be prepared to ensure these families are treated fairly. A border should never speak louder than a parent’s love. On February 21, there is an opportunity to reunify Felipe and his family, and hopefully spark broader systemic changes, as outlined in the recommendations of the Applied Research Center’s “Shattered Families” report, available at arc.org/shatteredfamilies.

For information on the campaign, or to interview Presente.org Executive Director Arturo Carmona contact media@presente.org or 832-315-5953. For more information on Felipe’s case, ARC’s “Shattered Families” report, or to interview ARC President Rinku Sen, contact media@arc.org or 646-490-2772.

ABOUT PRESENTE.ORG: With more than a quarter million members, Presente is a major national organization dedicated to amplifying the political voices of Latino communities in the United States. Presente.org has led campaigns around various national issues, including the removal of Lou Dobbs from CNN, the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, and the Trail of DREAMs campaign.

ABOUT ARC – The Applied Research Center (ARC) is a 30-year-old racial justice think tank that uses media, research and activism to promote solutions. ARC’s mission is to popularize racial justice and prepare people to achieve it. ARC also publishes Colorlines.com. For more information on ARC’s work, visit http://arc.org/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 14, 2012

CONTACT: RAFAEL NOBOA Y RIVERA, (202) 455-4673, raf@fitzgibbonmedia.com

New Student Loan Relief Campaign Asks Congress To "Show Love" For Students
Aims to Prevent Student Loan Interest Rate From Doubling

Washington, DC -- Rebuild the Dream, a organization promoting an economic agenda to protect and expand America’s middle class, launched a campaign to prevent the interest rate on student loans from doubling this July.

"I have over $10,000 in subsidized Stafford student loans and I can’t afford the interest rate to double," said Molly Katchpole, the woman leading the campaign and a member of Rebuild the Dream. "But this July, that’s exactly what will happen if Congress doesn’t approve the plan to stop student loan interest rates from doubling. If it passes, some borrowers will end up paying almost $5,000 on their loan over a 10-year repayment. For Valentine's Day, we're asking our members to tell Congress to show some love for students and approve the plan."

In 2007, Congress passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which cut the interest rate from 6.8% fixed to 3.4%, fixed. That law is set to expire this July, and the campaign aims to renew this law. Katchpole, who successfully led a campaign to block Bank of America from raising fees last year, sees this as a central issue this year.

"This is a terrible time to force students to shoulder such a huge increase when so many students are either unemployed or underemployed and struggling to pay loans," said Katchpole. "College seniors who graduated with student loans in 2010 owed an average of $25,250, up five percent from the previous year. In fact, this isn't an issue exclusively affecting millennials: borrowing has grown far more quickly for those in the 35-49 age group, with school debt burden increasing by a staggering 47 percent."

Continued Katchpole: "That's why for this Valentine's Day, I'm not asking for chocolate hearts or roses, I'm asking that Congress vote to extend a deal that was made five years ago."

The petition accompanying the campaign can be seen here: http://act.rebuildthedream.com/letter/show-some-love. The campaign will also feature allied organizations like the United States Students Association, Campus Progress, and US Public Interest Research Groups, which also focus on issues of importance to Millennials.

###

The Rebuild the Dream campaign promotes an economic agenda to protect and expand America’s middle class. The campaign harnesses the power of culture and technology to mobilize, organize and broaden the base of people committed to economic solutions that will work for the middle class, and all who aspire to belong to it.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 14, 2012

CONTACT:
(PARIS) Guillaume Bonnet; guillaume@allout.org

(STOCKHOLM)
(USA) Brett Abrams, +1 516 841 1105, brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com

50,000 Europeans Call On Swedish Prime Minister Reinfeldt to Stop Forced Sterilization in Sweden

Swedish Transgender Activist Meets with Prime Minister’s Staff, Hand Delivers 50,000 Strong European Petition Demanding a Change in the Law

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Swedish transgender activists met with a representative of Prime Minister Reinfeldt today, February 14th, to petition the Prime Minister to take a stand against a law that forces transgender persons in Sweden to undergo sterilization in order to legally change their gender. The surgery renders a person permanently infertile and unable to have children in the future.

"Right now a reform of the law is being debated in Sweden”, says Ulrika Westerlund, President of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights. “But despite a major push to repeal the law, including support from 90% of Swedish MPs, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has stayed silent on the issue, allowing one small conservative party Kristdemokraterna to use its seat in the government to block the change."

AllOut.org and RFSL have gathered 47,689 signatures from European citizens urging M. Reinfeldt to speak out and break the deadlock.

http://www.allout.org/stop_forced_sterilization

"The Swedish Prime Minister has publicly called sterilization law a 'dark chapter in Swedish history,’” says Andre Banks, co-founder of AllOut.org. “Now he has a chance to close that chapter for good, reaffirm Sweden's international reputation on human rights and set a precedent in Europe where other countries have similar barbaric laws."

AllOut.org Members Weigh In:

"Dear Mr. Reinfeldt, Europe is looking at you! Make this shameful relict of a dark chapter of Sweden's past once and for all history! Take a stand and bring a government-proposal to your parliament!"
Richard, AllOut.org member from Germany

"Mr. Reinfeldt: Go and show them that the proud swedish heritage of respect for human rights can not be threaten for the narrowmind of the few."
Avilio, AllOut.org member from Spain

"Dear Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden should pride itself on being an example of governance in the international community. Please don't taint this reputation, change the law now"
Gorm, AllOut.org member from Denmark

# # # # #

AllOut.org is a global campaign organization of over 800,000 people from 190 countries around the world dedicated to LGBT equality. A movement working online and on the ground to build a world in which everyone can live freely and be embraced for who they are, All Out is adding global people power to the historic fight for LGBT equality. Find out more at: www.allout.org/about

For immediate release:
February 13, 2012

Contact:
Brianna Cayo Cotter, Change.org, (202) 684 2552, press@change.org

Apple Responds to Consumer Concerns Over Worker Abuse at Chinese Factories

• Viral Change.org campaign prompts Apple to ask the Fair Labor Association to investigate labor conditions in Chinese factories and publish reports

• Consumers continue to push Apple to commit to a worker protection strategy for new product releases


Washington, DC - Today Apple announced it would take an unprecedented step towards supply chain transparency by asking the Fair Labor Association to investigate their supplier factories, including Foxconn, and to publish which factories were investigated in their reports. The announcement follows a global petition delivery of over 250,000 signatures to Apple stores around the world late last week.

Mark Shields, a self-identified Apple “super-user” launched the viral campaign on Change.org after listening to a radio program detailing allegations of labor abuses at an Apple supplier factory in China, including child labor, serious physical injuries of workers from repetitive motions during long shifts, and stress-related worker suicides. The petition calls on Apple to investigate their supply factories and commit to a comprehensive worker protection plan.

"Manufacturing issues in China are obviously complicated, but the good news is that Apple is great at solving complicated problems," said Mark Shields, who launched the campaign on Change.org that has so far collected over 200,000 signatures. "As an Apple consumer, I'm relieved to hear that Tim Cook is taking this seriously and breaking ground in the industry with Fair Labor Association auditing. But Apple still needs to use some of their trademark creativity and problem solving to create a worker protection plan for new products -- especially the upcoming iPad3 -- so that they're proactively taking care of their workers."

"The overwhelming support for Mark's campaign clearly shows that Apple users and consumers care about how Apple products are made, and how the workers who make them are treated," said Amanda Kloer, Director of Organizing for Change.org. "Change.org is all about empowering people like Mark to win campaigns for social change, and it's been incredible to see his campaign's growth and Apple's announcement today."

Apple has not yet responded to the second request in Mark's campaign, that the company create a worker protection strategy for new product releases. Consumer advocates are planning additional activities in the coming weeks to push Apple to commit to a worker protection plan.

Live signature totals Mark Shields' campaign:
http://www.change.org/petitions/apple-ceo-tim-cook-protect-workers-making-iphones-in-chinese-factories

Journalists interested in contacting Apple’s public relations staff should try:
Apple Media Relations
media.help@apple.com
(408) 974-2042

Contact information for petition signers in your area can be arranged upon request:
Amanda Kloer
Director of Organizing, Change.org
press@change.org
(202) 684 2552

For more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about
Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change — growing by more than 1 million new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2012

Contact: Rachel Tardiff
202.746.1507

After Delivering 250,000 Petitions, SumOfUs Calls on Apple to Follow Through on Promises on Workplace Standards

Consumer Watchdog Group Responds to Apple’s Partnership with Fair Labor Association

“Apple consumers want real action to improve workers’ lives, not more spin”

Washington, DC — This morning Apple announced more details of its partnership with the Fair Labor Association. The announcement came just a few days after consumer advocacy groups SumOfUs.org and Change.org delivered over a quarter of a million petition signatures calling on Apple to address abysmal working conditions in its supply chain in time to produce an ethical iPhone 5.

"This new announcement shows the pressure is working -- more than a quarter million people have joined our call for an ethical iPhone 5 and Apple has clearly heard us," said Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, Executive Director of SumOfUs.org. But instead of actually solving the problem, they’re trying to whitewash it -- hiring a business-funded group with a long track record of serving as a corporate mouthpiece. Apple consumers want real action to improve workers’ lives, not more spin. We’re not going to be satisfied until the workers who make our iPhones have safe and healthy working conditions."

Coverage of Ethical iPhone Campaign:

AFP: Petitions Protest Apple Working Conditions in China

Washington Post: Ethical iPhone Petitions to be Delivered to Apple Stores

SumOfUs petition link: http://sumofus.org/campaigns/ethical-iphone/

###

SumOfUs is a global movement of consumers, investors, and workers all around the world, standing together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable andjust path for our global economy.
http://sumofus.org/about/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 13, 2012

MEDIA CONTACTS
FOR GRAMMYWATCH:
LOS ANGELES: Robert Sax – (818) 427-1369, robert@saxpr.net
NEW YORK : Sarah Bisconte – (914) 310-0467, bravaguapa@mac.com

FOR PRESENTE:
LOS ANGELES: Roberto Lovato (213) 820-8424, robvato@gmail.com
NEW YORK: Blair Fitzgibbon – (202) 503-6141, Blair@fitzgibbonmedia.com

Concert & Protests Mark Grammy Awards Decision to Delete 31 Categories of "Roots Music"
Musicians continue to fight, supported by broad coalition of communities and 23,000 petition signers led by Presente.org & Grammy Watch

LOS ANGELES (February 12, 2012) -- In a collective show of strength and unity, musicians representing Latin jazz, rock, blues, world and Native American music, fans of diverse musical genres, and community leaders protested today outside Staples Center, site of the 54th GRAMMY awards ceremony. They demanded the immediate restoration of music and cultural diversity to the GRAMMY awards by re-instituting all 31 GRAMMY music categories that were eliminated in April 2011 by GRAMMY president Neil Portnow and a small group of top executives of the National Association of Recording Artists (NARAS.) Some of these categories include: Latin jazz, traditional and contemporary blues, Hawaiian, Mexican Norteña, polka. Native American, R & B, gospel, traditional and contemporary jazz and Cajun/Zydeco.

Speakers and community members also denounced the anti-democratic way in which the decision was made, as none of NARAS' 21,000 voting members were consulted.

Following the protest the musicians and the community celebrated with a concert held from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm at the world-renowned Mama Juana's nightclub in Studio City. The concert featured music representative of the 31 genres that were eliminated. An all-star band led by Ray Carrion was joined by many top Latin jazz musicians, including GRAMMYWatch organizers Sandy Cressman, Bobby Matos, John Santos (multiple GRAMMY nominee), Bobby Sanabria (multiple GRAMMY nominee,) and multiple GRAMMY award-winner Oscar Hernandez.

“The incredible response to our call for musical justice demonstrates that our movement to reinstate the 31 categories has deep roots, roots that are growing," said Bobby Matos, a leader in the GRAMMYWatch movement to reinstate the deleted categories. "Viewers from across the country watching the GRAMMYs on Sunday didn't just see the staged show Neil Portnow and the GRAMMY organization, NARAS, wanted the world to see. They saw musicians, they saw communities, they saw a growing movement to preserve music that roots most music that was awarded tonight."

“Presente.org and its thousands of members joined forces with the musicians in order to tell Mr. Portnow and NARAS that they will cannot simply render our music irrelevant and think that we will simply stand by and leave the musicians alone," said Arturo Carmona, executive director of Presente.org, the largest online Latino advocacy organization in the country and one of the main organizers of the protest. "Far from it. With more than 23,000 petition signers and lots of boots on the ground protesting the elimination of these categories, it's very clear that we have a vibrant and growing movement to reinstate not just the 31 categories, but the self respect and dignity that comes with fighting for what we believe in. Portnow and NARAS are acting out of greed, but are inspiring us to defend what matters most: the culture and spirituality we find in our music.”

For more information and public statements of support from music luminaries calling for all 31 GRAMMY cuts to be restored immediately, please visit www.GRAMMYWatch.org.

###

About Presente.org
Established in 2009, Presente.org, with more than a quarter million members, is a major national organization dedicated to amplifying the political voices of Latino communities in the United States. For more information, please visit www.presente.org

About GRAMMYWatch.org
GRAMMYWatch.org is calling on NARAS to immediately restore the 31 eliminated categories. The group has held protest rallies and press conferences in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Members of the group include GRAMMY nominees and winners.

On August 1, 2011, four Latin jazz musicians, Bobby Sanabria, Mark Levine, Doctors Benjamin Lapidus and Eugene Marlow, filed a historic, class action lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against NARAS for the elimination of the Latin jazz GRAMMY category. For more information, including a copy of the lawsuit, please visit www.GRAMMYwatch.org.

For Immediate Release:
February 13, 2011

Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
(202) 503-6141

NM LEGISLATURE CALLS FOR A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO OVERTURN THE SUPREME COURT’S CITIZENS UNITED RULING AND RESTORE DEMOCRACY TO THE PEOPLE

SECOND STATE IN THE NATION TO CALL FOR AN AMENDMENT

STATEMENT OF JOHN BONIFAZ, DIRECTOR, FREE SPEECH FOR PEOPLE

On February 11, 2012, by a vote of 20-9, the New Mexico State Senate approved Senate Memorial 3, calling on the US Congress to pass and send to the states for ratification a constitutional amendment to overturn the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC and to restore republican democracy to the people. The New Mexico House of Representatives passed a similar bill, House Memorial 4, by a vote of 38-29, on January 31,2012. With these votes, New Mexico has now become the second state in the nation to call for such a constitutional amendment. Hawaii passed a similar resolution in April 2010.

Free Speech For People applauds the New Mexico legislature on this historic vote. This marks a major victory for the constitutional amendment movement to reclaim our democracy. The Citizens United ruling presents a direct and serious threat to the integrity of our elections, unleashing a torrent of corporate money into our political process. The ruling is alsothe most extreme extension yet of a corporate rights doctrine which has been eroding our First Amendment and our US Constitution for the past 30 years. As with prior egregious Supreme Court rulings which threatened our democracy, we the people must exercise our power underArticle V of the Constitution to enact a constitutional amendment which will preserve the promise of American self-government: of, for, and by the people.

Free Speech For People initiated this campaign in New Mexico, and we are honored to have worked with a coalition of state legislators, grassroots activists, business leaders, public interest groups, and ordinary citizens in pressing for the passage of these memorials. We thank especially New Mexico State Senators Steve Fischmann and Eric Griego and State Representative Mimi Stewart for their leadership in the legislature on this critical matter. And, we thank our organizational partners and allies in New Mexico who helped raise the public consciousness on this question and who helped make this victory possible. These allies include: Center for Civic Policy, Common Cause New Mexico, League of Women Voters of New Mexico, New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce, El Centro, Southwest Organizing Project, All Families Matter, NewMexico Trial Lawyers Association, Native American Voter Alliance, Progress Now, and Move On.

The State of New Mexico is helping to lead the way for the nation in this movement to ensurethat people, not corporations, govern in America. We look forward to working with state legislatures across the country which will follow New Mexico's example and defend our democracy.

Free Speech For People is a national non-partisan campaign launched on the day of the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC to press for a 28th Amendment to the US Constitution to overturn the ruling and to restore democracy to the people. For more information, visit www.freespeechforpeople.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 2012

CONTACT:
Rafael Noboa y Rivera, (202) 455-4673, raf@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Blair FitzGibbon, (202) 503-6141, blair@fitzgibbonmedia.com

Rebuild the Dream Says: $25 billion down, $675 billion to go

Today, a $25 billion settlement will be announced in which big banks pay up for a portion of their bad deeds in the home foreclosure crisis. For what it is, this settlement is a step forward, and we are glad to see a small trickle of relief for some victims of the banks' most irresponsible and fraudulent behavior. However, we must remember that this settlement addresses only a very limited set of fraudulent behaviors and helps only a fraction of the millions of underwater homeowners and foreclosed families who continue to bear a tremendous amount of pain and injustice.

We honor the hard work of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and others, including many grassroots progressive organizations, who fought courageously to prevent a total sweetheart deal for the banks. In particular, we are relieved to see that the settlement limits legal immunity for banks, allowing unimpeded investigations and prosecutions of the banks' role in crashing the economy and the housing market. In other words, the door is still open to solve the much bigger problems we face.

There are several disappointing aspects to this settlement. A number of homeowners will get some cash payments, but the amounts are small compared to the pain and damage they have experienced. The actual total cash paid out by the banks is only a few billion dollars, to be split among the nation's largest banks -- hardly a stiff penalty considering that the six largest banks in the U.S. paid $144 billion in bonuses last year. And enforcement mechanisms remain murky.

This settlement is only one small step forward. The danger of being satisfied with one small step is that we forget how much farther we still have to go.

We must remember the millions of homeowners and families who are still suffering under the tremendous weight of a debt blanket that is smothering the economy.

We can never forget the more than 4 million families who have lost their homes. We can never forget the more than 14 million homeowners (one in five) whose homes are underwater, beneath a crushing $700 billion total in negative equity. We can never forget the millions of families who are in some form of foreclosure proceedings on this very day. These are the Americans who have suffered and will continue to suffer. They are worried today, like yesterday, whether they will still have a home to live in tomorrow. They are the ones who must choose every month whether to pay bills or to feed their children.

Two weeks ago, we called for hundreds of billions in principal reduction for homeowners. This would free up Americans to start new businesses, spend money on worthwhile products and services, and invest in their children's futures. We still need to address the $700 billion in negative equity, which in turn is only part of the nearly seven trillion dollars in total lost equity created by the banks' irresponsible, and in some cases, illegal practices.

We need a solution at the scale of the problem, so that families can get back on their feet, the economy can get working, and people can reach for their American dreams again instead of watching them drown.

That is why we say: $25 billion down, $675 billion to go.

# # #

The Rebuild the Dream campaign promotes an economic agenda to protect and expand America’s middle class. The campaign harnesses the power of culture and technology to mobilize, organize and broaden the base of people committed to economic solutions that will work for the middle class, and all who aspire to belong to it.

For Immediate Release
February 7, 2012

Contact: Rachel Tardiff
202.746.1507

Karen Handel Resigns After Campaign Calls on Komen Foundation to Oust the Anti-Planned Parenthood Former Politician

Nearly 50,000 CREDO Action Members Sign Petition, Make Hundreds of Calls to Susan G. Komen’s Dallas Headquarters

“Don’t Play Politics With Women’s Right to Health Care”

San Francisco, CA—After a successful campaign calling on Susan G. Komen to reverse its decision to defund Planned Parenthood, a second action by CREDO members resulting in nearly 50,000 petition signatures and hundreds of calls to Komen’s Dallas headquarters successfully contributed to Karen Handel’s resignation from the charity. CREDO was joined by UltraViolet, a women’s action organization, in calling for Handel to be removed from the organization. CREDO Action launched the second petition Friday and members started making calls to the Komen offices this morning, with hundreds pouring in before the announcement that Handel was stepping down.

"Tea Party politicians like Karen Handel shouldn't get to play politics with women's right to health care," said Becky Bond, Political Director CREDO Action. "Her damaging actions at the Susan G. Komen foundation show that in the real world -- unlike in Congress -- when you threaten Planned Parenthood clinics, you will face massive and immediate pushback."

CREDO, Planned Parenthood’s largest corporate donor, has also pledged a $200,000 grant program to replace the funds threatened by Komen’s decision.

"Karen Handel's resignation is a victory for women's health over Tea Party extremism," said Bond. "But let us be very clear on this –the fight to defend Planned Parenthood is never over. Every time Planned Parenthood is attacked, we will fight fiercely to protect a woman's right to health care."

###

CREDO Action has 2.5 million members across the U.S. who fight for progressive change and raise money for organizations like Planned Parenthood. Since 1985, CREDO and its membership have donated over $65 million to progressive causes.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 7, 2012

CONTACT: CJ Frogozo, 310-570-2622
Rafael Noboa y Rivera, 202-455-4673

ColorOfChange.org Calls on Darden Restaurants to Desegregate its Workforce

Civil Rights Group Joins Restaurant Opportunities Centers United to Demand that World's Largest Full-Service Restaurant Company Respond to Black Workers' Demands

New York, NY -- ColorofChange has launched a campaign calling on Darden Restaurants, the owners and operators of Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse and the Capital Grille, to respond to a set of demands put forth by its workers in a recent lawsuit. The civil rights organization has joined forces with Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United), the group representing the workers in their lawsuit. In just three days, more than 45,000 ColorOfChange members have signed a petition calling on Darden to institute a promotions policy that allows Black workers to advance to high-paid positions at the Capital Grille, the only restaurant within the company where workers can earn a living wage.

"Black workers are discriminated against throughout the restaurant industry. They are routinely told that they don't have the right look for the waitstaff and bartender jobs at the fine dining restaurants that pay good wages," said ColorOfChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson. "Darden is facing a lawsuit that says the company is guilty of maintaining this pattern. Our members are concerned by reports that the company's hiring and promotions practices discriminate against Black job seekers. We're demanding that new policies be put in place."

In an email to its members late last week, ColorOfChange explained that there's no clear pipeline at Darden for workers to get from jobs at Red Lobster and Olive Garden to that higher-paid work at their high-end restaurant. The email goes on to explain that this discrimination is occurring in one of the few industries that's growing during our current recession. Restaurants account for one of every 12 private sector jobs, according to a recent ROC-United report on Blacks in the restaurant industry. But despite the growth in this sector, Black workers are routinely pushed into the industry's poverty-wage jobs.

"At a time when Black unemployment is nearly twice the national average and the private sector is being heralded as our greatest hope, Darden's pattern of relegating Black workers to the lowest-wage work is unconscionable," Robinson continued.

More information about the campaign can be viewed here:
http://colorofchange.org/campaign/restaurants/original_email

With more than 800,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest African-American online political organization.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2012

Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
(202) 503-6141

President Obama’s Signal to Super PACs is Disappointing

Washington, DC - President Obama’s signal that he wants wealthy donors to support a Super PAC backing his re-election is disappointing, though not unexpected given the fundraising arms race that the presidential campaign has become.

“If President Obama had fixed presidential public financing, as he pledged to do in 2008, and seriously gone to bat for more transparency in campaign spending, our political system would be healthier and this would be less of an issue,” said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. “A strengthened presidential public financing system would not have abolished Super PACs, but by helping presidential candidates run competitive campaigns from a base of small donors and matching public funds, we could have made it possible for candidates, including the President, to make good on their stated desire to succeed without aid from Super PACs.”

It is also troubling that the President is making advisers and other administration officials available to assist in the Super PAC’s fundraising. “The White House’s claim that those officials are not soliciting money is laughable,” Edgar said.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest, and accountable government that works for the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to make their voices heard.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2012

CONTACTS:
Will York, Petition Author, 615-969-8880, wyork@me.com
Tim Newman, Senior Organizer, Change.org, (202) 684 2552, press@change.org
Blair FitzGibbon, (202)-503-6141, blair@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Brett Abrams, (516)-841-1105, brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com

VIDEO:
Video created by Occupy Nashville: http://youtu.be/WcDx2-bTjYg

CHASE CRITICIZED FOR FORECLOSING ON ELDERLY CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST IN MIDST OF MLK, JR. MARKETING BLITZ

Civil rights leaders join campaign calling on Chase to save home of 78-year-old Nashville grandmother

Chase Bank launches Martin Luther King Jr. marketing campaign

WASHINGTON, DC – Civil rights leaders have joined a popular petition on Change.org calling on JP Morgan Chase to save the home of Helen Bailey, a 78-year-old grandmother and former civil rights activist in Nashville, Tennessee. The petition has already been signed by more than 40,000 supporters across the country and continues to grow rapidly.

“I strongly support my dear sister Helen Bailey,” said Cornel West. “Her struggle for justice is legendary. I stand with her.”

“Banks should not use the power of foreclosure recklessly,” said Alex Hurder, who helped Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike. “It is unconscionable to foreclose on a 78-year-old homeowner, who has paid her mortgage for years, simply because she is a few months behind in her payments. Chase Bank needs to negotiate with Ms. Helen Bailey.”

The campaign comes as JP Morgan Chase launches a new website aligning itself with the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The values exhibited by Dr. King and embodied in his lifelong struggle for social change align with those that shape JPMorgan Chase's approach to giving in the communities in which it operates,” the site reads.

Ms. Bailey, a former childcare provider for autistic children and community volunteer, faces the loss of her home as soon as February 15, 2012, unless Chase Bank stops the foreclosure.

“JP Morgan Chase must practice what it preaches,” said Gary Flowers, Executive Director and CEO of the Black Leadership Forum, Inc. “On one hand, the bank cannot earnestly invoke the values of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., while devaluing the very principles for which he lived and died. Dr. King reminded us that cowardice asks the question, ‘is it safe?’; politics asks, ‘is it popular?’; expedience asks, ‘will it work?’; but morality asks, ‘is it right?’ The practices of Chase Bank in Nashville are not right.”

"It is outrageous that JP Morgan Chase would claim to be helping to fulfill Dr. King's dream while taking away the home of an elderly woman who marched for civil rights," Bill Fletcher, Jr. of BlackCommentator.com said. "Dr. King stood for racial and economic justice. Chase's actions in the case of Ms. Bailey and so many other homeowners across the country does not reflect the vision for which Dr. King, Ms. Bailey and so many others fight."

Occupy Nashville’s Housing Protection committee created the campaign on Change.org when members learned of Chase Bank’s plans to foreclose on Ms. Bailey, who has lived in her home for 20 years and consistently made her mortgage payments. Recently, Ms. Bailey fell behind on payments due to increase medical bills.

“Ms. Bailey and her supporters at Occupy Nashville’s Housing Protection Campaign are taking on one of the biggest financial institutions in the country,” said Change.org Senior Organizer Tim Newman. “And now, prominent civil rights leaders are starting to speak out. This is just one more example of how campaigns on Change.org are helping people save their homes from foreclosure.”

Live signature totals from the campaign to save Helen Bailey’s home:
http://www.change.org/petitions/chase-bank-dont-foreclose-on-helen-bailey

Journalists interested in contacting JP Morgan Chase’s public relations staff should try:

Kristin Lemkau, JP Morgan Chase
kristin.lemkau@jpmorgan.com
(312) 732-7007

Tom Kelly, JP Morgan Chase
thomas.a.kelly@jpmorgan.com
(312) 732-7007

For more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about
Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change — growing by more than 500,000 new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.

# # # # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 7, 2012

CONTACT:
Brett Abrams, +1 516-841-1105, brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com

Russia’s Second Largest City Moves To Vote on Gay “Gag Rule”

Despite international condemnation, St. Petersburg City Council to vote in hours on draconian “Anti-Propaganda” Bill that would violate freedom of expression for all Russians

AllOut.org, an historic global alliance of more than 800,000 straight, gay, lesbian, bi and trans people, joins Russian human rights activists to launch emergency international call-in campaign — thousands flooding the phone lines of foreign offices around the world

New York, NY — Leading global LGBT rights group AllOut.org launched an emergency call-in campaign today to challenge a bill advancing in the Russian city of St. Petersburg that would criminalize almost all activity related to defending or promoting LGBT equality.

The bill inspired an international outcry when first proposed in the fall of 2011. At the time All Out worked closely with activists in Saint Petersburg and Moscow to generate a massive online campaign pushing world leaders to speak out in opposition. Over 250,000 around the world signed AllOut.org’s petition denouncing the initiative, which resulted in European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton pledging to take up the issue with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Today, while rallies are planned in Saint Petersburg, thousands of All Out members around the world are also calling their respective foreign ministries—demanding they apply any and all diplomatic pressure at their disposal urging the Russian government to veto the bill if passed (the Mayor Saint Petersburg is directly appointed by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev):

http://allout.org/russia_call

This law—if passed—will have a deep chilling effect on the LGBT community in Russia by equating speech about gay and transgender issues to committing acts of pedophilia. In Russia’s most cosmopolitan city, home to some of the country’s most established gay rights organizations, it could soon be a criminal offense punishable by heavy fines to participate in any event even marginally related to the LGBT experience. The publication of anything relating to LGBT rights or providing assistance or advice—including pamphlets leaflets, books, videos or blogs—would also be severely curtailed. Critics have called the initiative part of a cynical election year ploy by the ruling party to distract voters from any number of other issues currently raised by the Russian electorate. This past weekend over a 100,000 Russians demonstrated in Moscow against corruption and rigged elections.

AllOut.org Co-founder Andre Banks said:

“This bill, which would violate Russia's own constitution as well as any number of international treaties, is an outrageous attack on the freedom of expression for all Russians - straight and gay. It must not be allowed to stand."

“Last year, 250,000 All Out members around the world raised their voices and stood in solidarity with the brave men and women in Russia, who refused to be used as a political scapegoats and forced into the shadows. Today we will make certain that phones across the world are ringing off the hook—and that the voices demanding equality are louder than those of bigotry and hate.”

Polina from Coming Out - LGBT org. of St. Petersburg - said:

"This law would legalize discrimination against gays and lesbians in Russia. The history of Europe shows that all totalitarian regimes here began with similar repression of LGBT people. If this law is allowed to pass, it could signal that Russia is sliding towards a new totalitarianism."


# # # # #

About AllOut.org

AllOut.org is a global campaign organization of over 800,000 people from 190 countries around the world dedicated to LGBT equality. A movement working online and on the ground to build a world in which everyone can live freely and be embraced for who they are, All Out is adding global people power to the historic fight for LGBT equality. Find out more at: www.allout.org/about

In Russia All Out is working closely with the LGBT organization Coming Out (Vykhod), the Russian LGBT Network, and Side by Side LGBT film festival.

For Immediate Release
Feb. 6, 2012

Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
202-503-6141

CWA: Senate Vote on FAA Reauthorization Caves in to Minority’s Ideological Agenda

Washington, D.C. -- Today’s Senate vote on the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill is another step in the destruction of workers’ bargaining rights in America.

With this vote, the Senate has caved in to the ideological agenda of House Speaker John Boehner. Boehner and too many others saw fit to take an otherwise good bill, a bill that should be about jobs, and use this process to destroy workers’ rights. Workers shouldn’t have to choose between jobs and rights, but that’s the result of today’s vote.

House Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi, George Miller and other leaders fought back against this attack, and with 155 Democratic colleagues, stood up for democracy and workers' rights. They championed democracy at work, and we’ll remember that in November.

This vote was all about misusing the legislative process to destroy the rights of working people. That's not what democracy looks like.

By this vote, Senators agreed to change federal labor law to make it even harder for workers who want union representation, capitulating to those who preferred to hold critical transportation jobs and projects hostage rather than allow democracy on the job.

Until last year, transportation union elections were held to a standard under which anyone not voting was counted as a no. No elected official, from the U.S. Senate to the smallest municipality, is compelled to run under such an undemocratic standard. Because that’s not democracy in America.

Yet some Senators, and House members as well, never stopped trying to overturn the majority vote election standard finally put in place for transportation workers. Their strategy became to attack transportation workers' rights in every way possible.

It's a sad day when a minority pursuing a radical, anti-worker agenda prevails in the U.S. Senate. That’s not what democracy looks like.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2012
CONTACTS:
Business for Shared Prosperity – Bob Keener, bobkeener@businessforsharedprosperity.org, 617-610-6766
Main Street Alliance – Rachel Tardiff, rachel@fitzgibbonmedia.com, 202-746-1507
American Sustainable Business Council – Amy Kennedy, akennedy@tigercomm.us, 703-302-8392
Small Business Majority – Erin Musgrave, emusgrave@smallbusinessmajority.org, 831-477-0453

Poll: Small Business Owners Say Big Businesses, Millionaires Not Paying Fair Share of Taxes

90 percent of small business owners in nationwide poll say big corporations use loopholes to avoid taxes that small businesses have to pay; majority support increasing taxes on millionaires and letting high-end tax cuts expire

Washington, DC – Small business owners see corporate tax loopholes and accounting gimmicks used to shift U.S. profits offshore to avoid taxes as serious problems, according to an independent nationwide opinion poll released today. Small business owners think big corporations and the wealthy don’t pay their fair share of taxes, the poll shows. They support increasing taxes onmillionaire incomes, letting high-end tax cuts expire, and closing the carried interest loophole that gives big tax breaks to hedge fund managers.

These are among the key findings summarized below of a scientific nationwide survey of small business owners released by the American Sustainable Business Council, MainStreet Alliance and Small Business Majority. Click here to read the report.

“I’ve been in business 32 years, and I’m appalled at how big corporations and millionaires have shrunk their taxes,” said Lew Prince, managing partner of Vintage Vinyl, an independent music store in St. Louis, MO. “Ingrates like Amazon wouldn’t even exist without the Internet, which grew out of government research. The least that big corporations and their executives could do is pay their fair share for the roads, ports, education, research, public safety and everything else that tax dollars buy.”

“When big corporations like GE use loopholes and tax havens to avoid paying taxes, they’re starving our country of the revenues we need to invest in our communities and our future,” said Amanda Harrow, director of the Montana Small Business Alliance, a statewide network of small businesses. “Small business owners know that to build vibrant local economies we have to invest in education, infrastructure and building a healthy customer base. When big corporations that benefit from these essential investments don't do their part to support them, they’re jeopardizing our future. That’s unacceptable.”

“We need a Buffett Rule for wealthy individuals and a GE Rule for corporations,” said Scott Klinger, director of tax policy for Business for Shared Prosperity, a partner in the American Sustainable Business Council. “Warren Buffett spotlighted the madness of a tax code that lets him pay a lower rate than his secretary. Likewise, U.S. multinational corporations who shift U.S. profits offshore to avoid taxes shouldn’t be rewarded with a tax rate below Main Street employers.”

“Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, yet they feel the playing field is tilted in big businesses' favor and small firms are at a disadvantage when it comes to taxes and corporate loopholes,” said John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority. “Our economy needs to work for everyone. Policymakers need to listen to small businesses and level the economic playing field. If they do, we will all benefit from what small businesses can offer.”

Key findings from the survey include:
· Nine out of ten small business owners say big corporations use loopholes to avoid taxesthat small businesses have to pay: 92 percent say big corporations’ use of such loopholes is a problem. Three-quarters of owners say their small business is harmed when loopholes allow big corporations to avoid taxes.
· Nine out of ten small business owners say that U.S. multinational corporations’ use of accounting loopholes to shift their U.S. profits to their offshore subsidiaries to avoid taxes is a problem: 91 percent agree it is a problem, with 55 percent saying it’s a very serious problem. When asked what would do the most to create jobs, small business owners chose eliminating incentives to move jobs overseas.
· Small business owners say big corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes: 67 percent believe big corporations pay less than their fair share. An even bigger majority, 73 percent, says multinational corporations pay less than their fair share.
· Small business owners say millionaires pay less than their fair share in taxes: 58 percent say households whose annual income exceeds $1 million pay less than their fair share.
· Small business owners support a higher tax rate for individuals earning more than $1 million: 57 percent agree thatindividuals earning more than $1 million a year should pay a higher tax rate on the income over $1 million.
· Small business owners want to eliminate the “carried interest” loophole that gives hedge fund managers a big break on their taxes: 81 percent favor hedge fund managers paying taxes at the ordinary income tax rate, which currently tops out at 35 percent, rather than the 15 percent capital gains rate they pay now.
· Small business owners support ending upper-income tax cuts: 51 percent say Congress should let tax cuts on taxable household income over $250,000 a year expire (only 40 percent believe they should be extended).
· Respondents in this scientific national survey were politically diverse, with a majority Republican or independent-leaning Republican: 50 percent identified as Republican (27 percent) or independent-leaning Republican (23 percent); 32 percent as Democrat (14 percent) or independent-leaning Democratic (18 percent); and 15 percent as independent.

For more information on these poll findings, visit:
http://www.asbcouncil.org/uploads/Taxes_Poll_Report_FINAL.pdf

http://mainstreetalliance.org/5535/poll-taxes/

http://www.smallbusinessmajority.org/small-business-research/downloads/020612_Taxes_Poll_Report.pdf

Poll results reported in this statement represent findings from a scientific national survey of 500 small business owners, commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority, and conducted by Lake Research Partners. The nationwide Internet survey was conducted between December 8, 2011, and January 4, 2012. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%.

###

The American Sustainable Business Council is a powerful coalition of business networks representing over 100,000 companies and 200,000 business leaders. ASBC advocates for public policies that meet the realities of the 21st century global economy. www.asbcouncil.org

The Main Street Alliance is a national network of state-based small business coalitions. MSAcreates opportunities for small business owners to speak for themselves on issues that impact their businesses and local economies. www.mainstreetalliance.org

Small Business Majority is a national nonpartisan small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners, and focused on solving the biggest problems facing America’s 28 million small businesses. We conduct extensive opinion and economic research and work with small business owners, policy experts and elected officials nationwide to bring small business voices to the public policy table. www.smallbusinessmajority.org

For Immediate Release
February 3, 2012

Contact:
Rachel Tardiff, 202.746.1507
CJ Frogozo, 310.570.2622

Activist Groups: SusanG. Komen’s Decision to Reverse Defunding of Planned Parenthood A Clear Victory for Women’s Health

Nearly 700,000 Sign Petitions By CREDO Action, MoveOn, UltraViolet

CREDO announces $200,000 Grant to Planned Parenthood Clinics

In a stunning turnaround, Susan G. Komen for a Cure has announced it is reversing its decision to defund Planned Parenthood.

On Tuesday, CREDO, the largest corporate funder of Planned Parenthood, launched an action targeting the Komen foundation, which was signed by over 350,000 members. CREDO will also deliver a contribution of over $200,000 to support Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide.

On Wednesday, MoveOn joined with UltraViolet and launched an online petition which garnered nearly 330,000 signatures, demanding that Susan G. Komen for the Cure "reestablish breast health funding for Planned Parenthood affiliates."

Statement released by CREDO Action

“It's time for the politically motivated witch hunt targeting Planned Parenthood to end. Komen's abrupt reversal of its decision to defund Planned Parenthood is not just a victory for women's health, but it's a clear precedent demonstrating that mainstream America won't stand by when the radical right attacks women's right to health care that includes reproductive health services. CREDO is not only the largest corporate funder of Planned Parenthood, but we are and will continue to be its fiercest defender. Every time the rightwing attacks Planned Parenthood, we will be there to defend them."

“We're proud to be delivering a $200,000 contribution to Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide. Planned Parenthood doesn't just need our support when organizations like Susan G. Komen cave to rightwing pressure and join the attack. They need our support every day, every year. That's what CREDO has done and that's what we will do. “

Becky Bond, Political Director, CREDO Action

Statement released by MoveOn

“This is a clear victory for women everywhere who depend on Planned Parenthood for critical health care services. Komen should have never put politics before women's health care in the first place. Thanks to the millions of people, including hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members, for demanding Komen do the right thing for women in the fight against breast cancer. MoveOn members will continue to watch the situation closely to ensure that Komen follows through with their commitment to fund Planned Parenthood, and never again allow anti-choice extremists to get in the way of women's health care.”

Elena Perez, Campaign Director, MoveOn


Statement released by UltraViolet

“Today is a big victory for women's health. Thanks to the hundreds of thousands of people who called on the Susan G. Komen foundation to reverse their politically motivated decision to defund Planned Parenthood, underserved women nationwide will now have access to preventative care. The Susan G. Komen foundation received a clear message that there's no tolerance in this country for playing politics with women's lives, and UltraViolet members will be watching to make sure this never happens again."

Nita Chaudhary and Shaunna Thomas, Co-Founders of UltraViolet

###

CREDO Action has 2.5 million members across the U.S. who fight for progressive change and raise money for organizations like Planned Parenthood. Since 1985, CREDO and its membershiphave donated over $65 million to progressive causes.

MoveOn.org gives real Americans a voice in a political process dominated by big money and armies of lobbyists. With over 5 million members across America - from carpenters to stay-at-home moms to business leaders - we work together to realize the progressive promise of our country.

UltraViolet is an online community of women and men who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public sector, private sector and the media.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 1, 2012
CONTACTS:
American Sustainable Business Council – Amy Kennedy, akennedy@tigercomm.us, (703) 302-8392
Main Street Alliance – Rachel Tardiff, rachel@fitzgibbonmedia.com, (202) 746-1507
Small Business Majority – Erin Musgrave, emusgrave@smallbusinessmajority.org, (831) 477-0453

OPINION POLL: SMALL BUSINESSES SAY WEAK CUSTOMER DEMAND,
NOT REGULATIONS, THEIR PROBLEM

National poll finds 78 percent of small businesses say regulations needed to protect small businesses from unfair competition, level playing field with big business; 86 percent see regulations as necessary part of a modern economy

Washington, DC – Small business owners say their main concern is weak customer demand, not regulations, according to independent opinion polling released today. In fact, when asked what would do the most to create jobs, small business owners’ top response was eliminating incentives to move jobs overseas. Reducing regulation came in fifth place.

Small business owners see government standards as an important tool to level the playing field with big business. In addition to protecting small businesses the vast majority of owners view regulations as a necessary component of a modern economy. Click here to read the report, based on a national survey of 500 small business owners, released today by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority.

“These survey results underscore what Main Street small business owners have been saying all along: we need more customers, more demand, not deregulation,” said Jim Houser, owner of Hawthorne Auto Clinic in Portland, Oregon, and a leader with the Main Street Alliance. “In fact, I’ve seen first-hand from over 35 years in the auto industry that smart standards help create jobs and promote innovation in the U.S. economy.”

“Despite the heated rhetoric, regulations simply aren’t small businesses’ top concern,” said John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority. “Small businesses can be the jobs engine we need to jumpstart the economy, but not if legislators are focusing on something that isn’t their top problem. Policymakers should listen to what real small businesses are saying and act accordingly.”

"With football at the top of everyone's mind, if we played the game with no rules the Super Bowl winner would come down to which team was bigger or willing to play dirtier," said Frank Knapp, Jr., Vice Chair of the American Sustainable Business Council and president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce. "Well, regulations are the rules of the game we call private sector competition. An overwhelming percent of small business owners agree that without fair regulations creating a level playing field, small businesses won't be able to compete against big businesses. From our perspective, the effort to kill regulations is big businesses’ way of rigging the game in their favor."

Key findings from the survey include:

Small business owners see their top problem as weak customer demand, not regulations: 34 percent cited weak customer demand as the most important problem for their business, while only 14 percent named government regulations.

On the question of what would do the most to create jobs, cutting regulations came in low on the list: the top response was eliminating incentives to move jobs overseas at 24 percent; reducing regulation was fifth at 10 percent.

Small business owners see an important role for standards and safeguards: 78 percent believe some standards are important to protect small businesses from unfair competition, and 76 percent believe regulations on the books should be enforced.

Small business owners see regulations as necessary for a modern economy: 93 percent agree their business can live with some regulation if it is fair, manageable and reasonable.

Small business owners express strong support for specific rules and standards: 78 percent support rules to prevent health insurance companies from increasing rates excessively, 84 percent support food safety standards, 80 percent support product safety standards and 80 percent support disclosure and regulation of toxic materials.

Small business owners support clean energy policies: 79 percent support ensuring clean air and water, and 61 percent support moving the country towards energy efficiency and clean energy.

Small businesses believe in streamlining government processes: 73 percent of respondents believe we should allow for one-stop electronic filing of government paperwork.

For more information on these poll findings, visit:
http://www.asbcouncil.org/poll_regulations.html

http://mainstreetalliance.org/5511/poll-regs-economy/

http://smallbusinessmajority.org/small-business-research/downloads/020112_Regulations_Poll_Report.pdf

Poll results reported in this statement represent findings from an Internet survey of 500 small business owners nationwide, commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority, and conducted by Lake Research Partners. The survey was conducted between December 8, 2011, and January 4, 2012. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%.

###

The American Sustainable BusinessCouncil is a network of business organizations representing over 100,000 companies and 200,000 business leaders. ASBC advocates for public policies that meet the realities of the 21st century global economy including strategic investments in workforce and infrastructure; standards and safeguards that promote innovation, prevent abuse and protectcritical resources; and a new sustainable economic model that fosters a growing, economically-secure middle class. www.asbcouncil.org

The Main Street Alliance is a national network of state-based small business coalitions. MSAcreates opportunities for small business owners to speak for themselves on issues that impact their businesses and local economies. www.mainstreetalliance.org

Small Business Majority is a national nonpartisan small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners, and focused on solving the biggest problems facing America’s 28 million small businesses. We conduct extensive opinion and economic research and work with small business owners, policy experts and elected officials nationwide to bring small business voices to the public policy table. www.smallbusinessmajority.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2012

Contact: CJ Frogozo, 310 570 2622

***View Video Here: http://youtu.be/YY7OraM8FHo***

Julianne Moore Stars in New Video Calling on Mothers To Join the "Moms Clean Air Force"

Actress Asks Mothers to Tell Washington to Stand Up for Clean Air, Not Protect the Utility and Coal Industries

Washington, DC – Actress and mother Julianne Moore today released a new video calling on parents to join the fight against toxic air pollution. In the video, http://youtu.be/YY7OraM8FHo, which endorses a nonpartisan grassroots group called the Moms Clean Air Force, Moore appears along with the heroine of her popular children’s books, Freckleface Strawberry.

Moms are becoming a powerful force in American politics. They are telling Washington that they will not allow their children’s health to be compromised by dirty fossil fuel power plants, the single largest source of pollution in the U.S. The Moms Clean Air Force is a growing community of tens of thousands of moms— from all across the political spectrum and all across the country—uniting to make their voices heard to protect their children’s health.

“Clean air should be above politics," Moore said. "The discussion about regulations to protect our air has gotten so polarized that we have forgotten an important thing: We all breathe the same air. And all our children suffer because of pollution. We don't have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. We can have both. We can have what's best for all our children."

President Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act into law in 1970 with overwhelming support from Democrats and Republicans; however, the law is now under dangerous political attack. The new mercury and air toxics standards signed in December, after 21 years of planning, are already under political attack, with some politicians in Congress and lobbyists for the utility and coal industries calling to annul it or defund the Environmental Protection Agency.

Responding to this threat, Moms Clean Air Force is bringing parents together in support of a simple idea: That every child has the right to breathe clean air.

Moore became interested in MCAF after Dominque Browning, the group's Co-Founder and Senior Director and former Editor-in-Chief of House & Garden, contacted her last summer. “I wrote to Julianne, knowing she is a protective mom, asking her if she would help us spread the word about the connection between toxic—and invisible—air pollution and children's health, and she responded immediately,” Browning said. “Julianne joins a Force of thousands of mothers with real concerns about mercury poisoning, asthma, behavioral issues, and host of other problems associated with polluted air. Together we are determined to clear the air and protect the health of our children and loved ones.”

Moms Clean Air Force is a coalition of mothers including Blythe Danner, Laila Ali, and Jessica Capshaw, and partner groups such as Healthy Child, Healthy World, Treehugger, Green for All, Asthma Moms, Latism (Latinos in Social Media), Alliance of Nurses for a Healthy Environment (ANHE), Care2, BlogHer, and Clever Girls Collective.

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To join the Moms Clean Air Force, go to: http://www.momscleanairforce.org/take-action/. You can also follow the Force on Twitter @MomsCAF or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/momscleanairforce.

Tweet the video: New @_JulianneMoore vid - Put kids' health b4 politics: http://bit.ly/zmxzxq @JessicaCapshaw @TheRealLailaAli @MomsCAF #RoarForCleanAir

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2012

Contact: Rachel Tardiff
202.746.1507

Consumer Group Calls on Apple to Stop Worker Abuse

SumOfUs Launches Petition to Make Apple iPhone 5 the First Ethical iPhone Following Allegations of Dangerous Workplace Conditions

Read Full Petition Here

Washington, DC — Apple is the target of a new online grassroots campai as consumer accountability group SumOfUs launched a new campaign calling on Apple to address dangerous conditions in factories manufacturing the new iPhone 5. Last week, The New York Times reported on abysmal conditions in Apple’s factories in China, including excessive overtime, poor living conditions, exposure to toxic chemicals, and violations of child labor standards. In response, SumOfUs launched a new petition yesterday, calling on members to urge Apple to address the concerns, with more than 35,000 people signing on within the first 24 hours.

"I use an iPhone myself. I love it, but I don't love having to support sweatshops, and neither do millions of other Apple consumers,” said Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, executive director of SumOfUs. “The hip, educated market that Apple aspires to corner is largely composed of responsible consumers who don’t want to be complicit in sweatshop labor. Apple’s attention to detail is famous, and the only way they could fail to be aware of dozens of worker deaths, of child labor, of exposure to neurotoxins is through willful ignorance.”

Following the allegations of dangerous workplace conditions, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent an email to Apple employees pledging to “dig deeper” on the issue, calling accusations that Apple doesn’t care about its workers “patently false and offensive” and giving his word that the matter would be addressed.

"If Tim Cook is really offended by these allegations, why isn't he doing anything to fix the problems? This is the supply chain he set up as COO — he needs to start taking responsibility, not blaming the messenger,” said Stinebrickner-Kauffman. “Every time a Foxconn worker is killed or disabled making an Apple product, Mr. Cook bears personal moral responsibility. Apple’s enforcement of razor-thin profit margins at suppliers invites – and may even force – them to slash workers’ rights. But Apple is going to have much bigger longer-term problems than paying a few extra dollars for its products if it loses its luster with ethical consumers."


Petition link: sumofus.org/campaigns/ethical-iphone sumofus.org/campaigns/ethical-iphone

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SumOfUs is a global movement of consumers, investors, andworkers all around the world, standing together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable and just path for our global economy.
http://sumofus.org/about

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 30, 2012

CONTACT:
Blair FitzGibbon (202) 503-6141

44 SENATORS BEHIND KEYSTONE BILL TOOK $23 MILLION IN CAMPAIGN CASH FROM BIG OIL

Washington, D.C. – Forty-four Senators who introduced legislation today backing the controversial Keystone XL pipeline received $23.4 million in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry since 1989, according to analysis by 350.org and Public Campaign Action Fund. The figures reflected data coded by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics and available on their website and include contributions through September 30, 2011. Fourth quarter filings are due to the Federal Election Commission tomorrow.

The bill, which was announced today by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and cosponsored by 42 GOP senators and one Democratic Senator, would approve the Keystone XL project despite the Obama Administration’s rejection of its permit following months of intensifying protest against it and studies downplaying its potential economic impact.

“We no longer can just accept business as usual on Capitol Hill – the idea that the fossil fuel lobby puts a quarter in the slot, turns the handle, and gets a shiny toy has to come to an end,” said Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org. “The nation's top scientists, not to mention ten recent winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, have explained why this is a lousy idea. That should speak as loudly as campaign cash.”

The analysis of campaign donations for the cosponsors found that seven of them have taken more than one million dollars over their careers from the oil industry. The cosponsors collectively received more than $1.1 million over the first three quarters of 2011, the last data available in advance of tomorrow’s FEC deadline.

“The introduction of this Keystone bill is not about jobs for Americans, it's about these Senators' trying to protect their own jobs,” commented David Donnelly, national campaigns director of Public Campaign Action Fund. “They're looking out for themselves, paying back their Big Oil donors, and trying to cash in for more Big Oil money.”

Available online at http://bit.ly/w3B6kl.

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350.org is an international climate campaign that has helped lead protests against the Keystone XL pipeline. 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere according to the latest science (we’re now at 392 ppm).

Public Campaign Action Fund works to hold politicians who are against comprehensive campaign finance reform accountable for where they get their political donations. Learn more at www.campaignmoney.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2012

CONTACTS:
William Winters, Senior Organizer, Change.org, (202) 684 2552, press@change.org

GRADS FIGHT SALLIE MAE’S ‘UNEMPLOYMENT PENALTY’ WITH ONLINE CAMPAIGN
50,000 people join campaign on Change.org calling on Sallie Mae to immediately stop charging jobless students a $50 “unemployment fee” per loan for forbearance

WASHINGTON, DC – More than 50,000 people in all 50 states have joined a popular campaign on Change.org calling on Sallie Mae to stop charging jobless borrowers a $50 fee for forbearance on their student loans. Borrowers who can’t pay the extra fee are put into default.

Stef Gray, a recent graduate of a public college who took out private student loans through Sallie Mae, is leading the campaign on Change.org after being hit with the fee when she asked for a forbearance.

“What Sallie Mae is doing is wrong,” said Gray, who launched the campaign on Change.org. “My loan already grows by more than $1,000 in interest every three months when it’s in forbearance, and I pay almost 10% in interest because my parents weren’t alive to cosign my loans.”

“For Sallie Mae to tack on these extra fees just to pad their profits is to kick people like me when we’re already down,” Gray continued. “Charging a forbearance fee is wrong, and more than 50,000 people who agree are standing with me.”

News of the online petition campaign’s success is likely to increase pressure on Sallie Mae, which is actively trying to build its private student loan business. Gray plans to organize more actions against Sallie Mae, including a social media campaign.

“What Stef has accomplished in just a few weeks is remarkable,” said Change.org Senior Organizer William Winters. “She’s obviously tapped into an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about, especially with student debt rising steadily amid high unemployment among college grads. Change.org is about empowering ordinary people to take action on issues that matter to them, and it’s been incredible watching Stef’s campaign take off.”

Live signature totals from Stef Gray’s campaign:
http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-sallie-mae-stop-the-unemployment-penalty

Journalists interested in contacting Sallie Mae’s public relations staff should try:
Martha Holler, Spokesperson, Sallie Mae
martha.holler@salliemae.com
(302) 283-4036

Patricia Nash Christel, Spokesperson, Sallie Mae
patricia.christel@salliemae.com
(302) 283-4076

Contact information for petition signers in your area can be arranged upon request:
William Winters
Senior Organizer, Change.org
press@change.org
(202) 684 2552

For more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about
Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change — growing by more than 500,000 new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 18, 2012
CONTACTS:
ASBC – Amy Kennedy, akennedy@tigercomm.us, (703) 302-8392
MSA – Rachel Tardiff, rachel@fitzgibbonmedia.com, (202) 746-1507
SBM – Erin Musgrave, emusgrave@smallbusinessmajority.org, (831) 477-0453

POLL: SUPREME COURT CITIZENS UNITED DECISION HURTS SMALL BUSINESSES, SAY OWNERS BY 7 TO 1 MARGIN
66 percent of small business owners view Citizens United v. FEC decision as bad for small business; 88 percent hold negative view of money in politics overall

Washington, DC – Two-thirds of American small business leaders believe the controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United v. FEC case handed down two years ago on January 21 hurts small companies.

In fact, only nine percent of small business leaders thought the ruling positive, according to an independent national survey of 500 small business leaders released today by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance, and Small Business Majority.

The survey also found that 88 percent of small business owners hold a negative view of the role money plays in politics, with 68 percent viewing it very negatively. Click here to read the report.

“As we approach the two-year anniversary of the Citizens United case, the verdict is loud and clear: the ruling hurts the small businesses that we need to be strong for economic recovery,” said David Levine, executive director of the American Sustainable Business Council. “Business owners are frustrated because they have to compete with big business bank accounts to be heard, and they are fighting back. More than 1,000 business owners have joined ASBC’s Business for Democracy campaign to fight for a constitutional amendment that overturns this decision.”

“America’s entrepreneurs feel corporations have an outsized role and say in politics—to the detriment of the small business community,” said John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority. “They’re looking for a level playing field, and as the country’s primary job creators, they should have it.”

“Small business owners aren’t stupid,” said Melanie Collins, owner of Melanie’s Home Childcare in Falmouth, Maine and a leader with the Maine Small Business Coalition and Main Street Alliance. “We know who wins when corporate heavy hitters can spend all the money they want, as secretively as they want, to influence our country’s elections – and it’s not us. The Citizens United decision stacked the deck against small businesses. We’ve got to unstack that deck.”

The Citizens United case, decided by the Supreme Court in January 2010, upheld an argument that government could not place limits on political spending by independent organizations such as corporations. The landmark decision sparked a heated national debate over the role of money in politics, with calls for everything from new SEC rules requiring disclosure of corporate political spending to a Constitutional amendment overturning the Citizens United ruling.

For more information on these poll findings, visit:

http://www.asbcouncil.org/poll_money_in_politics.html

http://mainstreetalliance.org/5451/citizensunited

http://smallbusinessmajority.org/small-business-research/downloads/Citizens_United_poll_report_011812.pdf

Poll results reported in this statement represent findings from an Internet survey of 500 small business owners nationwide, commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority and conducted by Lake Research Partners. The survey was conducted between December 8, 2011 and January 4, 2012. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%.

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The American Sustainable Business Council is a network of business organizations representing over 100,000 companies and 200,000 business leaders. ASBC advocates for public policies that meet the realities of the 21st century global economy including strategic investments in workforce and infrastructure; standards and safeguards that promote innovation, prevent abuse and protectcritical resources; and a new sustainable economic model that fosters a growing, economically-secure middle class. www.asbcouncil.org

The Main Street Alliance is a national network of state-based small business coalitions. MSAcreates opportunities for small business owners to speak for themselves on issues that impact their businesses and local economies. www.mainstreetalliance.org

Small Business Majority is a national nonpartisan small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners, and focused on solving the biggest problems facing America’s 28 million small businesses. We conduct extensive opinion and economic research and work with small business owners, policy experts and elected officials nationwide to bring small business voices to the public policy table.. www.smallbusinessmajority.org