*[Enwl-eng] Fighting back

[ENWL]

            We are living through a global pandemic that is killing tens of 
thousands of people. But many of the world’s corporations are using this 
crisis to grab bailouts, roll back regulations, and pad their profits.

            We are mobilizing to make sure our shared humanity is at the 
center of our communities, our economies, and our health care system.

            Last week, SumOfUs members sent a mobile billboard to circle 
Jeff Bezos’s house, ring-fencing him with the demands of Amazon customers 
and employees for sick pay to keep us all safe from massive coronavirus 
spread.



            And that’s just one tactic for one campaign -- check out all we’ve 
achieved together in only the past six weeks!

            Connecting across borders to save lives

            We are offering support to the most vulnerable. More than 
200,000 people have come together in the only global mutual-aid portal in 
the world, offering direct support to the most vulnerable. From offers to 
run errands or send direct financial support, requests for a chess partner, 
or a French teacher for a small collective school, The SumOfUs Covid Support 
Network has brought people together.

            Tom wrote in to tell us, “Someone helped me with $20. To me, it 
was the greatest thing ever. I still tear up in my eyes when I think of it. 
This person doesn't know me and will probably never meet me, but they helped 
me regardless. The kindness of those who can help others in this crisis is 
amazing."

            Kate sent me an email saying, "I was feeling incredibly useless 
with everything going on in the world. I wanted to help those in need, but 
couldn't figure out how to do it while maintaining a safe distance. I used 
SumOfUs' online tool to connect with a woman who faced eviction because she 
was struggling to pay her rent after losing work because of coronavirus, and 
put her in contact with a lawyer who was able to help. It felt like we were 
making a small difference in this chaos.”

            And there are thousands more stories like this!

            Protecting essential workers while they help us survive

            More than 100,000 SumOfUs members are demanding comprehensive 
paid sick leave for all workers globally, pressuring companies to do right 
by their employees and customers, and give comprehensive sick pay to drivers 
and other workers. Together, we launched a beautiful viral video calling for 
companies to provide support to their workers through the poem of CJ Suitt, 
a ride-share driver struggling to stay safe and keep food on the table — and 
it’s already passed a million views!



            And we just ran a hard-hitting ad targeting Lyft in the San 
Francisco Chronicle, a series of ads calling on Lyft to protect their 
workers that got a quick response email from the CEO of the whole company.




            Ensuring free and available testing and treatment for all

            Almost 200,000 SumOfUs members are calling on governments and 
pharmaceutical companies to ensure free coronavirus testing and treatment 
for everyone who needs it. Over 13,000 members wrote personal emails and 
messages to the CEO of Gilead—the pharmaceutical corporation responsible for 
an early promising treatment—and he responded announcing that the treatment 
would be offered affordably! It’s a huge win for our community and we’re 
using the momentum to ramp up the pressure on Gilead and other companies to 
commit to an affordable price and wide distribution.




            Blocking Big Oil’s Bailout

            Right now, governments everywhere are debating how to keep 
economies going through the crisis. And when it was announced that Canada 
was thinking of giving 15 billion dollars to the oil and gas industry, 
thousands of us mobilized to make sure any bailout helped people and the 
planet, not a dying dirty industry. With partners, we delivered a massive 
national call to MPs. And then we launched hard-hitting ads in the premier 
political newspaper. We even flew a massive banner over the Prime Minister’s 
daily press conference calling for an end to any oil bailouts.

            And we won! The final package was just under $3 billion and 
supported workers and the environment, not oil executive bonuses.



            It’s the first of many campaigns to reimagine our economies with 
a focus on people and the planet — including major efforts in France, the 
United States, the UK, and the European Parliament.

            Also…

            We have mobilized tens of thousands to demand supermarkets open 
early for elderly and vulnerable shoppers, challenged UK private hospitals 
to offer free beds to the NHS, pushed for a living wage for frontline 
workers, and garnered unprecedented support for a shareholder resolution 
calling on major Canadian bank, TD to put climate sustainability at the 
center of its business strategy.

            These are the bedtime stories I will tell my young daughter when 
she asks me what it was like during the virus crisis — and I know that 
actions like these will be an inspiration for generations to come. Thank you 
for all you do. And if you have a little extra to power this amazing work, 
please make a small donation here.


            With hope and strength,
            Emma and the team at SumOfUs



            More information:

            Amazon and Jeff Bezos should take note – looking after employees 
when they’re sick keeps brands healthy, The Independent, April 29, 2020
            The SumOfUs Covid Support Network
            Coronavirus: Demand paid sick leave for workers, including 
drivers and couriers, SumOfUs
            Make Coronavirus testing and treatment free, SumOfUs
            Trudeau, don’t bailout Big Oil with Canadian taxpayer money, 
SumOfUs
            Private hospitals: offer your beds to the NHS for free!, SumOfUs
            Supermarkets: Open early for elderly and vulnerable shoppers 
during the coronavirus crisis., SumOfUs









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            SumOfUs is a community of people from around the world committed 
to curbing the growing power of corporations. We want to buy from, work for 
and invest in companies that respect the environment, treat their workers 
well and respect democracy. And we’re not afraid to stand up to them when 
they don’t.

            Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3



                  Chip in $3



      From: Emma Ruby-Sachs, SumOfUs
      Sent: Saturday, May 02, 2020 1:23 PM
      Subject: Fighting back







 
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