Citizen Action Weekly

Citizen Action Weekly: Friday, July 10th

Friday, July 10th

Watch a very special Citizen Action town hall with Senator Tammy Baldwin about pandemic relief and job creation.

On Wednesday July 8th Citizen Action was very proud to host a town hall about pandemic relief and job creation with special guest Senator Tammy Baldwin.  Over 150 Citizen Action members and reporters from eight media outlets joined us for this important call. You can watch the recording of the town hall here.

Senator Baldwin is leading the charge to offer relief during this pandemic.  She is introducing legislation to extend the $600 a week federal unemployment benefit, create millions of transitional federally subsidized jobs, pass another relief package and kick start a new “New Deal”.

You can take action to help right now.  We need to contact our representatives in Congress RIGHT NOW and let them know that we support these relief packages and a major jobs creation program.  You can use this link to automatically send an email to your representative in the US House and Senate letting them know you support these important pieces of legislation. It only takes a minute but it can have a huge impact on how the country recovers from the COVID19 pandemic!

Northwestern WI Co-op General Party Meeting – July 11 at 10:00am

Join us on Zoom on July 11, 2020 at 10am for a gathering of our Northwestern Wisconsin Co-op members!

We will be discussing what we have done so far this year, where we are heading, and what Citizen Action is doing for the 2020 elections.

Register in advance here for your Zoom link.

“Stand Against Medical Debt” Rally and Protest August 2nd, 3:00 PM

Citizen Action and SEIU Healthcare are taking a stand against medical debt. Join us for a socially distant rally and protest to let Gundersen Healthcare System know that they need to stop suing their employees and the community over medical debt!

Please use this form to RSVP for this important event.

As one of the largest employers and health care providers in our community, Gundersen has a responsibility to our most vulnerable citizens. In just the past few years, Gundersen has taken hundreds of our community members to court for unpaid medical debt – including its own employees who cannot afford the Hospital’s insurance plan.

Gundersen is one of the most profitable hospitals in the country. Community members and employees should be able to receive services at a nonprofit Hospital without being sued, taken to collections, or having their wages garnished.

We demand Gundersen:

  1. Cease suing our community members and employees for medical debt
  2. Forgive existing medical debt
  3. Provide Gundersen employees with affordable health insurance coverage

Remember to bring water and sunscreen.  Also please wear the color purple in solidarity.

PLEASE USE THIS FORM TO RSVP

PLEASE USE THIS FORM TO SIGN OUR DIGITAL PETITION AGAINST MEDICAL DEBT

La Crosse County Residents contact the county board RIGHT NOW and let them know you support Medicare For ALL

We are living through the worst global pandemic of our lives.  Americans across the country have lost their jobs, their income, and their access to healthcare.  This moment, more than any moment in American history, is showing us just how dangerous it is to have healthcare tied to employment.  La Crosse County needs to stand up with counties, and cities, across the country to demand a universal single payer healthcare system so that no one goes without the health coverage they need to live!  Please use this form to contact the county board and let them know that La Crosse County supports universal, single payer healthcare!

Universal single payer healthcare will not only make sure that EVERY AMERICAN can access the healthcare we all need, it will also boast our economy both locally and nationally.  It will allow Americans to look for the kind of employment that allows them to follow their dream without the worry of losing healthcare.  It will take the burden of providing healthcare off the backs of our local employers.  It will end the toxic political influence of the health insurance industry.  Most importantly single payer healthcare will guarantee that every American is able to see a doctor, or receive life saving healthcare, when they need to regardless of income.

You can help make health coverage a reality for every American, regardless of income by urging the La Crosse County Board to pass a resolution in support of Medicare For All.  Dozens of places across the country such as Austin Texas, Warren County Tennessee, Cook County Illinois, and Philadelphia Pennsylvania have all passed similar resolutions.  There is a national movement of cities and counties showing Washington that Americans need healthcare; La Crosse County needs to add its voice to that movement.  Together all of these resolutions will show Washington that America demands a universal, single payer healthcare system NOW.

If you live in La Crosse County please use this form to send an email to members of the La Crosse County Board letting them know they need to pass a county resolution showing supporting Medicare For All.  Once you fill out this form, and customize the email if you want, your email will be sent directly to every member of the La Crosse County Board.  If you are outside of La Crosse County thank you for your support but please do not submit this form; this form is for La Crosse County residents only.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is hosting a candidate town hall with State Assembly candidate Josefine Jaynes

lease join Citizen Action on July 21st at 6:00 PM for a very special town hall with State Assembly candidate Josefine Jaynes.  Josefine is running for the 96th Assembly seat covering Vernon, Crawford and Monroe Counties.

Josefine was one of the first candidates to receive a Citizen Action endorsement in the new Driftless Region Co-op.  At age 18 Josefine is also the youngest candidate Citizen Action of Wisconsin has ever endorsed.  Josefine is committed to fully funding our public schools, ensuring that every Wisconsinite has access to healthcare, addressing the housing and daycare shortage in the district and safeguarding our water both for our health and our tourism.  Even though Josefine has spent her entire life surrounded by politics she has committed to not being a career politician.  She wants to get in, make the kind of changes Wisconsin needs and get out.

This very special, virtual, town hall is open to the public (even those outside of her district) but RSVP is required to join.  Please use this link to RSVP.  You will receive the Zoom link after you RSVP.  Space is limited so reserve your spot now!

Action Opportunity: Help these Endorsed Candidates Win on August 11th!

The August 11th primary is fast approaching! In addition to making sure that you have your absentee ballot requested and filled out, you can make a huge impact in supporting two of our endorsed candidates:

Kristina Shelton is in a tough race against the incumbent in Assembly District 90. She continues to demonstrate a commitment to her community and her experience, integrity, and vision to lead is greatly needed in the State Assembly. You can help learn more about her action opportunities by visiting https://www.kristinaforassembly.com/volunteer.

Jonathon Hansen is in a primary to represent the Democratic Party in Senate District 30. Jonathon tirelessly served his community during his time on the De Pere City Council. He brings that same determination to his run for State Senate. Jonathon will fight to bring a living wage and affordable, quality healthcare coverage to the people of Wisconsin, no matter your ZIP code. His pride in serving every single resident of his community, district, and state will move Wisconsin forward. His campaign is looking for people to make phone calls before his Primary on August 11th! You can sign up here: https://bit.ly/Phone4Hansen

Volunteer to Help JoAnna Bautch

Calling all volunteers! Join Team JoAnna for volunteer opportunities every weekend (including this weekend) leading up to the August 11th primary election. Pick a date or a few that work best for you and help us connect with voters across the 8th Assembly District on Milwaukee’s near south side. We will have a variety of safe volunteer activities for folks to engage in.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/oYyZSJ5je4AxnFeKA

Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/JoAnnaforWI/events

North Side Rising Presents: Rally for Good Green Jobs, July 15th, Noon

Join North Side Rising for a rally on Wednesday, July 15th,  12-1:15 pm, at Victory Park, 2601 N Doctor M.L.K. Jr Dr. The rally will support bring awareness and support around the need for Good Living Wage Jobs on the North Side of Milwaukee; the most impoverished, disproportionate, and most affected by the negative effects of COVID-19, Racism and Mental Health Disorders perpetually infringed upon our community city after city, state after state, and generation after generation! Now is the time to right those wrongs and level the playing field. If you truly believe black lives matter then sand up for what matters to black lives and that is their inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Rally Topics:

  • Publicly Subsidized Job Funding on the Federal level (The Need for Living Wage Jobs and what Good Green Jobs look like/do)
  • The End of Work Share Date, July 31, (The need to extend it especially due to End of Utilities Moratorium and the continued crisis of the COVID-19 Pandemic)
  • The End of Utility Moratorium Deadline Date, July 25 (Our Demands, Solutions and Actions to take)

Speakers:

  • Milwaukee County Supervisor Supreme Moore-Omokunde
  • State Senator Latoya Johnson
  • NAACP Rep. George Martin

Do You Live in Marathon County? You’re County Board Supervisor Needs to Hear From You!!

Several community members have worked with Marathon County Board Supervisor, Will Harris, to get a referendum question on the ballot asking if people support Fair Maps (an end to partisan gerrymandering). This proposal has passed the Executive Committee narrowly, and will now be presented to the full board. County Board Supervisors rarely hear from their constituents, and contacting your Supervisor (or helping recruit others to do the same) could be the difference that it takes to get this passed through the full board. Time is of the essence. If you are willing to help with these efforts in some way, please contact NC Organizing Co-op Organizer Joel Lewis at 715-551-2525 or [email protected].

Tell our Gov Task Force that we want equitable green jobs!

Wisconsin has fallen behind other states in addressing climate change. A state task force will advise the Governor on strategies the state can take to mitigate and prepare for global warming. The task force is looking to hear from speakers to emphasize the need for Bold and Equitable actions meaning:

Bold: We need recommendations that help reach the 100% carbon free goal set by Governor Evers. We need to reduce emissions quickly and on a large scale. Our recommendations need to be bold.

Equitable: Communities of color have higher rates of air pollution than white communities. They are disproportionately home to more fracking and other fossil fuel production sites and they bear the greatest impact from severe weather catastrophes. The solutions we recommend should build up communities of color, not continue to tear them down.

Our Climate Equity team will demand the task force to subsidize jobs to take on mitigation and climate change in our communities. The climate equity team is an initiative established by Citizen Action to look at ways to effectively stop climate change and a healthy economy and environment for everyone. To be equitable, we put a major focus on black and brown people who have experienced economic depression since deindustrialization in Wisconsin.

https://secure.everyaction.com/EkCrpq3UykK1mA1OKQfYdQ2

For more information, visit the official webpage at https://climatechange.wi.gov/Pages/Home.aspx or

contact the co-op organizer at [email protected]

We Want to Help You Make Your Home More Energy Efficient and Help Support Union Jobs

Citizen Action of Wisconsin has helped convince multiple banks through a public campaign to offer green home upgrades, where the bank provides resources to help cut a home’s carbon emissions and utility bills that pay for themselves right away.

Now, we are launching a project to train and coach homeowners through the steps of accessing solar through this campaign victory, where they can help create good jobs, fighting climate change through this “green mortgage” program saves more than it costs from the get go!

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is currently accepting applications for 20 homeowners from Northern Wisconsin to be fellows in this program at this time and participate in this “Group Buy”. Fellows chosen will be trained through video meetings and 1-1 coaching sessions to undertake and communicate how to fight climate change at home. Fellows will only be chosen if we are confident we can reduce their costs and cut their carbon emissions, with extra consideration for Citizen Action members and/or those from historically under-invested areas (especially rural and communities of color) and/or union members. You do not need to be a Citizen Action member for consideration.

Through this group buy, we will achieve better savings, and help push the industry to be better at delivering carbon-cutting upgrades to people in the Northwoods!

After submitting the information, you can schedule a call to discuss how we might be able to help! (Questions? Email [email protected] and [email protected]).

Sign up here!

Northwestern Co-op Virtual Coffee w/Your Co-op Dates! 

We will be having numerous “Coffee w/Your Co-op” events in July! We are working on building our membership and activism in the rural communities across Northwestern Wisconsin and we need your help! Please ask 1-2 friends to join us virtually on the date that corresponds to where they live and let them know how they would be paramount to our important organizing work in 2020 and beyond! Please register for one of the dates below (BYOCoffee!)

July 17th – St. Croix, Polk, and Burnett Counties – Register Here
July 24th – Pierce, Dunn, and Pepin Counties – Register Here
July 31st – Eau Claire, Trempealeau, and Chippewa Counties – Register Here

Citizen Action in the News

Our virtual town hall with Senator Tammy Baldwin drew some good media coverage. See coverage in Up North News and WXPR Radio.

Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was on the Jeff Santos Radio Show this week to discuss how Democrats can win a landslide election and govern effectively. The Boston-based show is available on-line and airs in the evenings on the two commercial progressive radio stations in Milwaukee and Madison.

Media Stories 

“Forecast: Hot & Humid” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast

We discuss the latest Wisconsin Supreme court ruling upholding most of the Lame Duck power grab. The panel then moves to the deadly Wisconsin COVID-19 surge, and the movement towards mask mandates at the local level. Will Governor Evers pursue a state mask order? We tee-off on the troubling decision of the Wisconsin Department Health to withhold the names of businesses with multiple COVID-19 cases. Are they caving to Republican corporate interests? On a more positive note, we look at the bold New Deal-style jobs initiatives highlighted by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin on a statewide town hall hosted by Citizen Action. Could it be used to protect family incomes, and jump start a green climate transition that also dramatically reduced racial inequality? We also discuss the looming July 25th cut-off of enhanced unemployment benefits, which would leave the unemployed and work-share participants high and dry. We close with an analysis of the just announced Biden-Sanders platform comprises aimed at party unification. Does it signal a new progressive-moderate alliance within the Democratic Party?

Listen Now – Episode #450
Download MP3

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