Librarian/Archivist/StoryKeeper. Encourager of Curiosity. I notice things. Naturalist. ⓥ. History|Wild Spaces| Community. Notably, history really happened. You're part of the powerful We. You're not alone.
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You guys see where this is going? Right?
Wages of unionized workers are 13% higher than their nonunion counterparts. But unions also set a higher pay standard that all workers enjoy. In high-union-density states, median household income is $12,000 higher than in low-union-density states. This is why unions are vital.
If you're 60, 69.1% of all job growth since your birth occurred under Democratic administrations. If you're 45, that number is 74.7%. If you're under 28, the number is 100%. Happy Labor Day.
Meanwhile, DOL issued a final rule in 2023 that said H-2A wage mins could be set using the OEWS wherever there were no FLS data available. A court threw that rule out last week. Without OEWS or FLS to anchor policy, it could fall to state/fed minimum instead. news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-...
The FLS is/was not a great survey. OEWS would be better, if it covered farms. Biden requested $1.1M for FY24 to extend OEWS to cover farms, but Congress didn't appropriate these funds.
USDA tried this in 2020 but judicial decision [@ufw.bsky.social v. Perdue (E.D. Cal Oct. 28, 2020)] blocked it because it would harm farm workers. Trump2 trying again. ufw.org/wp-content/u...
USDA quietly said Friday it will, after a century, end the Farm Labor Survey (FLS), the only wage survey of ag employers. FLS is a critical input to setting local minimum wages for H-2A visa workers to try to avoid harm to U.S. workers' wages. #LaborDay #EconSky www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/Not...
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If you enjoy… Weekends Safe working conditions Retirement benefits Paid vacations Breaks at work Sick leave Paid holidays … then you’re part of the labor movement. Happy Labor Day.
senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, former chief economist to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) & director of budget and spending policy for Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign👇🏽
“.. with the exception of the pandemic, Black women have never seen such staggering losses in employment.” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/u...
I don't know if it is a factor, but unlike my practice on Twitter where I rarely blocked anyone--hoping to have meaningful dialogue, here I blocked every troll or bot or chaos agent right away.I see very few troublemakers, whether on my posts or others'. There's been a slight uptick lately though.
This is HORRIFIC‼️ Unbelievable very specifically confiscating baby formula‼️
Why has Trump been attacking unions and workers’ rights? He wants working people to feel helpless and divided. Trump and his billionaire backers realize that the collective power of a unified labor movement outweighs their own power. Know this: Workers outnumber the oligarchs.
But if *they* do the implying, it makes it all a much easier sell for this regime. It serves their interests in a number of ways. Here's one... bsky.app/profile/myli...
Exactly. It doesn't give him implicit authority, either.
California stepping up.
Really strongly recommend everyone get off Substack. Not just for the Nazi stuff, but because they're going to lock you into the platform and then slowly bleed you dry
He’s providing them with valuable mulching experience though.
Illinois is currently exploring the possibility of purchasing Covid-19 vaccines in bulk straight from manufacturers to make sure everyone will still have access.
Black women have every right to be furious. The irresponsible choices of white voters has for many of us, taken our livelihood with consequences for our homes, the education of our children, our ability to care for parents. It’s unconscionable. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/u...
U.S. politicians' responses to mass shootings are "always performative," says @cameronkasky.bsky.social. "This administration... is so defined by tragedy, cruelty, and violence that something like children being shot dead while they are praying is not going to be a topic next week."
Why is the Draft Dodger-in-Chief trying to drag us into a war with Venezuela? The claim is that drug cartels are so out of control they’ve been designated an international terrorist organization, so we need to send warships. But we’re denying Venezuelan’s asylum claims who fled for their lives. 🤔
NEW: Since corporate media won't call for Trump's resignation, I will. My latest: www.muellershewrote.com/p/trump-must...
Trump isn’t just axing the Constitution. He’s axing something we all love. Watch. https://youtu.be/HS7IJaB5NDc?feature=shared
Love this discovery for you. I was just promoting Libby to my entire extended family today, and the magazines were a big selling point for everyone. Yay libraries!! Also, I am a librarian.
Look at this graph. The share of national income going to the richest 10 percent was lowest (and share to lower 90 percent highest) when union membership was at its highest. As unions have weakened, inequality has widened. This is why we must build back union power.
I think their real issue w/ mail-in voting is how well we are able to track our ballots. We get a notice when they're on the way to us, when they've been picked up after we put them in a ballot box, when they arrive for counting, and when they've been counted. That screws up GOPs cheating plans.
A friend in Marin is on his 4th bout w/ Covid. This one is hitting harder than anything since Covid first showed up in 2020. Fever of 103, breathing difficulties, etc. He says it is all over town where he resides. I'm in SoCal--SO many kids out in the first two weeks of school cuz they're sick.
This is the second judge in a week that has brought up the fact that the government can't be trusted with clear instructions - likely because the government ignored Judge Boasberg's order to turn the planes around last March saying "verbal orders from judges don't count."
These are literally kids…
“Nothing is more important than stopping fascism, because fascism will stop us all.” - Fred Hampton
Co-sign. Definitely leads to people voting against their own interests while fully believing they are voting for their interests. I am sure that happened here in CA a few years back.
I would advise clearly stating “anti-union state” rather than using right-wing messaging. If you are an average voter who doesn’t know that “right to work” is inherently anti-union, this message might strike you as odd.
ICE procurement activity since August 22, totaling ~$19M. Companies highlighted in yellow are new to the "Who's Profiting from ICE?" map, available here: bit.ly/3TgUZEq Source: USAspending.gov
Beautiful 1860s Victorian butterfly, which was used to store small packets of sewing needles on the underside of the wings. This was a collaboration between a London-based drapers company and a sewing needle manufacturer. On exhibit at Tatter Blue, a Brooklyn textile museum. IG tatterbluelibrary
I have never seen a time like this. There is zero regard for truth and facts from the Far Right. Obvious lies are dispensed daily via loyal media to loyal followers who absorb falsehoods as gospel. They say what their worshippers want them to say, truth is irrelevant, fact-checkers are irrelevant.
New Mexico has issued a public health order that removes federal restrictions to COVID-19 vaccine access so that pharmacies in New Mexico can vaccinate people of all ages and risk profiles. Every state need to do this!
Medicare for all, paid leave, universal childcare. Busting up big corporations and tackling Wall Street’s greed. Getting big money out of politics. Supporting unions and fighting for higher wages. If Dems want to win back working people, this is the agenda they must support.
EPA Fires 5 Employees Who Signed ‘Dissent’ Letter www.scientificamerican.com/article/epa-...
@jollygoodginger.bsky.social is in DC with other vets right now standing up for democracy. He's playing General Milleys speech on repeat for them today 💜 #LoveTheVets!
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NEW: A week or so ago, one federal agent kept popping up in videos from Trump's violent DC crackdown—so @jsweetli.bsky.social and I investigated. Turns out he's a 26-year-old US Parks Police officer, a lesser known law enforcement unit currently championed by Interior Sec. Doug Burnum. Our report:
Residents are finding all sorts of ways to fight ICE: They're recording and reporting. They're wheatpasting and sharing know-your-rights materials. And they're stepping up to care for each other, from delivering groceries to walking kids to school. 51st.news/dc-residents...
Just as we 'have more autism' now than in the past because it was identified & diagnosed, we 'have more autism' here than elsewhere--where folks just see human variations as normal--because *we* diagnose it more. Many ppl here have diagnoses but you'd have no idea. We're all 'on the spectrum.'
Raddatz asks how anyone could object to the National Guard in DC because carjackings are down 87%. Brilliant. If they hermetically sealed all DC residents inside their homes, they could get that stat down to nothing at all. Should we do that, Martha?
Honored that Mark is now a Democracy Docket member.🙏 The force of democracy must be with us!!!🥳
In 2024 Sen. Merkley & I visited the Rafah gate on the Egypt-Gaza border. On the other side was Gaza’s thriving city of Rafah—home to 270K. Today we saw it reduced to rubble. The Netanyahu govt has gone beyond targeting Hamas to waging a war of destruction against all Palestinians. It must end.
One week ago, thousands of New Yorkers tried something new. They heard about it last minute. They didn’t know where it would take them or who they would meet. It was free, earnest, even educational. It was the #ZcavengerHunt and it was a thing of beauty.
Join the more than 430,000 people who have signed up for Democracy Docket. Even better, join the 50,000 who help support the 20 person team by becoming a premium member! Free or premium, if you are not paying attention to the courts you are not paying attention to democracy. hubs.ly/Q03jcjqP0
New Mexico is overriding the federal government on the topic of COVID19 vaccines to ensure their residents can access them. States hold a tremendous amount of public health power. They should use it.
The US brought in nearly $30 Billion in tariffs in July, triple the amount collected in previous years That's not good news Tariffs are taxes on Americans That $30B was collected from you and me when we bought food, clothes, electronics...
No matter what @MarshaBlackburn keeps saying, it’s not criminals they’re targeting. www.cnn.com/2025/08/30/u...
Why do you appreciate unions? I’ll start: Weekends off Paid vacations Work breaks Sick leave Paid holidays No child labor Safer working conditions Health care and retirement benefits
Donald Trump incited a violent coup to overthrow the 2020 election and hold onto power. It will never be ok that he was not held accountable, including banning him from ever again holding public office.
Jones: I want to bring theology into this because you have all these people that want to give thoughts and prayers. But I was a minister, and that is a form of theological malpractice—when you pray for something you have the power to change.
Trump did this
May these gifted hackers find everything they are trying to hide.
Tesla said it had no data from a fatal Autopilot crash. A hacker found it. Back in 2019, a Tesla on Autopilot crashed in Key Largo, killing a couple. Tesla told the family there was no crash data available.
Looking for a fun Labor Day weekend activity? Learn how to make dendrite art, and see some up close at the Getty Center's new Lines of Connection exhibition.
It's a good one. My personal 'tax the rich' fave is the one that says "Second homes starting at $1,600,000"...and you are only allowed to stay in it a maximum of 2 months out of the year.
Clean energy isn’t “woke.” It’s an essential part of our energy future and saves us all on power bills. This administration’s war on offshore wind and solar is just going to raise Americans’ utilities.
Over 300 MILLION American citizen's files stolen by DOGE. Why can't 1 person with access steal the EPSTEIN Files? #LEAKtheEPSTEIN_Files
bsky.app/profile/iwil...
Thank you for taking that battle on ❤️ These hateful rancid fools would, without a doubt, go as far as banning kids from playing hopscotch on their sidewalks just so they could punish people for being unlike themselves.
Image caring more about stopping a memorial for people killed in a mass shooting than stopping mass shootings. #Priorities
An(other) actual psychopath.
Taking a break from today's barrage of nonsense to visit an earlier time's challenges... A time when you spoke to real humans rather than to voice recognition AI...and it was often just as challenging. Nichols and May...enjoy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfLa...
What I am learning via my #birding hobby, besides that #birds are beautiful and fun, is that birds are the canaries in the coalmine in how we treat the environment. Piping plovers are making a comeback in Ontario but may be destroyed because of Doug Ford's plans. thenarwhal.ca/wasaga-beach...
CHICAGO…
This part. Everyone should be taking notes from @ivehaditpodcast.bsky.social’s @mizzwelch.bsky.social
Earlier GenXer & I've always been disgusted w/ my gen--even as a teen. We came of age in a time when the only social resonance was hyper-capitalism & under the dichotomous influences of parents in the strongest cohort of American middle-class ea$e, and their total social-emotional neglect of us.
Seething w/ white hot anger. If we ever wrest this nation back from this horde of demons, we are facing a LONG journey to rebuild what they've destroyed. Should we have that opportunity, may the demonstrably memory-challenged American people give ethical folks the time necessary to tackle recovery.
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🖋️ “SCOTUS: Uphold Constitution, Strike Down Illegal Tariffs and Pocket Rescissions” hit 500 signers! 💬 Text SIGN PAMVNI to 50409
“…I am infuriated that the Air Force plans to grant military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt. She did not die defending the Constitution. She died trying to overturn it.” My latest in @thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com/p/honoring-a...
"She did not die defending the Constitution. She died trying to overturn it. She was not protecting lives at a gate in Iraq; she was forcing her way through windows in the Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power." New from @markhertling.bsky.social:
New video: "MAGA Goons CAUGHT as TRUMP GOES MISSING!" click below to WATCH👇 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_1yuHGihTY
Release the EPSTEIN files! #ONEV1 #Pinks 🌸 #Voices4Victory
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Welch: Am American president talks to other American citizens like that, and propagandists come on TV and normalize this behavior. And nothing about this is normal. Nothing
So not only do churches NOT have to pay taxes, they're going to get YOUR tax dollars to boot. This seems like oh, I don't know, government establishing a religion in violation of the First Amendment?
💥 Trump cuts $4.9bn U.N. & Foreign Aid approved by Congress In a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) OMB is cutting the budget without going through legislative branch Vought is using "pocket rescission" for first time in 50 years to strip U.N. of its funding including $838m for peacekeeping 💥
The next days and months and years will demand from all of us great courage — and solidarity. Be prepared.
When a president decides to disregard the will of the American people, you’re right, that’s the mark of authoritarian rule. The White House has notified Congress that it plans to cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid funding that lawmakers had already approved, doing so without their consent.
The CDC is gutting a program that monitors foodborne illnesses. The program will now only track infections caused by two pathogens, rather than eight. Hello? How does this “Make America Healthy Again”?
“Do you guys feel bad about what you’re doing? Don’t you f*cking hate yourselves?”
🚨BREAKING: Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) reinforced GOP power grabs sweeping the country, calling a special legislative session Friday to redraw congressional districts and weaken the ability of voters to pass laws through ballot initiatives. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Them: “Cities are all rotting hellscapes!” Cities:
Garcia: We finally got word from the Epstein estate. They're going to be providing the actual Epstein book… the estate is actually going to actually now get us that book and a bunch of other documents that they have that's actually not been reported yet.
Same! To every precious little wonder growing in my garden❤️