Posted on August 6, 2019
Victory: House passes historic $15 minimum wage bill
Victory! Thanks to more than 54,000 CREDO members, as well as our allies in the workers’ rights movement, organized labor and dozens of progressive groups, the House recently passed historic legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, despite six corporate Democrats and nearly all Republicans voting against the bill.
If enacted into law, the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 would immediately bump the minimum wage, and gradually raise it to $15, while ending the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. Preschool teachers, fast-food workers, bank tellers and working parents – millions of Americans would benefit immediately, some by as much as $3,500 a year.
And no one would benefit more from raising the minimum wage than women, and people of color, who disproportionately hold low-wage jobs due to institutional sexism and racism. Forty percent of Black workers and 34% of Latinx workers would see a pay increase under this legislation. And nearly 56% who would get a raise are women.
Despite this, six Democrats – Reps. Anthony Brindisi, Joe Cunningham, Kendra Horn, Ben McAdams, Kurt Schrader and Xochitl Torres Small – sided with Donald Trump and the vast majority of Republicans by voting against working people.
Posted on August 6, 2019
Town halls are not the answer, DNC must sanction an official climate debate
The U.S. just roasted in nationwide heatwave, Europe suffered its hottest June and July on record, and America’s heartland spent months underwater during planting season this year. It’s clear we are in a climate crisis. And this crisis deserves the undivided attention of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
We need a climate debate. Voters need to hear more than a one-off question on the Green New Deal, they need to hear what actual solutions the candidates are offering to reduce emissions before we hit the 2030 “point of no return.”
Over 225,000 activists who recently signed a petition organized by CREDO and dozens of environmental and progressive groups agree. Democratic voters want a climate debate, too — polling shows it’s supported by 64 percent of primary voters with only 11 percent opposing it. Voters care about climate change, with 72 percent of Democratic primary voters saying it was an important 2020 issue, so we need to hear the candidates’ answers to this crisis.
But what about the climate forums and climate town halls recently announced? To put it simply, these will probably be ignored by voters. Events like those are long, tedious, and require a huge amount of time for viewers to hear from each candidate. Most people will not watch them and will learn what was said through the filter of the media and soundbite.
Posted on August 5, 2019
Victory: Trump’s Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta resigned
Activism works. Thanks to sustained pressure by CREDO and our allies, including CREDO members who generated more than 170,000 petition signatures, Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta resigned this July.
Before his tenure as Trump’s labor secretary, Acosta worked as a federal prosecutor on the case of billionaire sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein who is accused of sexually abusing and trafficking dozens of underage girls – many as young as 14-years-old. Acosta arranged for a sweetheart plea deal to shut down the investigation and allow Epstein to spend just 13 months in a county jail. He also worked out a secret deal that granted immunity to “any potential co-conspirators’’ who were also involved in Epstein’s crimes, ensuring that other wealthy child abusers never faced prosecution.
Intense pressure by CREDO members and our allies ensured this victory. On July 10, just two days before Acosta resigned, CREDO, along with our allies at UltraViolet, MoveOn and the American Federation for Teachers, projected “Acosta endangers women and girls,” “Acosta enables child sex trafficking,” and “#AcostaMustGo” on the side of the Department of Labor building in Washington, DC:
Photo credit: Ultraviolet
Acosta had no business being secretary of Labor, and he clearly had no interest in defending the rights of the vulnerable – his priority was protecting the powerful from the consequences of their actions, however immoral.
Thank you to our members and allies who raised their voices to ensure that someone who shielded a serial child abuser from justice has no place in our government.
Posted on August 2, 2019
AT&T is making millions from Trump’s racist deportation agenda
Donald Trump is ramping up his attacks on immigrant communities more than he ever has before. His deportation regime is holding human beings in concentration camps, executing mass raids on immigrant families and communities, and forcing millions of people to live in fear every single day.
And corporate America is cashing in. Well-known consumer brands like Comcast and Microsoft are profiting from lucrative contracts with Customs and Border Protection, the agency dehumanizing immigrants, jailing children in cages without basic needs and tearing families apart.
In fact, telecommunications giant AT&T made more than $1.8 million from CBP’s fascist deportation agenda, including $1.3 million since Donald Trump took office, according to data from the Federal Data Procurement System and Data compiled and analyzed by Alex Kotch at Sludge.
The many services AT&T has provided CPB since 2014 includes hundreds of thousands of dollars in telecommunications network management, computer equipment and software, internet and IT services and support, and wireless communications – all supporting the agency conducting attacks on immigrant communities.
Here at CREDO, we are appalled by AT&T’s complicity as a profiteer in Trump’s racist agenda – but we’re not surprised. AT&T has a long history of cozying up to Trump and right-wing politicians to line its corporate pockets:
- AT&T donated $2 million to Trump’s inauguration to curry favor.
- It donated $2.7 million to 193 anti-LGBTQ politicians and nearly $200,000 to anti-abortion politicians.
- It paid $600,000 to Trump’s convicted lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to help end net neutrality protections.
- It heavily lobbied Republicans for a massive corporate tax break then laid off its workers.
At CREDO, we will never align ourselves with Trump and right-wing politicians or compromise our progressive values for profit. In fact, we are actively mobilizing our members to fight back against Trump’s racist immigration policy. And through our members who use our mobile phone and energy services, we have donated millions to progressive civil rights groups, like the ACLU, Detention Watch Network and Cosecha, who are fighting for immigrant rights.
If you’re not already a CREDO member and would like to switch to the mobile and energy company that is fighting Trump’s hateful agenda, donates to progressive groups every month and shares your progressive values, please check out CREDO Mobile and CREDO Energy today.
Posted on August 2, 2019
Our July grantees Planned Parenthood Action Fund, She the People and Transgender Law Center thank CREDO members for their support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible organizations. Those small actions add up – with one click, they help fund groups fighting for reproductive freedom, empowering progressive women of color and protecting the rights of transgender people. In July, over 58,000 CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation to Planned Parenthood Action Fund, She the People and Transgender Law Center.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our products and services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our July grant recipients thank you.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
$80,081
“Together with supporters like CREDO members by our side, Planned Parenthood Action Fund will never stop fighting to protect access to reproductive health care for all people – no matter what.” – Planned Parenthood Action Fund
To learn more, visit https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/.
She the People
$36,459
“Thank you for your contribution to She the People! The support of CREDO members like you is critical to winning a racial, economic and gender justice agenda. Together we can build a multiracial inclusive coalition led by women of color.” – Aimee Allison, Founder, She the People
To learn more, visit https://www.shethepeople.org/.
Transgender Law Center
$36,459
“TLC extends our sincere gratitude to CREDO members. Your support means the world to us and is a powerful stance for the dignity and leadership of trans and gender nonconforming communities. Now more than ever, we cherish fierce supporters like you.” – Kris Hayashi, Executive Director
To learn more, visit https://transgenderlawcenter.org/.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in August, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile and CREDO Energy and join our movement.
Posted on August 1, 2019
Vote to fund Democracy for America, National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Rainforest Action Network this August
Every month, CREDO members vote to distribute our monthly donation among three great progressive organizations. This August, you can help groups empowering the progressive movement, standing up for workers’ rights and fighting for climate justice by casting your vote for Democracy for America, National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Rainforest Action Network.
Democracy for America is a member-driven, people-powered progressive political action committee with a 1 million–strong community committed taking on income inequality, money in politics and structural racism.
DFA is helping to build the progressive grassroots movement to take our democracy back from corporations and the wealthy few. Support from CREDO members will help fund the great work it does to elect progressive candidates and win progressive legislative change while staying authentic to its progressive values.
National Day Laborer Organizing Network
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network creates strategic campaigns for justice to improve the lives of day laborers, migrants and low-wage workers. The organization builds leadership and power among those facing injustice so they can challenge inequality and expand labor, civil and political rights for all.
Funding from CREDO members will help further NDLON’s work of lifting up the voices of, and building the leadership and power of, immigrant communities to create progressive social change.
Rainforest Action Network preserves forests, protects the climate and upholds human rights by challenging corporate power and systemic injustice through frontline partnerships and strategic campaigns.
Support from CREDO will strengthen RAN’s organizational capacity to push systemic institutional change and help the organization exert public and inside pressure on corporations, banks and other institutions to stop environmentally destructive practices.
Your vote this month will determine how we divide our monthly donation among these three progressive groups. Be sure to cast your vote to support one, two or all three by August 31.
CREDO members who use our products and services everyday are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile and CREDO Energy and join our movement.
Posted on July 29, 2019
Rein in data collection by your Android apps
The apps on your phone know a lot about you. Some track your location or know what websites you visit and what you view there. Others collect your personal information like your age, gender, email, phone number and address. If you’re concerned by apps collecting a lot of personal information about you, there are ways you can limit – if not entirely halt – this data collection.
The fact that apps are collecting your personal data probably does not come as a surprise. The recent news that Russian-owned FaceApp collected and now owns access to 150 million faces and names should concern everyone.
But what may come as a surprise is that when you install an app, you also give it access to your personal information by agreeing to a long list of terms and conditions that you probably didn’t even read – nine out of 10 people don’t.
Another surprise: Your personal information is probably being aggregated by companies like Google and Facebook to build a disturbingly accurate profile of you – your shopping habits, socioeconomic standing or political viewpoints – and used to target you with ads, rate your credit and send you political messages.
It’s called surveillance capitalism and while it seems difficult to opt-out of much of this data collection if you want to use popular phone apps, there are some steps you can take to limit the personal information that these apps collect. Here’s how to do that on an Android phone.
Control the apps that access your information
A lot of apps need access to certain information in order to work. For example, a navigation app needs access to your location. But a lot of apps want permission or access to unrelated data or information. Why does a flashlight app want access to your photo gallery?
You can control these permissions and block apps from accessing information they don’t need. Open Settings, then open Apps or Application Manager (depending on your device). Tap the app you want to check, then tap Permissions. This will show what information the app is accessing. Turn off any permissions that don’t look right. Why does that calculator app want to access your contacts? Turn it off.
There’s a useful app called Lumen Privacy Monitor, created by the International Computer Science Institute at U.C. Berkeley, which analyzes app traffic on your device and gives you control of it. Lumen shows how your apps communicate with tracking services and what personal information they’re collecting. It lets you block transmission of information by individual apps and configure app permissions to better control your personal data.
Opt out of ad personalization
Every Android device comes with a unique advertising ID. It’s an anonymous identifier that enables Google to recognize your device, watch your activity and send you targeted ads. You can easily opt out of this ad personalization. You’ll still be tracked by Google but you’ll see random ads. Open Settings and tap Google. Then tap Ads and toggle on Opt Out of Ads Personalization.
You can also reset your advertising ID. Open Settings and tap Google. Then tap Ads and then reset advertising ID. Tap OK when the confirmation box appears. This will remove all the data that has been collected by the apps on your phone. New data will be collected under your new advertising ID, so if you really want to be elusive, you should reset your advertising ID often.
Stop location tracking
A lot of apps track your location. A lot of apps – rideshare apps, navigation apps or weather apps – won’t work if they can’t track your location.
If you want to stop location tracking anyway, open Settings. Tap Security & location, then tap Location. This will open the Location screen, where you can toggle off location tracking.
Google also pays very close attention to where you are and where you’ve been. Want to see how close? Open Google Maps (this is easiest on your PC) and click the three horizontal lines at the top left to open the dropdown menu. Click Your timeline and you can view a map of everywhere you’ve been since you opened a Google account. It is very difficult to stop Google from tracking your location. Although it can be done.
In addition to the steps above, you can take one more step: Switch to CREDO Mobile [link], the only carrier that cares about your privacy as much as you do. Here at CREDO, we take our members’ privacy rights very seriously, and we have a long record of fighting for them. Unlike other carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, who sell their customers’ private data for profit – your data is not for sale at CREDO. No amount of money will ever change that. Learn more about how we fight for our members’ privacy rights here.
Posted on July 29, 2019
What is “Medicare for All”?
Fifty-four years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law, the overwhelmingly popular program that provides health care and supports the economic security for more than 58 million seniors.
Yet, despite Medicare’s overwhelming success, we continue to face a serious health care crisis in our country, especially for those without Medicare or other government-sponsored health care. Millions remain uninsured or underinsured, and many others who have health coverage are just one serious health issue away from bankruptcy. While the United States spends the most on health care per capita in the world, we have some of the lowest health outcomes among developed nations.
That’s because the health care industry – insurance companies, pharmaceutical giants, device manufacturers, hospital groups, private equity, and Wall Street and their well-paid lobbyists – are raking in billions off the backs of sick people and spending millions to keep their profits flowing. Republicans and even some Democrats are all-too-happy to oblige.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Progressives lawmakers in Congress, policy experts, health care professionals and others who demand a bold solution to fix this for-profit health care fiasco have a commonsense, popular alternative, and you’ve probably heard about it. It’s called “Medicare for All” – a plan to expand Medicare to everyone to ensure all Americans have health coverage provided by the government.
What exactly is Medicare for All, how would it work and why are Republicans and many in the health care industry so opposed to it?
What is Medicare for All?
Health care is a basic human right, not a luxury for just those who can afford it. Medicare for All ensures that all Americans have access to health care provided by the government. It’s a single, national health plan that makes sure everyone can see a doctor when they’re sick.
Medicare for All would replace the greedy, for-profit leeches that drive up costs without making us any healthier and would result in more health care coverage and better outcomes while reducing overall medical costs. Medicare for All would also improve the program for today’s seniors by including younger people and adding dental and hearing coverage into Medicare.
Here are more details about Medicare for All and an FAQ that dispels many of the misconceptions about single-payer health care from the Physicians for a National Health Program.
Who supports Medicare for All?
Medicare for All is extremely popular. Polling consistently shows that the American public supports a single-payer, Medicare for All system. In fact, a recent poll shows that 70% of Americans support Medicare for All, including 52% of Republicans. National Nurses United, a 150,000-member labor union, supports Medicare for All. More than 100 members of Congress support Medicare for All, and at least a dozen 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls support some version of Medicare for All.
In 2018, CREDO, along with many of our progressive allies including Healthcare-NOW, Our Revolution, Progressive Democrats of America, Daily Kos, Justice Democrats, MoveOn and Public Citizen, delivered more than 1 million petition signatures urging Congress to take action to pass Medicare for All.
Is there legislation in Congress to pass Medicare for All?
Yes, and CREDO actively supports these bills.
Sen. Bernie Sanders recently re-introduced his comprehensive Medicare for All legislation in the Senate, and Rep. Pramilla Jayapal introduced an incredibly detailed, 125+ page Medicare for All version in the House of Representatives.
In May, CREDO Action Co-Director Josh Nelson visited Rep. Jayapal’s office to host a great panel with Alex Lawson of Social Security Works where they discussed why profit has no place in our health care system and why Medicare for All is the best plan to ensure all people have health care. You can watch the full livestream here:
What’s stopping Medicare for All from being enacted?
Simply put: greed.
Right now, predatory insurance companies and Big Pharma stand between people and their doctors and use monopoly power to rob us blind. But despite its popularity and success, Medicare remains under constant attack by extremist Republicans who would rather reward their billionaire donors on the backs of seniors and working people.
So it should go without saying that the for-profit health care industry and their Republican enablers in Congress do not want to see Medicare expanded. In fact, it’s just the opposite. The massive Trump Tax Scam rammed through Congress in late 2017 was intentionally designed to drive up the deficit in order to justify gutting Medicare and Social Security.
But thanks to activism and progressives in Congress, we’ve helped to prevent massive cuts to Medicare and are shifting the conversation on Medicare for All from a bold, fearless idea to a mainstream, popular opinion.
How can I help?
We need your help to show tremendous grassroots support for Medicare for All. While conservative Democrats resist the plan and some presidential candidates float proposals that fall short of expanding Medicare to everyone, we believe that bold, progressive ideas deserve support.
Right now, CREDO and our members are pressuring Congress to support Sen. Sanders’ Medicare for All legislation. We urge you to join us and sign the petition here.
Posted on July 24, 2019
How Green Roofs Help Beat the Heat
Green roofs – roofs with soil and plants placed on top of conventional roofs – are growing in popularity. And that’s a good thing.
Urban sprawl and growing population density contribute to climate change in a way that is often overlooked: heat islands – urban areas that are hotter than surrounding rural areas.
According to the EPA, “Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and mortality, and water pollution.” That’s a significant amount of harm!
Green roofs may alleviate some of the harm that heat islands create.
The benefits of green roofs
Plants on green roofs capture airborne pollutants and atmospheric disposition and filter noxious gases. By helping to moderate temperatures inside the buildings beneath them, green roofs also reduce the stress on power plants, which can reduce the amount of CO2 released into the air. And the benefits don’t stop there. Here is a list of the personal and community benefits of green roofs.
Personal benefits
Fire retardation
In California alone, 14 of the most massive 20 wildfires occurred in the last 15 years. When correctly built, green roofs can aid in the protection of homes because the common plants used in extensive green roofs are sedums and succulents, which retain much more water than other plants making them less likely to ignite or catch fire.
Increased roofing membrane durability
Green rooftops act as an additional barrier between the sun’s harsh ultraviolet rays and the waterproofing membranes on your roof that can be damaged by drastic temperature fluctuations.
Energy efficiency
The extra layer of protection from the sun that green roofs provide helps to reduce energy costs by acting as natural insulation. The National Research Council in Canada found that green roofs reduced the need for air conditioning by nearly 75%. This process of lowering the temperature of the building is called evapotranspiration, whereby the plants absorb water through their roots and use the heat in the surrounding air so the water evaporates.
Improved productivity
A recent study conducted at Stanford Medicine concluded that green roofs aren’t just good for the environment, they actually boost productivity. The study further showed that contact with nature not only lowered stress, but improved concentration and mood.
Community benefits
Reduces the urban heat island (UHI) effect.
As discussed earlier, UHI is caused by the heat created by energy from people, cars, buses, and trains in big cities. Areas affected by UHI can have worse air and quality than their rural neighbors. Green roofs help reduce the UHI effect because the plants absorb carbon dioxide and leading pollutants.
Better water quality
Green roofs absorb and retain 70–90% of rainwater during the summer and 25–40% during the winter, thereby acting as a natural filter for stormwater runoff.
Types of green roofs
Now that you know about the benefits of green roofs, let’s talk about the different types of green roofs, of which there are mainly two: intensive and extensive, which is determined by the depth of planting soil and the amount of maintenance they need.
Intensive green roofs
Intensive green roofs are basically elevated parks. They’re recreational areas on rooftops that can support gardens, trees, playgrounds, parks, walkways, benches and other activities that require complex structural support.
Chicago’s City Hall is a great example of an intensive green roof.
Because of installation and maintenance costs and requirements, intensive green roofs are best suited for commercial or government buildings.
If your town or city is proposing new construction, attend the town hall or meeting to advocate for the addition of a green roof. You can also organize to introduce a green roof initiative like the one recently passed in Denver.
Extensive green roofs
Extensive green roofs are a shallow covering of greenery on the roof. Not designed for recreational use, the extensive garden is simpler, costs less and has many of the same benefits.
Because of the lighter nature of extensive green roofs, they require a weight capacity limit of only 15–50 pounds per square foot, which means they need less structural support. And, once established, they also require less maintenance. They are a great option for homes and condos.
What you need to build an extensive green roof
The first thing you should do is check with a professional installer to be sure your roof is a good extensive green roof candidate.
A green roof can be built using a variety of materials, but the basic features of a green roof include:
- Membrane layer: This layer is the bottom-most layer that separates the green roof above from the structural supports below.
- Membrane protection: This layer can be made of lightweight concrete, insulation, thick plastic, copper foil or a combination of these materials.
- Insulation: This layer protects the membrane below by preventing the weight of the green roof from crushing the membrane below.
- Drainage: This layer is designed to absorb and remove the excess water and sometimes store the water to be used by top plants over extended periods of time.
- Root barrier: The root barrier is for deep-rooted plants like trees or shrubs, so it is only required for Intensive gardens. Usually, foil or plastic is used for this layer.
- Growing medium: Essentially, the soil or foundation for the vegetation that will sprout on top. The type, mixture and amount needed will depend on the kind of plants you choose. To prevent the wind from blowing topsoil, it’s a good idea to also add burlap jute blankets to this layer.
- Vegetation: This is the fun part. Once you have the layered structure, it’s time to choose your plants. A few things to keep in mind here are climate and the amount of sun your rooftop receives. For extensive gardens, sedums and succulents are best.
This step-by-step Instructables Workshop will give you insight into one person’s experience. Or if you need additional inspiration, these aerial views of green roof solutions capture of the artistry and beauty of green roofs.
Rooftop gardens
You might love the idea of green roofs, but if you’re not quite ready to create one for your building, you might want to consider a rooftop container garden. But, before you start planning the garden, make sure you have both the legal permission and the structural integrity required for the task.
Our most vulnerable communities are affected by extreme heat first – and most. The EPA warns that cities like Chicago could see 30 more days per year of 100+ degree weather. If green roofs can help reduce the urban heat island effect, then let’s work to ensure municipal governments – and the real estate developers they approve – commit to the best kind of urban jungle: green roofs.
Posted on July 22, 2019
CREDO stands with the progressive movement at Netroots Nation 2019
Netroots Nation, the yearly progressive conference that brings together activists, politicians, the news media and more for four days of trainings, panels, networking and featured speakers, was held in Philadelphia July 10–13 – and CREDO members and staff were out in full force.
Nearly every year, CREDO plays a role at the event, from its nascent beginnings more than 15 years ago to this year’s largest-ever conference.
And this year, CREDO stepped up our presence in a big way.
CREDO Action Co-Director Heidi Hess opened the Friday afternoon keynote addresses with a moving speech celebrating the power of the progressive grassroots movement and reflecting on our responsibilities to work hard and dream big when it comes to using our power to create the world we all deserve.
CREDO Action Campaign Manager Thaís Marques hosted an organizing training entitled “What is Absorption? Turning Mobilizing into Organizing at Scale” with Nicole Carty of PowerLabs. During her session, Thaís explained how we can turn moments of outrage into meaningful, real and lasting power, and used her experience as an organizer at Movimiento Cosecha as an example of how she helped bring people from all walks of life, especially in immigrant communities, together during and after powerful mobilizations.
And CREDO Mobile and CREDO Energy joined the Netroots “town square” with a major presence designed to bring together activists and progressive leaders to meet our staff and learn more about our mobile and energy products. We were honored to play a large role in the success of this year’s Netroots Nation, and we look forward to seeing our friends and fellow CREDO members in Denver next August!
