Federal Funding Is Necessary to Sustain Election Workers

Ahead of the midterms, many were concerned that election workers and voters would face intimidation or threats at polling places. By and large, though, the push to recruit an “army” of poll watchers and observers didn’t amount to much.

How was it that this election, conducted in the midst of grave threats to our democracy, went so smoothly? In short, because many of the people who needed to step up did so.

Now, longer-term, consistent and adequate funding from the federal government is necessary to ensure election workers have the support they need to continually improve at their jobs without worrying for their own safety and that of their families.

Trump-Appointed EEOC Commissioner Goes After Employers’ Abortion Travel Benefit Policies

Employers around the country announced that they would assist their employees to travel out of state to access abortion healthcare. But a Trump-appointed member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is working from inside the civil rights agency to attack these employer benefits, claiming they are favoring workers seeking abortions while discriminating against pregnant workers and disabled workers.

This attempt to redirect the government’s limited civil rights resources to attacking women’s rights is evidence of the continuing harms caused by the Trump administration to women.

As We Lament Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover, We Miss the Bigger Problem for U.S. Democracy

Feminists and social justice activists lament Elon Musk’s platform purchase. Right-wing pundits praise it. But the debate about the future of the platform—especially Donald Trump’s and other previously banned users’ return to Twitter—is only a symptom of a much deeper set of issues brought on by the digital age.

A lack of public consensus on digital freedom of speech, digital discrimination and big tech monopolies affects all proponents of democracy, particularly in the United States.

COP27’s Newest Headliner: Environmental Justice

As the U.N.’s COP27 conference wraps up, we encourage decision-makers to shift their focus to equity-centered solutions such as local clean energy workforce development and training. Governments and businesses can then financially invest in local communities of color after years of colonialism and environmental racism. In this way, those most likely to be impacted will see financial benefits from climate policy. The same way corporations do.

Environmental justice must be at the forefront of every conversation about climate change.

The Senate Must Prioritize Pregnant Workers and Moms Like Me During the Lame-Duck Session

In 2019, I was working as a cashier for a large grocery store chain in Louisiana when I became pregnant with my second child. When the store’s management found out about my restrictions, they pushed me out of my job.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would close a legal loophole in the landmark Pregnancy Discrimination Act by ensuring that all employers provide pregnant and postpartum workers with modest accommodations on the job. The bill has passed in the House twice but it still hasn’t gotten a vote in the Senate, even though it has enough Republican and Democratic votes to pass. It is urgently needed and wildly popular. A recent poll showed 90 percent of Americans support the bill.