And the crowd roared because, with that statement, he empowered them. And empowerment is contagious.
I discovered this moment the other night, while watching Bernie’s speeches and ads from his campaign, some of which brought a tear to my eye by their sheer inspirational power. Yet, the speech in Santa Monica is one of the most telling moments about what will happen with The Political Revolution going forward.
Now, it’s not about Bernie Sanders as a candidate. It’s about Bernie Sanders as the leader of our revolution, and it’s about all of us working together to achieve common progressive goals at the national, state, and local levels. And for those of you who feel betrayed or abandoned by Bernie, don’t. He didn’t betray anyone, and he kept his promises to both the party (which he aims to transform) and to his supporters. Now is the time to keep believing, and keep trusting that he knows the right path forward.
Now is the time to commit to causes like Brand New Congress, which is a national organization formed by former Sanders staffers that are committed to electing new congressional candidates across the nation. Now is the time to sign up for Our Revolution, which is Bernie’s non-profit organization that will continue to fight for the goals established by his campaign. Now is the time to support progressive candidates for the Rhode Island legislature, like Jeanine Calkin, and to support your local candidates running for town and city councils and school boards, like Jeremy Rix. And now is the time to consider running for office yourself to directly implement the policies that you wish to see in government.
Forget Bernie’s endorsement. It was a smart political move by an astute politician, and it deserves no further criticism. Instead, get involved. Engage with your representatives. Ask questions. Be aware of policy and legislative actions. Sign up to help with campaigns. And act to make sure that we, the people, are justly represented.
Like Bernie has always said, change doesn’t come from the top on down. It comes from the bottom up–from us.
]]>These bills will provide for serious penalties including fines and imprisonment for taking from working Rhode Islanders. Perhaps the most significant penalty is the loss of a business license, the bills also empower the director of the Department of Labor and Training to determine compliance. Encouraging responsible reporting and discouraging false claims, the process of private suit has meaningful safeguards in place.
“Too often we see workers awarded a judgment by DLT only to have the employer refuse to pay what is owed,” said Robert McCreanor executive director of the worker advocacy law firm The Rhode Island Center for Justice. With the power to revoke business licenses from offending employers who refuse to comply with its rulings, DLT will be able to compel prompt payment and get more money, more efficiently, into the hands of the worker who earned it. While more work needs to be done to address the growing problem of wage theft, this bill provides an important tool for Rhode Island workers.”
Said Lidia Jimenez a member of Fuerza Laboral, “As a worker that has had their wages stolen, I feel proud that my testimony and that of Flor Salazar helped elected officials understand the atrocities that are committed daily by bad employers who feel that justice will not reach them and take our daily bread. This will help put an end to some of the abuse.” It is estimated by Economic Progress Institute that over $50,000,000,000 per year are stolen from workers’ wages. The process of enforcement historically has been spotty and difficult to apply.
Jeremy Rix who is running for 2nd ward of the Warwick City Council said, “I’m thrilled that the wage theft reforms introduced by Rep. Shekarchi become law. This law will deter many unethical employers from stealing wages, and provide a meaningful path for vulnerable employees to recover their stolen earnings.”
The organizations that have participated in the effort to pass these two vital bills are: Rhode Island Jobs with Justice, The RIAFL-CIO, Fuerza Laboral, and the Rhode Island Center for Justice. Each of these organizations is committed to improving the conditions of Rhode Island’s working people.
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