GA Job Family Collaborative Survey

The Atlanta Chapter Work/ Family Support Committee needs your participation to help develop legislative strategy for the job protective leave policy initiatives.

The Georgia Job Family Collaborative will be introducing a new legislative strategy during the second term of the 2009-2010. This is the second of two surveys that we have asked you to complete. The information you share will help the committee to prioritize work family issues in order of importance for 9to5 members and help determine the legislative strategy for the upcoming General Assembly session.

Please click on the link below to open and complete the survey. We appreciate your participation.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=REpozUbq05HqVNyqfNVyBQ_3d_3d

Anni's coffee blog

Anni Metz, former 9to5 Jesuit Volunteer and creator of this blog, now has a job as a professional blogger! She's at the Chicago Coffee Examiner writing tips for coffee lovers and reviews of local Chicago coffee spots. Check it out here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-24711-Chicago-Coffee-Examiner

Congrats Anni, Remember us when you're a famous blogger!

9to5 at Southern Labor Union Meeting

The newly elected officers of the national AFL-CIO stopped in Atlanta this past Monday to meet with union members and labor community leaders (9to5 included!) for a discussion on the foreclosure crisis in the South. Although this was the first union meeting I had ever attended, the few expectations I had of what it might be like were met almost immediately. The walls were covered with colorful political rallying posters for the Employee Free Choice Act (for more info about this important legislation, click here).

There was speech-making and hand-shaking by politicians running for office in the impending city elections. Almost every speaker ended at a fevered-pitch, shouting over the cheers of what was a surprisingly vocal crowd for 8am in the morning.

Several of the speakers decried the predatory lending schemes that have targeted low-income minorities with loans doomed for foreclosure. A single mother and a woman in retirement, both of whom had lost their homes after being led into risky loans, went to the podium to tell their stories. There were even plans to head down the Wachovia Bank headquarters to call for a moratorium on foreclosures which was ultimately canceled due to the louder demands of the Georgia weather.

If you’re interested in learning more about how the discriminatory targeting practices of lenders have affected low-income and minority workers in the foreclosure crisis, read this article by Barbara Ehrenreich in the New York Times called “The Recessions Racial Divide.” Take a closer look at the the banner that was made to take to the Wachovia headquarters.

Share the Health

Last Thursday Atlanta 9to5 members, staff and interns headed to the health care rally at the Georgia state capitol building to stand with Americans across the country in favor of health care coverage for all. There was lots of chanting and cheering among the crowd of over 700 supporters (What do we want? HEALTH CARE! When do we want it? NOW!) as well as some very creative poster messaging (Share the Health! and Can I trade in Chambliss and Isakson in for Clunkers and Collect $4,500? were our favorites). Two 9to5 chapter Board members Gloria Smith and Claudia Lewis were also at the rally showing their support and wearing 9to5 T-shirts. As the President speaks to Congress this evening about passing health care legislation, 9to5 members need to remind their Congressional Representatives and Senators that affordable health coverage is an essential need for working women and their families.

Check out these photos of 9to5 at the rally and some of the more creative posters we saw.