Tell Congress: Don’t Let Food Workers Go Hungry

According to a recent report released by the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley, raising the minimum wage for the benefit of 29 million low-wage workers would only cost the average household about an additional 10 cents per day for food. Almost one-third of food workers suffer food insecurity and food workers rely on food stamps to meet their needs at 1.5 times the rate of the general workforce.? This has to change.? Food Chain Workers Alliance and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United are calling on Congress to increase the minimum wage (currently $7.25/hour and for workers who receive tips $2.13/hour).? A dime a day is a small price to pay so that 29 million workers can make ends meet. Please support the Miller-Harkin Fair Minimum Wage by signing this petition.

Fellow GMO Labeling Supporters and New Yorkers

Last week, GMO Free NY asked that we contact the members of the NY Senate’s Consumer Protection Committee. This week they need our help again by contacting the membership of the Assembly’s Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection — the gatekeepers of bill A3525 — NY’s bill for GMO Labeling. If they don’t soon push it out of the
committee, the bill will die without ever making it to the Assembly floor for a vote. Click here for all of the contact info you need to reach the members. Whether you write or call, remember to say the bill number — A3525 — to whomever you speak. If the Assemblymember is already a co-sponsor of the bill, CALL THEM ANYWAY TO THANK THEM! They need to know how appreciative we are of their support and efforts to help get GMO labeling legislation passed. Go to www.gmofreeny.net to see a sample letter and writing tips. We have also found that tweeting at assemblymen and women, along with senators, is a great way to directly communicate with them. We received responses back last week. If all of us do this, it will surely have an impact. Knowing what is in our food, and the food we feed our families, should not be kept a secret any longer. Together we can make GMO labeling a reality!

Tell the Bureau of Land Management: Ban Fracking on Federal Lands

The Obama administration just released its first major fracking policy–the Bureau of Land Management?s proposed rules for fracking on 600 million acres of public land. And it?s even worse than we feared. In a major concession to the fracking industry and its lobbying efforts, the proposed rules are even weaker than previous drafts of the rules.This bill is so weak, its provisions for disclosing toxic fracking chemicals were literally written by ExxonMobile! And they do nothing to close Dick Cheney?s infamous ?Halliburton loophole,? which exempts fracking from key parts of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act.?The BLM is accepting public comments on its proposed fracking rules for 30 days. We need to let the administration know that these rules are totally inadequate. The administration needs to ban fracking on public lands ? not cave to the industry and endanger our health and safety. Submit a public comment telling the Bureau of Land Management: Ban fracking on federal lands.

The Farm Bill is Happening Right Now!

The Farm Bill is currently in the process of being constructed. Please call your senators and ask them to support two organic amendments, the Tester Amendment on Classical Plant and Animal Breeding and the Leahy/Cowan Amendment for EQIP Payment Limit Equity for Organic. Tester Amendment on Classical Plant & Animal Breeding aims to reinvigorate classical plant and animal breeding and public cultivar development which will improve choices for American farmers and strengthen U.S. agriculture. The? Leahy/Cowan Amendment for EQIP Payment Limit amendment eliminates the separate payment limit in EQIP for farmers participating in the? Organic Initiative so that all farmers are subject to the same payment limitations in EQIP.?? It helps farmers and ranchers put in place smart resource-saving measures on their farm – a win-win for the farmer and for protecting our shared air, soil, and water resources. Right now, the Organic Initiative in EQIP puts payment limits on organic farmers at a much lower limit than conventional farmers. The current Farm Bill does not provide enough funding or support for the small, organic farmer. Let’s help to change this! Find your Senators HERE or call the Senate switchboard and they’ll connect you: (202) 224-3121