On Tuesday, February 14, the Fed Up campaign held a rally with members of its coalition and concerned members of the public before Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s congressional testimony. Partners in attendance included One Pennsylvania, Make the Road Action, New York Communities for Change, SPACES, Action NC, and MORE. During the rally, community members dressed as Donald Trump and as a Goldman Sachs swamp monsters to illustrate how the Financial CHOICE Act would crash the economy and stop the Fed from pursuing full employment.

During the rally, which was held inside the Dirksen Senate Office Building, coalition members discussed how the proposed Financial CHOICE Act undermines workers’ ability to get the wages and jobs they need, as well as its potential to lead the U.S. economy to another devastating financial crisis. Maria Rubio of Make the Road NY spoke of her life as an immigrant and a domestic worker. Tyrone Ferguson of One Pennsylvania spoke of how he lost his home due to the last financial crash.

The Fed Up coalition brings the voices of working families and communities of color to economic policymakers at the Federal Reserve and in Congress. The coalition urges policymakers to focus on full employment and communities left behind by the recovery from the financial crisis.

If enacted, the Financial CHOICE Act will lay the groundwork for further corporate control over the Federal Reserve and undermine the full employment mandate. This combination of deregulation and interference with the Federal Reserve would mean millions of jobs lost, lower wages, and devastation for workers.

Check out photos and video from the rally on the CPD and CPD Action Twitter feeds.

Today, as the previously unthinkable becomes a terrifying and sad reality, let us pause for a moment to reflect on the United States we love and believe in.

We believe in a country where all workers deserve a living wage and a safe, dignified place to work. Our America is one that welcomes and protects immigrants. Our America does not discriminate against people based on the color of their skin or the faith they profess, but instead looks to nurture the hopes and aspirations of all. Our America is one where women and LGBTQ individuals have full and equal access to all our society’s rights and privileges. Our America is one where all Americans, regardless of race or wealth are entitled to full participation in our democracy, and where government works for the many, not the few. Our America sees inequality, injustice and poverty and asks how has this come to pass and demands better.

In our America, society is built on the principles of love and respect, not hatred and greed.

We know that building and exercising collective power at the local, state and federal levels can and will transform the political landscape, bringing our vision of America into being.

CPD builds the power of communities to ensure our country embodies our vision of an inclusive, equitable society: where people of color, immigrants, working families, women, and LGBTQ communities thrive together, supported by a fair and resilient economy, and political institutions that reflect our priorities. CPD’s role is especially important at a time when our communities are being threatened and the institutions that sustain us are under attack.

The transformative promise of community-based people-power is why we won’t stop. We must continue to strengthen our collective power to promote and protect our communities.

Whether you’ll be hitting the streets with the hundreds of thousands of others marching across the country or finding your own way of taking action, we need you to get involved with CPD.

Pledge to fight back with our sister organization, CPD Action, and subscribe to their email list. You’ll be kept updated on actionable items and events, receive resources for contacting your elected officials, and contribute to campaigns that expand the voice and power of workers, communities of color, and immigrants on issues of economic and racial justice.

Of course, none of this is possible without generous financial support. If you’re able to, please help CPD strengthen our community organizing efforts with a contribution to our network today.

Through our collective action we can and will transform America to the country of our hopes and aspirations.

Let’s do this! This is our America.

Just before the Christmas holiday, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, along with attorneys general from seven others states and D.C., announced that six major retailers have agreed to stop using on-call shifts for employees in their stores following an inquiry by the multi-state coalition of AGs. An estimated 50,000 workers nationwide will benefit from the agreements to end the burdensome scheduling practice, which requires employees to call their employer - typically an hour or two before as scheduled shift - to find out if they will be assigned to work that day.

The six companies - Aeropostale, Carter’s, David’s Tea, Disney, PacSun, and Zumiez - were among 15 large retailers who received a joint inquiry letter from the nine attorneys general in April of 2016 seeking information and documents related to their use of on-call shifts.

The collaboration among attorneys general stemmed from their collective concern about the impact of on-call shifts on employees and their families, as well as the national scope of the retail companies involved.

This inquiry follows a similar one launched by Attorney General Schneiderman last year that prompted six retail brands including the Gap, Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch to end on-call scheduling. More than 300,000 retail workers have been impacted from these the AG actions.

The letters were signed by representatives of the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, D.C., Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and Rhode Island. Several offices signed only letters to retailers located within their states.

CPD community partners in these states have been at the forefront of the movement for a fair workweek, and many brought the issue of erratic work schedules to the attention of their state Attorneys General. In Connecticut, Julio Lopez, Lead Organizer at Make the Road, stated: “Providing reliable schedules enables workers to reach their full potential, letting them thrive in today’s changing economy. We will continue to put the heat on employers until schedules across the industry are reliable and fair.”

Unpredictable work schedules take a toll on workers and their families. On-call shifts in particular mean that employees have to put their lives on hold, and then scramble to be available to work with just a few hours notice. This wreaks havoc on families adding stress and makes healthy routines with kids even more difficult. On-call scheduling also makes it hard to for people to hold down a second job or keep up with school. Retailers are moving to end the practice of on-call scheduling because of mounting public concern for employees well-being – and because it is an unnecessary labor practice that actually hurts business.

“This latest announcement shows the sweeping positive impact that Attorney General Schneiderman’s actions have had on the lives of people working in retail,” said Carrie Gleason, CPD’s director of the Fair Workweek Initiative. “Today, we are seeing retailers across America take steps to curb unnecessary and unfair on call-scheduling. We are especially glad that employers like Disney and Carter’s, whose brands promote putting families first, will stop using on-call shifts that are notorious for wreaking havoc on families’ balance and puts undue stress on children. It’s impossible to arrange for childcare with just a few hours’ notice, and so it’s good to see thousands more working parents no longer have to scramble to work enough hours to support their families.”

On Saturday, January 14, thousands of immigrant families, union members, progressive leaders and allies joined together in a national day action on behalf of immigrants and refugees. The “We Are Here to Stay” day of action generated close to 65 events across the country, and brought together progressive organizations, labor unions, faith leaders and immigrant families, to send a strong message of unity and resistance to Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda.

The day was coordinated by United We Dream and the FIRM network. Many of CPD partner organizations led the planning of the national strategy, and helped anchor and mobilize thousands of people across the country.

Over 3,000 people gathered at the historic AME Church in Washington DC, and were joined by progressive leaders from labor, reproductive justice, civil rights and LGBTQ rights organizations and more. Close to 1,000 members from CASA, and almost 500 members from Make the Road NY-NJ-PA-CT brought their energy, stories and powerful resolve to stand together. The church was filled to capacity, with hundreds rallying outside in the rain.

In Chicago, more than 1,000 people poured into a Teacher’s Union hall in a gathering organized by ICIRR. In Oregon, PCUN members joined close to 400 people that convened at the steps of the state capitol to send a strong message to the governor and legislature. In Houston, TOP members led a town hall meeting in partnership with UWD members to launch “four years of resistance”. In Florida, New Florida Majority members helped lead a rally in Miami’s little Havana. Many other CPD partners mobilized hundreds of people to events across the country to make sure this national day of action was a success, including WAPUSA in San Jose, CA; LUCHA in Phoenix, AZ; Action NC in North Carolina, and more.

Several national progressive organizations helped mobilize and promote the “#WeAreHereToStay” day of action, including The Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, the Human Rights Campaign, NextGen, AFT and MoveOn.org and others.