'Disgraceful:' University suspends prof who hoped for murder of NRA children

Administrators at the University of Kansas have suspended the journalism professor who suggested on Monday he would like to see the murder of the children of National Rifle Association (NRA) members.

KU's chancellor, Bernadette Gray-Little, announced the suspension Friday morning, according to a local radio station, KMBZ.

Professor Guth has been placed on administrative leave.

"In order to prevent disruptions to the learning environment for students, the School of Journalism and the university, I have directed Provost Jeffrey Vitter to place Associate Professor Guth on indefinite administrative leave pending a review of the entire situation,” he said.

“Professor Guth’s classes will be taught by other faculty members," he added.

And on Thursday the school released a statement condemning Guth's tweet. 

“The contents of Professor Guth’s tweet were repugnant and in no way represent the views or opinions of the University of Kansas. "[I]t is truly disgraceful that these views were expressed in such a callous and uncaring way. We expect all members of the university community to engage in civil discourse and not make inflammatory and offensive comment

There is no word whether or not Guth will be paid throughout the suspension.

Guth turned to Twitter on Monday in response the a crazed gunman’s rampage at the Navy Yard in Washington D.C., in which 12 perished.

“#NavyYardShooting The blood is on the hands of the #NRA,” tweeted David Guth, who is an associate professor of Journalism at the university’s William Allen White School of Journalism.

“Next time, let it be YOUR sons and daughters, he continued. “Shame on you. May God damn you.”

Via: Campus Reform

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“I scared the crap out of them!”: Alan Grayson details how to work with the GOP

In Part 1 of my interview with Rep. Alan Grayson published on Monday, we talked about Syria and national security policy. In Part 2, we turn to domestic matters. Grayson is actually one of the only trained economists in Congress, graduating from Harvard with an economics degree.

We talked about whether Dodd-Frank stabilized the financial system, the role of the Federal Reserve in the economy, and his surprising view on the fears of a government shutdown. We also talked about his recent partnerships with House Republicans. Below is a transcript of our conversation.

With the five-year anniversary of the Lehman Brothers collapse upon us, everyone is talking about whether we remain vulnerable to another crisis. You were on the Financial Services Committee when Dodd-Frank passed in 2010. Has it worked to make the financial system safer, or has nothing much changed?

Yes, nothing has changed. The only thing that has changed is the passage of time. Sometimes time does not heal. We still have the problem of some institutions being too big to fail, and nothing has been done to make them smaller or less interconnected. Nothing has changed the fact that, because of the sense in the market that some institutions are too big to fail, the big get bigger and the small get smaller. The cost of capital is smaller for institutions perceived as government-backed, than for ones not as credit-worthy, with counter-party risk.

The one good thing that’s happened in the past five years, in the sense of making people hopeful that the economy might survive a collapse, is that the Federal Reserve’s unconventional monetary policy put us back on a low-level track toward growth. They showed that monetary policy in extremis can work to some degree.

Via: Salon

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OBAMACARE, DEMOCRACY, AND THE REPUBLIC

One of the most common category errors in political discourse is referring to the United States of America as a “democracy.”  It is not a democracy, and it never has been.  The Founding Fathers would be absolutely horrified to learn their descendants would routinely use the term.  Democracy is mob rule.  The Founders opposed it as strongly as they opposed monarchy.  The government they created was designed to restrain both the despotic control of a ruling elite, and the transitory passions of the crowd.

How often have you heard it said that we must preserve the rights of minorities against the tyranny of the majority?  This idea is profoundly hostile to “democracy,” in which the majority always gets its way, subject to whatever absolute limits might be placed on the power of the State.  If you are a person of middle age, you may have noticed there is much less talk about protecting the rights of the minority these days, or of placing absolute limits on the power of the State.  Dissent ceased to be the highest expression of patriotism roughly five years ago.

Via: Human Events

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House CR Forks Over $174,000 for Late Senator’s Wife

There are many things House Republicans liked about the government continuing resolution. It defunds Obamacare, locks in the sequester spending cuts and keeps the government running.

But there’s one provision tucked into the CR that may anger constituents back home: Among the various sections of the House-passed CR are 28 words that would pay $174,000 to the widow of the late Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J.

“Sec. 134. Notwithstanding any other provision of this joint resolution, there is appropriated for payment to Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, widow of Frank R. Lautenberg, late a Senator from New Jersey, $174,000.”

The death gratuity — a long-practiced, little-known, unofficial perk of office — has been a staple of congressional deaths. A Congressional Research Service report on members who die in office says:

“…it has been the typical practice of the House to provide a death gratuity equal to the member’s annual salary, payable to the deceased member’s widow or widower, or children either in the annual legislative branch appropriations act or a measure providing supplemental funds for the legislative branch. By statute, a death gratuity is considered a gift.”

Before Lautenberg’s death, he was No. 8 on Roll Call’s 50 Richest Members of Congress with a net worth of at least $56.8 million.

That raises a question for the government watchdogs at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: ”Why is the government throwing money at a multimillionaire?”

In a post on CREW’s website, Daniel Schuman says the situation is “even more galling” when you think about the choice it represents.

“Congress just voted to cut food stamps for poor children,” Schuman says, referring to the nutrition bill passed in the House on Thursday. “The self-serving attitude that the death gratuity embodies places members of Congress above the public they are elected to serve. The last place this giveaway belongs is in legislation intended to contain only the essential measures to keep the government open.”

Via: Roll Call

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INDIVIDUALS EMPLOYING PART-TIME DOMESTIC WORKERS FACING OBAMACARE DEADLINE

Another Obamacare deadline is looming, this time for individuals who hire part-time workers to do domestic work at a residence. 

The New York based certified public accounting firm Margolin, Winer & Evens LLP (MWE) notified its clients recently: 

We are writing to inform you of an important health care reform requirement for virtually all U.S. employers. By October 1, 2013, employers are required to provide written notice to all existing employees including domestic employees, regardless of benefit enrollment status or full- or part-time status, about the federal and state Health Insurance Marketplaces (also known as "exchanges"). After October 1, 2013, employers will be required to provide the notice to new employees within 14 days of their hire date.

The MWE newsletter discusses the issue further, describing the requirements and steps an employer must take. An individual who employs a part-time employee, like a domestic worker, must “inform employees of the existence of the 'Health Insurance Marketplace,' and include a description of the services it provides and how employees can contact the Marketplace to request assistance.”

These requirements, like other Obamacare regulations, may change given the fight on Capitol Hill to defund the health care law. In a virtual party-line vote, the House voted to defund Obamacare in a continuing resolution on Friday. 

The employer mandate for businesses of 50 or more employees was delayed until 2015. However, according to Forbes, the delay has only exacerbated the problem of businesses complying with the law. 

Via: Breitbart

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White House highlights Senate GOP split over Obamacare defunding

The White House on Friday highlighted the split in the Senate GOP caucus over defunding Obamacare after the House passed a continuing resolution which removes funding for the president’s healthcare law.

The GOP-controlled House on Friday passed a bill to keep the government funded until Dec. 15 that also strips funds from Obamacare. The legislation is dead on arrival in the Senate, where Democrats have no desire to undo President Obama's signature legislative achievement.

Tea Party favorites, Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have threatened to shutdown the government to block the rollout of Obamacare. But other Republican senators fear a shutdown could cost the GOP at the ballot box and note that the party lacks the votes to block the healthcare reforms.

The White House trumpeted Republican senators who questioned the conservative House strategy.

“There is one glimmer of bipartisanship in all of this: I’m not the only person, this administration is not the only group that has concerns about shutting down the government in protest of Obamacare,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.

“Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican from Tennessee, said it was 'silly to do so.' Sen. Richard Burr, Republican from North Carolina, called it the 'dumbest idea' he’d ever heard. Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte from New Hampshire described it as 'not productive' and even Senator Roy Blunt, whose state we’re about to visit, said that he 'didn’t support this idea'" Earnest added

Those Republicans oppose Obamacare but they view the push to defund the law as futile as long as Democrats control the upper chamber.

As lawmakers voted on the GOP plan Friday, Obama was aboard Air Force One en route to a Kansas City event to tout the recovery of the American auto industry. He will also use the event to hammer Republicans for their laser-focus on Obamacare.

Obama has vowed to veto any bill that cuts Obamacare funding even at the risk of a shutdown.

Via: Washington Examiner

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EPA Head: ‘Climate Change...Is One of Most Significant Public Health Threats'

(CNSNews.com) - EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy on Friday discussed the agency’s 493-page proposed regulation that would, for the first time, restrict carbon emissions from new power plants, including coal plants.

“Climate change – caused by carbon pollution – is one of the most significant public health threats of our time,” McCarthy said at the National Press Club.  “That’s why EPA has been called to action.”

McCarthy cited power plants as the nation's worst polluters.

“Power plants are the single largest sources of carbon pollution,” McCarthy said. “New power plants can minimize their carbon emissions by taking advantage of modern technologies.”

McCarthy expressed her commitment to fulfilling the promises President Barack Obama made when he revealed his plan to combat climate change at Georgetown University in June. McCarthy called it the “most important speech” made by the president.

But critics, including Republicans in Congress, see the EPA regulations as a war on coal. The Obama administration, in fact, has spent billions of dollars promoting "green" power from wind, sun and ocean waves.

“The announcement by the EPA is another back door attempt

Via: CNS News

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Obama: US will be 'banana republic' if GOP forces default

President Obama said Republicans in Congress were threatening to make the United States into "a deadbeat" and a "banana republic" with their maneuvers to tie the federal budget and the debt ceiling to defunding ObamaCare.

Speaking at a Ford truck plant outside of Kansas City, Mo., the president chided Republican leaders for their vote earlier Friday on legislation that would keep the government funded into December, while stripping funding for the Affordable Care Act.

"You don't have to threaten to blow the whole thing up just because you don't get your way," Obama said. "Nobody gets 100 percent of what they want."

Telegraphing his intention to veto any spending bill that delayed or defunded his signature health care law, Obama accused Republicans of lacking "the same common sense" and willingness to compromise that ordinary Americans showed in their marriages and family finances.  

He said the debate in Congress was "not meeting the test of helping middle class families" and accused a "faction on the far right of the Republican party" of impeding compromise.

Via: The Hill

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Dinwiddie student forced to remove 'threatening' Duck Dynasty t-shirt

A Dinwiddie mother says her son got in trouble for wearing his Duck Dynasty t-shirt to school.

The popular show featuring a group of bearded millionaires is a hit on the A&E network, but the mother says her teenager was told the shirt was threatening to other kids at Dinwiddie High School.

"For this to be considered as a threat to the school," said Edna-Jo Spain. "I couldn't understand it."

Spain was outraged when teachers at Dinwiddie High School forced her son to remove the shirt, which shows a character from the reality television show Duck Dynasty clenching his fist.

"It says, 'I will hurt you physically and metaphysically,'" said Spain. "Anybody that ever watches Duck Dynasty knows that Si Robertson is famous for his little funny slogans."

"Your beard is so stupid it took it two hours to watch 60 minutes," said Uncle Si is a recent episode.

Spain says her son, Hunter, was given a choice to turn the shirt inside-out or go home.

"I'm not going to look stupid in front of all of these young ladies in the school," said Hunter with a smile. "So, I decided to get a different t-shirt."

School superintendent, David Clark, offered the following explanation in response to an email for comment.

"If you are a Duck Dynasty fan you understand the meaning of the shirt," said Clark. "But if you haven't watched Duck Dynasty you may question if the shirt implies violence. As a school division, we would like to keep our slogans on student shirts as non-violent as possible."

Edna-Jo Spain notes Hunter's grandmother gave him the shirt.

"A lady who would not even buy my daughter ripped up jeans to wear to school," said Edna-Jo Spain. "She viewed that as inappropriate."

Duck Dynasty is a pretty big deal in the Spain household.

"Big!" exclaimed Edna-Jo. "We are major fans. We are getting ready to go on the Duck Dynasty cruise next summer."

Hunter says he meant no harm.

Via: NBC12

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Two top GOP leaders quit immigration group, blame Obama

Two leading Republicans have dramatically quit the House’s “Gang of Seven” immigration panel, likely dealing a crippling blow to President Barack Obama’s top-priority effort to push through an immigration rewrite.

The two legislators blamed Obama’s practice of not enforcing laws, including immigration enforcement laws.

“We have reached a tipping point and can no longer continue working on a broad approach to immigration,” said a statement from the two Texas Republicans, John Carter and Sam Johnson, who were working with four Democratic legislators to craft a bill to increase immigration.

“Instead of doing what’s right for America, President Obama time and again has unilaterally disregarded the U.S. Constitution, the letter of the law and bypassed the Congress — the body most representative of the people — in order to advance his political agenda,” they wrote.

“We will not tolerate it. Laws passed by Congress are not merely suggestions, regardless of the current atmosphere. … Laws are to be respected and followed by all — particularly by the Commander-in-Chief,” said the statement.

Obama’s deputies have said one of his top legislative priorities is passage of a bill to double immigration.

The sharp criticism of Obama suggests that House Speaker John Boehner does not intend to schedule a House vote on the Senate’s immigration bill. Without a House vote, the Senate’s July immigration bill will not become law.

If approved, the Senate bill would triple immigration to allow the arrival of 33 million immigrants over 10 years. The bill is backed by progressives and business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce.

Via: Daily Caller

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Obama Administration Threatens the Dreams of Low-Income Students in Louisiana

Days after commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the Obama Administration filed suit against the Louisiana Scholarship Program, which has providedthousands of low-income children more opportunity to make their dreams reality.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed suit to stop the program, claiming that it impedes upon “the desegregation process.” However, as Heritage explains in this Backgrounder, the DOJ’s attempt to undermine the scholarship program could keep low-income children confined to poor-performing schools. The program was expanded for the 2013–2014 school year to offer 8,000 scholarships to low-income children.

The stories of families of scholarship recipients in Louisiana, published by the Louisiana Federation for Children, show that children flourish with choice:

Via: The Foundry

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Media Mash: MSNBC's Schultz Wonders Why 'People Don't Love Obama'

It "amazes" MSNBC's Ed Schultz "that people don't love Obama" and think he's doing a stellar job handling the economy. Reacting to a video clip of that absurd rant, NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell told the audience of Sean Hannity's September 19 program the reasons why.

There's "1.9 million less jobs" now than when President Obama took office, not to mention "47,600,000 Americans on food stamps" and "3 million people [who] have entered the rolls of poverty since [Obama] became president," the Media Research Center founder noted. "That's why they don't love him, everybody's having a very hard time" in the Obama economy and "Ed Schultz needs a dosage of reality," Bozell concluded. Hannity agreed, noting that when it comes to on-air Obamagasms, "he's giving Chris Matthews a run for his money." [watch the full "Media Mash" segment below the page break]  Bozell and Hannity also discussed how the media, particularly MSNBC's Alex Witt, sought to portray President Obama as "coming out the winner" in his bumbling handling of the Syrian chemical weapons crisis:

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SEAN HANNITY: Give him the Nobel Peace Prize. He fell into a solution after Vladimir Putin threatened to shoot missiles out of the air--

BRENT BOZELL: Somebody should get them some smelling salts over at that network. Look, here's just the simple reality. Barack Obama has lost control of the Middle East. The United States has lost control of the Middle East. Vladimir Putin is now  planning policy in the Middle East.

They are laughing at us. Putin is now saying, well, maybe they won't do it after all. Assad is saying, well, maybe I'll do it, but give me a billion dollars more. They're laughing at America. At MSNBC, they call that a victory.

Via: Newsbusters

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Pelosi: Republicans Can’t Stand Obama Because He’s ‘Eloquent’ and ‘Effective’

HE MAY BE ELOQUENT (haha) BUT EFFECTIVE? EFFECTIVE AT LIES LIES, AND DAMN LIES

With the threat of a government shutdown looming over a conservative battle to defund Obamacare, tensions on Washington are reaching a fever pitch. It was with that likely in mind when Nancy Pelosiopened up to POLITICO about Republican hatred ofPresident Obama. She said she’s never seen anything quite like it before, and surmised that Republicans can’t stand Obama because he’s “eloquent” and “effective.”

Mike Allen asked Pelosi if the hatred is more “personal” than normal. Pelosi threw out this argument for why the GOP hates Obama so much.

“He has a vision for our country. He’s brilliant, has knowledge of the issues and judgment about what the right path would be, respectful of other people’s views, he thinks in a strategic way in how to get something done… and he’s complete eloquent to convey a message to the American people. That’s a package that they don’t like.”

She also added, “Look at me, I’m effective, I’m a target,” claiming she is also the target of a lot of GOP hatred because of how much she’s got done.

When Allen asked if she thought race factored into it, Pelosi simply answered, “You’d have to ask them.”

Watch the video below, via POLITICO:

Via: Mediaite.com

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U.S. v. California

This past week was Admission Day, the holiday marking the date – Sept. 9, 1850 – that California was admitted into the Union.

Maybe 163 years is too long for this marriage.

Yes, Democrats hold the White House and the U.S. Senate in Washington DC, and they have the governorship and big legislative majorities in Sacramento. But that hasn’t cut down on the California vs. DC sniping. If anything, it seems to have ramped up the conflict, as different factions of the Democratic Party battle over issues and the direction of Democratic politics, coast vs. coast.

The array of issues is surprisingly long, and go beyond the hot button of Syria (President Obama was for bombing, at least for a while, and Californians, like much of the country, were against it).

• Schools and testing. The state is moving to eliminate testing for a year while California schools transitions to the Common Core curriculum, and Washington isn’t happy. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that schools and students need the test results, that California’s move violated federal rules, and that he would seek to cut off federal education funds for the state if California didn’t reconsider.
• Transportation. Washington’s tactic of threatening money for California to get its way isn’t limited to schools. The U.S. labor secretary threatened to cut off transit funding if transit workers were not exempted from changes to the state pension law. Gov. Brown responded by agreeing to an exemption – while preserving the state’s right to fight the federal government in court over whether federal law protects the pensions of transit workers from state reform.
• Prisons. This is the California vs. the feds war that never ends. The federal courts want state leaders to reduce the prison population. But they either won’t (politics) or can’t (depending on whom you ask, the prison guards or the gangs or no one at all really runs the prisons). California’s latest “plan” to fix the problem is to avoid fixing the problem, first by asking for more time for the courts, and then, if that doesn’t work, spending money temporarily to put off the problem for a few years.
• Immigration reform. California is (wisely, in my view) giving driver’s licenses to unauthorized immigrants. In signaling his approval of the legislation, Gov. Brown said in a statement: “This bill will enable millions of people to get to work safely and legally. Hopefully, it will send a message to Washington that immigration reform is long past due.” Amen.
• Immigration enforcement. The feds have a program called Secure Communities that allows for people arrested to be held for immigration enforcement, including deportation. California leaders understandably don’t like it and say that it’s optional.
• High-speed rail. The feds, along with the Brown administration, have been working to advance the state high-speed rail project, even as majorities of Californians, and previous backers of the project, turn against it.
• Gun control. It’s advancing in the state legislature. In Washington, gun control is going nowhere, as Democrats believe it’s too dangerous an issue.
• Surveillance. The U.S. government, for reasons it can’t explain with any coherence, thinks it’s a good idea to force California’s leading technology companies to help it gather lots of data on those companies’ customers. This is destructive to the reputation and businesses of those companies, which have to compete around the world. Not that the security state in Washington seems to care.

Then there’s health care – an issue where California and DC seem to be on the same page. But give it time, and you can bet there will be more conflict. The Affordable Care Act hasn’t been fully implemented yet.

Via: California Political Review

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Online Health Exchanges Plagued by Pricing Glitch

With less than two weeks to go until the open enrollment period for the Obamacare health exchanges begins, the government’s software still cannot display reliable insurance quotes for consumers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The problem is causing Obamacare and insurance officials to “scramble” behind the scenes for fear of “alienating” the initial wave of customers:

Less than two weeks before the launch of insurance marketplaces created by the federal health overhaul, the government’s software can’t reliably determine how much people need to pay for coverage, according to insurance executives and people familiar with the program.

Government officials and insurers were scrambling to iron out the pricing quirks quickly, according to the people, to avoid alienating the initial wave of consumers.

A failure by consumers to sign up online in the hotly anticipated early days of the “exchanges” is worrisome to insurers, which are counting on enrollees for growth, and to the Obama administration, which made the exchanges a centerpiece of its sweeping health-care legislation.

If not resolved by the Oct. 1 launch date, the problems could affect consumers in 36 states where the federal government is running all or part of the exchanges. About 32 million uninsured people live in those states, but only a fraction of them are expected to sign up in the next year.

Via: WFB

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There Is No Compromise on ObamaCare

Republicans oppose ObamaCare.  That's no secret.  But there seems to be some conflicting ideas among Republicans about how that opposition should be played out on Capitol Hill.

For example, the House GOP establishment had, until this week, wanted to hold votes on two bills: one that could potentially defund ObamaCare, and a separate bill that would keep the government funded after this month.  This was the expected path, the path of GOP reason and "compromise" according to the media and Democrats. 

It's hardly a spirited opposition, though, as it does absolutely nothing to impede the Democrat endgame.  The Senate could simply ignore the bill to defund ObamaCare, pass the bill to provide stopgap spending to keep the government running, and send the latter to the White House for signing.

Conservatives less interested in pre-emptive capitulation to Democrats, however, have suggested there be a vote on a single bill which would both defund ObamaCare and provide the stopgap spending to keep the government funded.  Want to keep the government running?  So do we.  Just defund the bill, granting all Americans the courtesy of a waiver from ObamaCare -- you know, like the one Congress worked so diligently to grant itself. 

And surprisingly, House majority leader John Boehner has finally endorsed the latter strategy, saying that "[t]he law's a train wreck.  It's time to protect working families from this unworkable law."

Via: American Thinker

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The Babysitters’ Union

If Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has his way, your babysitter soon could join a union and cost you a lot more.

The San Francisco Democrat has authored several domestic-worker unionization bills that have been vetoed by California governors. Now he’s back with Assembly Bill 241, which just passed both houses of the Legislature and is awaiting a signature or veto from Gov. Jerry Brown.

The bill would significantly impact home health care providers’ ability to provide affordable care to elderly clients or clients with disabilities.

Flexibility in schedules for such workers is imperative, based on the unique needs of the client. But the law would make it difficult to provide care to those needing around-the-clock assistance.

The other problem is the home-care industry will be forced to absorb the additional increased labor costs caused by this bill. The increased costs could make live-in care unaffordable for many families, landing more elderly Californians in state-run long-term medical care hospitals.

It always starts with a resolution

In 2010, the Legislature passed a Resolution for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which spawned a study by UCLA on the issue.

“This resolution highlights the work done by domestic workers in the state and the labor violations faced by these workers,” the UCLA study said. “The resolution calls for the fair treatment of these workers, noting that domestic workers have a right to be treated with respect and dignity.”

The California Domestic Worker Coalition was formed in 2009 to replicate New York’s Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.

The coalition included Mujeres Unidas Y Activas, POWER (People Organized to Win Employment Rights), La Colectiva de Mujeres of La Raza Centro Legal, Filipino Advocates for Justice, Grayton Day Labor Program, the Pilipino Worker Center, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, and Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California.

In 2009, the coalition brought together 100 domestic workers to create a list of demands for workplace protections available to other workers, such as overtime pay, Cal/OSHA safety standards and workers’ compensation.

This isn’t just a grassroots effort to help domestic workers. It’s being pushed by big labor groups such as Urban Habitat, the International Labour Organization and the National Domestic Worker Alliance.

Via: California Political Review

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