On October 1st, the U.S. House passed H.R. 8406, a $2.2 trillion “HEROES Act – 2” an update of the House’s $3.4 trillion COVID relief bill that included a lifeline of support for state and local governments and and economic aid to families who need it most. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who’s been negotiating with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi all last week, has offered a $1.6 trillion relief package. Although there is a $600 million difference between the two bills, the divisions also are a matter of values. Republicans want to give $150 billion in benefits for some of the wealthiest people in the country. Democrats have proposed $149 billion for children, according to Rep. Pelosi. Republicans also want to shelter businesses, e.g., nursing homes, from liability when they risk the health of their customers or patients during the COVID pandemic.
On October 3rd, in his first act while in the hospital, President Tweeted “OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!”
So, in spite of everything, a deal is possible. We are concerned that the virus continues. Millions have lost their jobs, lost their health and paid leave coverage, face evictions from their homes, lack access to the internet and have difficulty putting food on the table. The House covid relief bill includes provisions that help. We need to urge our two Michigan Senators to become champions for COVID relief legislation. They need to push Senators to pass a robust package.
MUUSJN is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization that works with 26 UU congregations and progressive faith and secular allies for justice. Click HERE to support our movement.
With the unfortunate delays in postal service (promoted by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy) and the threat of voting in person on election day (due to COVID-19) we have are experiencing new threats to our democracy. Voting early is one way to protect your vote and keep you safe.
STEP 1: REGISTER TO VOTE: Click: michiganvoting.org/register-to-voteYou can register to vote or request a voter registration form.
STEP 2: REQUEST YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT ON LINE OR BY DOWNLOADING AN APPLICATION:a. Confirm the status of your application: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/voter/indexThere you can see when your application was received, when your ballot was mailed and when it was received.b. Request an application at: www at https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Home/VoteAtHomec. Complete application, request a ballot for the general election. Sign it, mail it, hand deliver it oremail your application to your local clerk. For address, go to: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/voterSearch for your clerk under “Search for your city/township clerk”.
DON’T DELAY – CLERKS STARTED MAILING ABSENTEE BALLOTS ON SEPTEMBER 24TH!
STEP 3: COMPLETE YOUR BALLOT, SIGN IT AND MAIL IT BACK TO YOUR CLERK ASAP.
STEP 4: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Go to https://www.michiganvoting.org/know-your-rights
STEP 5: CONSIDER BEING A POLL WORKER: Go to: michiganvoting.org/be-a-poll-worker
Over 7,780 Vigils Held Saturday to Mourn the Loss of Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg
We were shocked and dismayed to learn that on Friday, September 18th, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, died at the age of 87. Ginsburg worked her entire career to eliminate gender based stereotyping in legislation and regulations. Appointed Associate Justice in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, she was the second woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court in its 212 year history.
While Justice Ginsburg was only a little more than five feet tall, but she proved herself to be giant in her smart, thoughtful leadership on the Court to protect voting rights, women’s rights, justice for LGBTQ+ people and the right to access to health care. Ginsburg’s last words were “it is my most fervent wish that I not be replaced until a new President is installed”. Democracy demands that the people’s choice of leaders on November 3rd should be reflected in who is appointed to the high court. This was the argument of Senator Mitch McConnell in 2016 used when he insisted that, after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the bench would be inappropriate nine months in advance of that year’s election.
Now Senator McConnell, hours after the death RBG, has declared that he will soon hold hearings in the Senate to rule on President Trump’s nominations to the Supreme Court. He is rushing to fill the vacancy with a person who can support #45’s desire to gut the Affordable Care Act, to repeal Roe v. Wade and suppress voting rights. Some Republican Senators have said they oppose appointing someone to the Supreme Court shortly before a Presidential election or before the President is installed. If three Republicans (and all Democrats) vote against confirmation, an appointment could be blocked. For more information on key Senators (as of 9/20) click HERE.
Click HERE to find the phone and email of your State Representative. Tell him/her:
A record number of absentee ballots were cast during the 2020 primary as a result of people taking advantage of Michigan’s new no reason absentee ballot law during the COVID-19 pandemic. Election activists, clerks and legislators from both parties are concerned that the outcome of close races could delayed three or more days, creating election related chaos.
Senator Ruth Johnson (R), a former clerk and sponsor of SB 757, said starting the ballot process a day early should be a priority since “there may be 3 million absentee votes in November, which is double our last highest amount almost”. In addition to creating uncertainty with certain close races, Senator Johnson said additional processing time means that poll workers will have to work longer shifts, perhaps 20 hours or more. Starting a day before the election will allow more reasonable shifts for poll workers on election day.
Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson urged legislators to support SB 757. This bill was adopted on 9/15 and was transferred that same day to the House Elections and Ethics Committee chaired by Rep. Julie Calley (R- 87th District). MUUSJN was informed that the bill will retain its same number (SB 757) in the House. Other committee members are: Jason Sheppard (R-56th Dist); Pamela Hornberger (R-32nd Dist); Steve Marino (R-24th Dist); Brad Paquette (R-78 Dist); Vanessa Guerra, Minority Vice Chair (D-95th Dist); and Kara Hope (D-67 Dist).
SB 757 will allow a clerk in a city or township with a population of at least 25,000* people to perform certain pre-processing activities on the day before the election if notice has been given to the Secretary of State at least 40 days before election day. This would not involve tabulating absentee ballots but would mainly involve removing ballots from an outer envelope. *Correction:The minimum population was incorrectly listed as 25 million in a previous email.
Click HERE to find the phone and email of your state Representative. Tell him/her:
A record number of absentee ballots were cast during the 2020 primary as a result of people taking advantage of Michigan’s new no reason absentee ballot law during the COVID-19 pandemic. Election activists, clerks and legislators from both parties are concerned that the outcome of close races could delayed three or more days, creating election related chaos.
Senator Ruth Johnson (R), a former clerk and sponsor of SB 757, said starting the ballot process a day early should be a priority since “there may be 3 million absentee votes in November, which is double our last highest amount almost”. In addition to creating uncertainty with certain close races, Senator Johnson said additional processing time means that poll workers will have to work longer shifts, perhaps 20 hours or more. Starting a day before the election will allow more reasonable shifts for poll workers on election day.
Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has urged legislators to support SB 757. A staff at Senator Majority Leader Mike Shirkey office, who now seems receptive to this bill, informed MUUSJN that a vote on SB 757 is “likely” tomorrow (Tuesday, September 15th). There is a sister bill to SB 757 that has been introduced by Democrats in the Michigan House.
SB 757 will allow a clerk in a city or township with a population of at least 25 million to perform certain pre-processing activities on the day before the election if notice has been given to the Secretary of State at least 40 days before election day. This would not involve tabulating absentee ballots but would mainly involve removing ballots from an outer envelope.
The MI Paid Leave Coalition, made up of individuals, businesses, community groups and non-profit organizations, have made a commitment to fight for the right of EVERY worker in Michigan to have access to PAID sick leave to care for themselves and their loved ones.
This week marks the second anniversary of when the Michigan legislature a ballot proposal calling for earned paid sick leave. This legislation was made possible by a statewide ballot campaign to let the public vote to approve paid sick leave in the fall of 2018. HOWEVER, conservative legislators voted to dramatically reduce the benefits of this new protection during the legislature’s “lame duck” session. Thousands of citizens, including people of faith in MUUSJN’s statewide network, worked to collect the signatures. Now we’re coming back to restore justice that was stolen from the people of Michigan.
Voting is the language of American democracy. The ability to participate in civic life — to have a voice in choosing the elected officials whose decisions impact people’s lives, families, and communities — is at the core of what it means to be an American. At our nation’s founding, voting was enshrined only for educated white men who owned property. It took more than a century for the franchise to meaningfully expand to people of color, women, people with disabilities, people who are low-income, and Native Americans. Today, some elected leaders are still working to silence people who were historically denied access to the ballot box. Click HERE to get more information about Voter Suppression from the League of Women Voters.
The Michigan Interfaith Get Out the Vote Campaign, a nonpartisan project of the Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network, is partnering with the All Voting Is Local campaign to co-host a training on voter suppression. The goals of this training are as follows:
Presenter Ben Gardner, Michigan Campaign Manager of All Voting is Local, will make a presentation, including a historical summary of voter suppression in America and what voter suppression looks like today. He will outline advocacy tactics that we can employ both at the state and federal levels, and will provide access to an organizing toolkit for people who would like to make their voices heard on issues.
This training will be held Tuesday, September 8th at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom at https://bit.ly/32QxbfY and recorded for potential later viewing. Pre-registration is required. Contact sspedersen@sbcglobal.net for more information on the Michigan Interfaith Get Out the Vote Campaign. Contact Ben Gardner at Michigan Campaign Manager, All Voting Is Local, ben@allvotingislocal.org for more information on the presentation.
Welcome to the UU Justice News!
In the midst of corruption, indifference, deceit and cruelty, people of good faith are resisting hate, supporting human dignity and promoting justice. In this newsletter, read about:
I’m often asked how people can get involved in and support Black Lives Matter. I think the first thing to note is that Black Lives Matter is a specific organization with chapters all over the country. They have some common national demands, and also specific goals and demands unique to each chapter.
Black Lives Matter organizations are specifically for Black people. Some chapters are open for membership. If you are black and interested, you should inquire locally. If you are white, there are ways to support Black Lives Matter chapters, the best way to do this is to join a local BLM Ally group, or SURJ chapter that already has a developed relationship.
Sometimes when people ask how they can support Black Lives Matter, they mean as a larger movement, and in that case I would direct people to the Movement for Black Lives. I would also encourage them to become familiar with grassroots organizing happening in their town or nearby if possible, first looking to Black and Brown leadership. If you are new to this work, it can be difficult to know where to go, who to follow, what to do. The best advice I can give is do your research, and listen. If you get really stuck let me know!
When Black Lives of UU (BLUU) first presented themselves as a black affinity group within the UUA, they encouraged white UUs, who wanted to support them and The Movement for Black Lives to join or start up a local Showing Up for Racial Justice chapter. So that’s what I did. At the time, there was a group that was meeting in Ann Arbor, it was a small group that had people attending from both Wayne and Washtenaw county, as the group began to grow, we split up into 2 chapters. Since then I have been part of the core team of Metro Detroit-SURJ. We are currently holding monthly Zoom meetings. There are 4 other SURJ chapters around the state, I encourage you to link up with one or start your own. https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/
Over the last few years, our Metro Detroit chapter has been developing a relationship with Black LIves Matter Detroit and Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100 Detroit). Now that we have built some trust they are asking us to support with things such as white caucus spaces, and their local campaigns. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SURJMetroDet
Our chapter has monthly Zoom meetings- we focus on education, reflection and action. To join our email list: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/join-surj-metro-detroits-email-list
Sharon Pedersen, MUUSJN Interfaith GOTV Campaign Manager: sspedersen@sbcglobal.net
Randy Block, MUUSJN Director: randyblock@yahoo.com
MUUSJN is hitting the ground running with its Michigan Interfaith Get Out the Vote Campaign. The Network has gotten three grants, commitments from activists from 16 UU congregations and has hired a campaign manager and two campaign organizers. We are still recruiting volunteers and are hiring GOTV Outreach Workers @$15/hour. Click HERE for more information.
The campaign is working in partnership with the Restaurant Opportunity Centers – Michigan, with the All Voting is Local campaign and with other faith groups such as the United Church of Christ and the National Council of Jewish Women. We are proud to be working with the Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan and its Economic Justice Action Fund and the ACLU People Power. We are also working with NARAL and Inclusive Justice, an interfaith LGBTQ+ welcoming and advocacy group. Our campaign is outreaching to people of color, people from LGBTQ+ communities, women, young voters and returning citizens.
Volunteers and campaign workers can attend zoom phone bank training on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesdays from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. and texting every Thursday, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. These will be a lot of fun and a chance to meet people around the state.
These training sessions will alternate with town hall meetings or forums on issues that will interest activists and the broader community. Upcoming events include:
Get notified about these Town Halls and trainings by emailing Sharon Pedersen at: sspedersen@sbcglobal.net
Dee Church, LGBTQ+ Justice Organizer: churchde@umich.edu
Fair and Equal Michigan’s campaign was approved to collect signatures until October to put LGBTQ+ protections in the Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act for employment, housing, and public accommodations. Although the Supreme Court passed LGBTQ+ protections for employment back in June, LGBTQ+ Michiganders are still vulnerable to be kicked out of their homes or to be denied service at restaurant. Advocates have tried for years to amend the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to get civil rights for LGBTQ+ people adopted by the Michigan legislature. This petition drive is an effort by the public to stand up for the rights of Michigan citizens. Major corporations in Michigan, who want to retain skilled employees from all backgrounds, are stepping up to support this campaign.
Currently, the campaign has collected 83% of their signature collection goal. Over 133,000 signatures were collected during the first four weeks of August. The campaign is no longer collecting signatures on-line but invites people to collect signatures in public venues, e.g., near Farmer’s markets, in busy downtown locations, post offices, etc. For more information, contact Randy Block at 248-224-5572.
You can help in two ways:
Dee Church, LGBTQ+ Justice Organizer: churchde@umich.edu
Over the past few weeks, MUUSJN has been learning about and supporting multiple efforts to further LGBTQ+ equality and safety within the state of Michigan.
An LGBTQ+ issue that MUUSJN is keeping a close eye on is a situation in Livonia involving a resident who has put up multiple hateful signs condemning LGBTQ+ people. Livonia residents have expressed their concerns and although the signs are considered free speech, there are still actions that the leadership in Livonia can take. Click HERE for an article in Between the Lines.
MUUSJN has signed onto the attached letter signed, along with the ACLU of Michigan, Equality Michigan, Stand with Trans and several other organizations, to urge city officials to reject the idea that the hateful signs reflect Livonia’s ideals. The letter also advocates for Livonia to adopt a non-discrimination ordinance that would protect LGBTQ+ residents from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
MUUSJN is also involved in Get Out The Vote efforts and getting more LGBTQ+ Michiganders involved in the voting process. MUUSJN has reached out to multiple LGBTQ+ college/university organizations to help get LGBTQ+ students involved and registered to vote.
This is an important year in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality and MUUSJN is proud to be supporting these efforts.
Randy Block, MUUSJN Director
The Michigan Paid Leave for All Coalition, administered by Mothering Justice, includes a collaboration of the Black Women’s Roundtable, the Blue-Green Alliance, Detroit Action, Detroit Disability Network, the Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan, NARAL Pro-Choice America, ROC-Michigan, and MUUSJN. The purpose of this coalition is to create a campaign that can work on a variety of issues relating to paid leave for all, e.g.,in-state paid leave, paid sick leave days and wage issues. The Coalition allocated a $12,000 grant to MUUSJN.
Under this grant, MUUSJN has agreed to achieve the following deliverables:
Jennifer Teed, Special Projects Coordinator
Lois Pullano from the UU Church of Greater Lansing has asked MUUSJN, congregations, organizations and individuals to sign onto this statement to End Solitary Confinement in Michigan
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRhYAS3qrkix5dgU7V4GqFRYzT3mrPKJ-l2mvFZY8dENH3xQ/viewform
Let me know you are interested in a deeper study and action around ending cash bail in Michigan and raising bail funds. A few of us are working with the BLUU Curriculum and Michigan Liberation. We are looking to start a study/action group this fall. Please contact jennifer.a.teed@gmail.com
The White House, which has long sought to privatize the USPS, has so far blocked financial relief for the Post Office. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major donor to #45, has large investments in a corporation that competes with the USPS. Not only has the Trump Administration blocked emergency funding for the USPS in the CARES Act, but (in the name of “efficiency”) has started to slow down the mail by dismantling mail sorting machines and blue mailboxes and by ending overtime to assure prompt delivery. Sen. Mark Warner has described DeJoy’s reorganization of the USPS as a “Friday Night Massacre”. The Postal Service early in August warned 46 states that their voters could be disenfranchised by delayed mail in ballots.
On August 18th, after pressure from citizens (including members of Michigan UU Social Justice Network) and elected officials, DeJoy announced he would suspend his controversial changes until after the election. He announced he would “engage standby resources” as of October 1st to “satisfy any unforeseen demand”. However, DeJoy made no mention of restoring the sorting machines or mail boxes already removed. This seems like DeJoy will continue to reduce the capacity of the USPS after the election and before the big holiday season in December.
SOURCES:
10 a.m. Saturday August 15th (zoom meeting)
Join Zoom Meeting (video or by phone)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82060728997
Meeting ID: 820 6072 8997 or dial 1 301 715 8592 (Germantown, PA); +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose); +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
The USPS projects it could run out of funds by September 2020. The White House, which has long sought to privatize the USPS, has so far blocked financial relief for the Post Office. Private mail companies were supported in the CARES COVID-19 relief bill, but not the USPS. The U.S. House approved $25 billion for the USPS in the most recent HEROES relief bill. This funding hasn’t yet been approved by the Senate. Now the new Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, appointed by #45, has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s mail service, displacing the two top executives overseeing day-to-day operations and slowing down mail delivery. This presentation was organized by Gray Panthers of Metro Detroit. MUUSJN, which is co-sponsoring these presentations, is concerned that attacking the post office is a way of suppressing the vote.
Besides MUUSJN, the following organizations are co-sponsoring these talks: United Church of Christ – DMA; Peace Action of Michigan; Michigan Coalition for Human Rights; Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; Southeast Michigan Green Party; and Southeast Michigan Jobs With Justice.
