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A Message to Our Members - Protecting Iowa Workers

4/19/2020

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​PACG Signs On to Protect Workers

A Message to Our Members​

Protect the Lives and Safety of All Iowa Workers


Right now in Iowa’s fields, factories, and warehouses, in our hospitals, nursing homes, post offices, grocery stores, and beyond, thousands of Iowans are risking their lives to provide food, health care, and other essential services while facing high risks of exposure to COVID-19 in their workplaces. 
 
For weeks, workers, labor unions, advocates, and the media have been reporting unsafe working conditions to employers and state agencies. But state leaders have refused to set any clear expectations for Iowa employers, and OSHA and other state agencies charged with protecting workers have been missing in action. Meanwhile, too many major Iowa businesses continue to operate with few or no safety measures in place.
 
We know that existing racial and economic inequities in our communities are exacerbated by this pandemic, and temp workers, low wage workers, workers of color, and immigrant and refugee workers are at particular risk. While workers have the right to report unsafe working conditions, many have reason to fear retaliation. Those brave enough to come forward too often find their reports falling on deaf ears.
 
We are already seeing the impact of unsafe working conditions, with multiple meatpacking and manufacturing plants shutting down due to the quick spread of COVID-19 among unprotected workers. We cannot afford to wait. We demand that our state leaders take immediate action and direct all Iowa employers to protect workers from further unnecessary exposure.

We call on Governor Kim Reynolds to protect the lives and safety of all Iowa workers by:
 

1.  Immediately requiring all Iowa employers to follow federal CDC and OSHA guidance on steps to take to prevent workplace exposure. 
 
  At a minimum, steps must include:
  • Ceasing all non-essential operations and providing paid leave or access to unemployment benefits for affected workers.
  • Allowing employees who can work from home to do so.
  • Encouraging sick workers to stay home with pay, and eliminating barriers (i.e. doctor’s notes, discipline for absences) to taking sick leave.
  • Improving ventilation (e.g., increasing ventilation rates, installing high-efficiency air filters, negative pressure ventilation in certain settings).
  • Installing physical barriers (e.g., clear plastic sneeze guards).
  • Maintaining six feet or more between workers by moving workstations, slowing line speeds, or staggering shifts.
  • Arranging for staggered or longer break times so workers can maintain a distance of six feet during all breaks or meals.
  • Providing adequate sanitation supplies (soap, towels, gloves, sanitizers) and a clean working environment.
  • Ensuring that all work surfaces are kept clean and sanitized as often as needed.
  • Allowing easy and frequent access to bathrooms or hand washing stations, and providing workers with regular breaks to wash hands. 
  • Allowing workers to wash hands upon arriving to work/entering the workplace, and ensuring full pay for all required preparation and clean-up time
  • Providing frequent, up-to-date education and training on COVID-19, proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitation procedures, or other relevant safety measures, in workers’ preferred languages.
  • Offering hazard pay and/or bonuses to all essential workers.
 
2.  Ensuring all exposed workers access to medical care and emergency assistance, regardless of health insurance coverage or immigration status. 
 
3.  Directing Iowa Workforce Development to provide workers’ compensation to workers who contract COVID-19 at their workplaces.
 
4.  Meeting with workers, self-employed, and independent contractors from essential industries to hear about the conditions they face and work with them to develop additional response plans specific to their industries, to be communicated to employers and workers in their preferred languages. 
 

We are in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis. Failure to act is putting our workers, our food supply, and our state’s economy at severe, unnecessary risk. We call on Governor Kim Reynolds, the Iowa Department of Public Health and Iowa OSHA to stand up for the dignity, safety and health of our neighbors and families and take immediate action by meeting with workers and directing Iowa’s business to take immediate and decisive steps to protect our state’s workforce from COVID-19.


 As of April 18th 65 organizations have signed this petition.


Allison Ambrose
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After Action Report - PPE Donation by Health Care Reform Forum

4/2/2020

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Lending a Hand - After Action Report

Davenport Salvation Army

Health Care Reform

Some of you will remember that way back before the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the PACG Health Care Reform Forum had a project to collect hand prints from individuals in our community as part of our advocacy for national health care legislation. Participants used latex gloves to protect their hands from the paint that was used. When the ACA was passed, the project was discontinued, but we still had many gloves.

This week, as the call went out in our community for personal protective equipment (PPE)—including latex gloves—the Forum was able to donate our surplus of gloves for the use of firefighters and EMTs (for whom protection, but not sterility, is critical). And just how many gloves did we provide? Between 5000 and 6000! It felt good to help our community, even in this small way. Truly, this is the core mission of Progressive ACTION for the COMMON Good.
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A Message from the Board of Directors - Coronavirus Update - March 30th

4/2/2020

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Coronavirus Update as of March 30th 

A Message from the PACG Board of Directors

According to the CDC, 
both Illinois and Iowa are now experiencing widespread community transmission of the coronavirus. This pandemic is not to be taken lightly. There are obviously more cases in the community that have not yet been diagnosed. Our elderly members and those with chronic health conditions need to be especially careful - and everyone else needs to help protect those individuals.

The best advice is to follow the guidance of our local and state health departments: Scott County Health Department, Rock Island County Health Department, Iowa Department of Public Health, and Illinois Department of Public Health.

According to the CDC, all gatherings should be cancelled. The Trump Administration said on March 29th that the social distancing guidelines will now be in place through April 30th; however, neither the CDC website nor WhiteHouse.gov have been updated to reflect this extension. 
​
All PACG events have been postponed or cancelled. Our regular meetings and other small gatherings will be held online using Zoom. PACG has purchased sufficient Zoom licenses for our leaders to schedule meetings. Our Office Manager, Julie Ross, can set up Zoom meetings on behalf of other members or affiliates. Contact her via pacgoffice@gmail.com, her cell (563-508-2209) or the PACG Office (563-676-7580).

People can join a Zoom meeting using a phone, tablet or computer. This service is free to the meeting participants. Zoom is a user-friendly tool and we are in the process of training our activists in its use (please be patient as we make this transition). We believe online meetings will enable us to keep up our good work through this difficult time. Just as important, for those who must self-quarantine, it will keep them connected with their fellow activists. And even after the pandemic restrictions end, we believe this will be a useful tool for holding at least some meetings in the future (think snow storms and other inclement weather).

We will use our website and calendar to give you Zoom links for meetings and online events.
 
Contact Alta Price, MD with questions or concerns.
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What You Can Do Now - Help the Earth Heal as We Protect Ourselves from the Coronavirus

3/27/2020

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Help the Earth Heal as We Protect Ourselves from the Coronavirus

Environmental Forum

As we are housebound with our loved ones to prevent the spread of coronavirus, we should think about what we can do to help the planet heal.  Here are projects you can start now:
 
  • Try new plant-based recipes – growing whole grains, fruits and vegetables uses less water and land, emits less pollution, reduces waste by-products, and is less destructive to the top soil.  
 
  • Reduce food wastes - make soup stock with your vegetable scraps.
 
  • Compost – we’re running out of landfill space. About 20% of the waste in landfills is food waste. Composting also puts the carbon back into the soil.
 
  • Read instead of streaming – we all have books on our shelves we had planned to read.  This is the time to do it instead of streaming or reading on your electronic devices.  Reading does not require additional electricity.
 
  • Be an informed voter – the election is just months away. Learn about your candidates’ positions on issues. Look for online town halls and other opportunities to interact with political candidates. Support those who will take action to heal the earth.
 
  • Spring cleaning - use a combination of natural products that you likely have at home - alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, vinegar, lemon. Disinfect cleaned surfaces with a bleach solution of 2 tablespoons of bleach in 1 quart of water (or 1/3 cup of bleach in a gallon of water). Allow the surface to air dry.  Bleach water should be made fresh daily.  CAUTION: Do not mix bleach with any cleaning products (for example, vinegar) because these combinations can generate toxic chlorine gas. 
 
  • Switch to Green Power – if you haven’t done so, contact your utility company and sign up for electricity generated from renewable sources.
 
  • Share your stuff – as you’re cleaning out your house, decluttering and eliminating duplicates, set things you no longer need aside.  You can share them with your family or donate to someone who may use them when the pandemic is over. 
 
  • Volunteer - PACG forums and other community organizations are continuing to do their work online. The Environmental Forum is holding monthly meetings online via Zoom. 
 
  • Do eco-friendly activities – check the link below for eco-activities for all ages.
 
  • Start a garden exchange - spring is here. It's time to plant a garden and exchange seeds and plants with your friends and neighbors.  Continue to practice social distancing by  dropping these items off at their doors. 
 
  • Keep moving - stay-at-home does not mean we have to be indoors all day. Take a nature walk or bike ride. Remember to maintain safe social distancing of at least 6 feet from other people. NOTE: Stay-at-home orders may change in the future and walks or bike riding outside may not be advisable. Follow directions from your local health authorities.

  • For more details check here:
    https://www.earthday.org/11-actions-for-the-planet-during-a-pandemic/

Susan Leuthauser
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A Message from the President - QC Connection During Pandemic

3/24/2020

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A Message from the President

Dear Progressives,

I wanted to reach out to you all during this strangest of times.  Our in-person meetings and events scheduled to occur in the next few months have been postponed or cancelled. Some of our scheduled events - specifically forum and group meetings - will be occurring virtually via Zoom, which is a wonderful way to allow us to continue our progressive work and to keep our members connected during these days where feelings of isolation may get us down. We will use our website and calendar to give you the most up-to-date information about these meetings and events. It is our hope to schedule larger virtual events for members revolving around our forum issues where members can learn about and discuss some of these pertinent topics. Again, keep your eye on our website and calendar.

In addition, I would also like to encourage you to support our local businesses by shopping locally on-line, ordering take out and buying gift cards. Realize the people who are delivering your food are doing so at risk to themselves. Please remember to tip generously. I have noticed a few initiatives that make this support easy and safe:

1.  Monday, 3/23 is the start of our local virtual shop small event.

2.  You can support local restaurants and non-profits by buying items that bring income to struggling businesses. Consider purchasing t-shirts and gift cards at  https://qccustomtees.com/.

3.  Check out the Quad City Emergency Take Out and Delivery Facebook page.

4. The Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page also has good information on how you can support local businesses

Please feel free to share with me (via email) any other initiatives you are aware of and we will post those on our website.  As progressives, we all realize the value of having a thriving community so that all people may live fruitful lives.

Take care everyone!

Stay healthy and sane and stay connected with PACG!   

Allison Ambrose

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A Message from the Board Regarding Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Epidemic

3/13/2020

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A Message to Our Membership Regarding COVID-19

I have been keeping a close eye on the development of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States. I had an early personal interest since my son and his Chinese citizen wife were planning a Chinese marriage ceremony in Nanjing, China on March 1st. So I've been paying close attention since early January (needless-to-say, the wedding was postponed).

We are very fortunate in the Quad Cities that we are not experiencing widespread community transmission at this time. However, this pandemic is not to be taken lightly. Our elderly members and those with chronic health conditions need to be especially careful - and everyone else needs to help protect those individuals. The best advice is to  follow the guidance of our local and state health departments: Scott County Health Department, Rock Island County Health Department, Iowa Department of Public Health, and Illinois Department of Public Health.


Large PACG events may have to be postponed or cancelled. Although right now the recommendation is to not have events with more than 50 people for the next 8 weeks (per the CDC as of 3/16/20 at 1100 am), these guidelines will change over time. PACG will be following the advice of public health officials. We will use our website and calendar to give you the most up-to-date information about cancellations. Please begin checking those before attending any previously scheduled meeting or event mentioned in our Weekly Email Update (WEU).

Although at this point small gatherings are not banned in our area, out of an abundance of caution we will soon transition to holding our meetings online using Zoom. PACG will purchase sufficient licenses for our leaders to use to schedule meetings. People can join a meeting on a phone, tablet or computer. This service is free to the meeting participants. Zoom is a user-friendly tool and we are prepared to train our activists in its use. We believe online meetings will enable us to keep up our good work through this difficult time. Just as important, for those who must self-quarantine, it will keep them connected with their fellow activists. And even after the pandemic restrictions end, we believe this will be a useful way to have at least some meetings in the future (think snow storms and other inclement weather).

Our Office Manager, Julie, can set up Zoom meetings on behalf of members or affiliates. Contact her via pacgoffice@gmail.com, her cell (563-508-2209) or the PACG Office (563-676-7580).

Contact Alta Price, MD with questions or concerns.
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