We are living through a global pandemic that is killing tens of
thousands of people. But many of the world’s corporations are using
this crisis to grab bailouts, roll back regulations, and pad their
profits.
We are mobilizing to make sure our shared humanity is at
the center of our communities, our economies, and our health care
system.
Last week, SumOfUs members sent a mobile billboard to circle Jeff
Bezos’s house, ring-fencing him with the demands
of Amazon customers and employees for sick pay to keep us all
safe from massive coronavirus spread.
And that’s just one tactic for one campaign -- check out
all we’ve achieved together in only the past six weeks!
Connecting across borders to save
lives
We are offering support to the most vulnerable.
More than 200,000 people have come together in the only global
mutual-aid portal in the world, offering direct support to the
most vulnerable. From offers to run errands or send direct financial
support, requests for a chess partner, or a French teacher for a
small collective school, The SumOfUs Covid Support Network
has brought people together.
Tom wrote in to tell us, “Someone helped me with $20. To me, it
was the greatest thing ever. I still tear up in my eyes when I think
of it. This person doesn't know me and will probably never meet me,
but they helped me regardless. The kindness of those who can help
others in this crisis is amazing."
Kate sent me an email saying, "I was feeling incredibly useless
with everything going on in the world. I wanted to help those in
need, but couldn't figure out how to do it while maintaining a safe
distance. I used SumOfUs' online tool to connect with a woman who
faced eviction because she was struggling to pay her rent after
losing work because of coronavirus, and put her in contact with a
lawyer who was able to help. It felt like we were making a small
difference in this chaos.”
And there are thousands more stories like
this!
Protecting essential workers while they help
us survive
More than 100,000
SumOfUs members are demanding comprehensive paid sick leave for
all workers globally, pressuring companies to do right by their
employees and customers, and give comprehensive sick pay to drivers
and other workers. Together, we launched a beautiful
viral video calling for companies to provide support to their
workers through the poem of CJ Suitt, a ride-share driver struggling
to stay safe and keep food on the table — and it’s already passed a
million views!
And we just ran a hard-hitting ad targeting Lyft in the
San Francisco Chronicle, a series of ads calling on Lyft to protect
their workers that got a quick response email from the CEO of the
whole company.
Ensuring free and available testing and
treatment for all
Almost
200,000 SumOfUs members are calling on governments and
pharmaceutical companies to ensure free coronavirus testing and
treatment for everyone who needs it. Over 13,000 members
wrote personal emails and messages to the CEO of Gilead—the
pharmaceutical corporation responsible for an early promising
treatment—and he responded announcing that the treatment would be
offered affordably! It’s a huge win for our community and
we’re using the momentum to ramp up the pressure on Gilead and other
companies to commit to an affordable price and wide
distribution.
Blocking Big Oil’s
Bailout
Right now, governments everywhere are debating how to
keep economies going through the crisis. And when it was
announced that Canada was thinking of giving 15 billion dollars to
the oil and gas industry, thousands of us mobilized to make sure any
bailout helped people and the planet, not a dying dirty industry.
With partners, we delivered a massive national call to MPs. And then
we launched hard-hitting ads in the premier political newspaper. We
even flew a massive banner over the Prime Minister’s daily press
conference calling for an end to any oil bailouts.
And
we won! The final package was just under $3
billion and supported workers and the environment, not oil executive
bonuses.
It’s the first of many campaigns to reimagine our
economies with a focus on people and the planet — including
major efforts in France, the United States, the UK, and the European
Parliament.
Also…
We have mobilized tens of thousands to demand supermarkets open
early for elderly and vulnerable shoppers, challenged UK private
hospitals to offer
free beds to the NHS, pushed for a living wage for frontline
workers, and garnered unprecedented support for a shareholder
resolution calling on major Canadian bank, TD to put climate
sustainability at the center of its business strategy.
These are the bedtime stories I will tell my young
daughter when she asks me what it was like during the virus crisis —
and I know that actions like these will be an inspiration for
generations to come. Thank you for all you do. And
if you have a little extra to power this amazing work, please make a
small donation here.
