Hello Democrats! It’s another big week of news and action coming out of Congress, and across the country.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson – It was so exciting to see Judge – soon-to-be Justice – Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed to the Supreme Court yesterday!
I joined DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and all of the female DNC caucus chairs in issuing this joint statement on the confirmation of Judge Jackson:
“Today, history has been made. The U.S. Senate voted in a bipartisan fashion to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. In doing so, they reaffirmed what millions across the country have seen: Judge Jackson is a brilliant, graceful, experienced, fair-minded jurist who will bring much-needed perspectives to our highest court.
The court would greatly benefit from the insight of a Black woman, a public defender, a judge who has served at the district and appellate levels and clerked at the Supreme Court. It is staggering that Judge Jackson embodies all those perspectives and more.
For over 200 years, the court has heard cases that affect Black women — cases like Plessy v. Ferguson, Shelby County v. Holder, Dobbs. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — without the perspective of a Black woman. That changes now.
Judge Jackson has shown girls — especially girls of color — how big they can dream and just how profound an impact they can have on our nation. Her story is uniquely American. She represents the best of us and our shared values. We are grateful to President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the senators who confirmed Judge Jackson for taking another important step to build a government that looks like America.
Today proves once again that a Black woman can accomplish anything. She can be vice president. She can shape the future of our nation. And now, she will serve on the Supreme Court.”
What a historic day! This is what we fight for, why we campaign so hard, and why we are proud to be Democrats.
You can also watch Sen. Patty Murray’s floor speech in favor of confirmation by clicking here:
“Amazon, Here We Come” – I think many of us were excited to see the workers’ vote at the Amazon warehouse in Staten Island in favor of joining the Amazon Labor Union. This was an impressive and historic organizing effort, and an example of the enduring power of workers and labor unions. It’s not just Amazon and Starbucks and some of the other high-profile cases that are making the news – according to the National Labor Relations Board, union representation petitions filed at the NLRB during the first six months of fiscal year 2022 have increased 57% compared to last year — up to 1,174 from 748.
I was glad to hear President Joe Biden talk about this surge in unionization earlier this week, echoing the calls from our Senator Patty Murray to pass the PRO Act and to help expand the power of workers and labor across the country – including calling out Amazon specifically:
I’m glad the leader of the Democratic Party recognizes how important this is for Amazon’s workers and our nation as a whole! There should be workplace protections at Amazon, where workers are injured in warehouses at rates far, far higher than warehouse jobs overall. Amazon was even fined last month for how unsafe their warehouse in Kent, WA is and how the company knowingly put workers at risk! When you run your business like this, you shouldn’t be surprised that your workers step up and organize.
I’m glad to see this organizing happening, all of us here at the Washington Democrats are proud to be union members, and ALL Democrats applaud these workers and their efforts.
Our New Merchandise – We want to remind you all about the cool new (USA and union-made!) stuff we have for sale in our webstore: shirts, hats, and other apparel, along with stickers and all sorts of other gear for doorbelling and events!
Not only are all of our products 100% USA and union made, they’re also a great way to show the world that you’re a proud Democrat. Additionally, the proceeds go towards our Coordinated Campaign, the only program totally focused on getting out the Democratic vote everywhere in Washington State! Help us meet our fundraising goals so we can hire the organizers we need to win by shopping with us: https://store.wa-democrats.org
For people shopping now, we still have the code “LETSORGANIZE” active, to receive 10% off your entire order! Check it out!
Protecting USPS With New Legislation – This week, President Biden also signed the Postal Service Reform Act – a new bill to protect the USPS from the attacks launched on it by the Trump Administration in 2020. This bill is the most significant overhaul of the US Postal Service in almost 20 years. The reforms will help shore up the agency to address the delays in mail delivery across the country that came to light during the pandemic, and is especially impactful for rural communities for whom the USPS is an essential service.
Here’s a look at just some of what this means:
- protecting reliable delivery of everything from medication for seniors to household items for Washington families;
- continued mail delivery service at least six days a week;
- new transparency standards to help hold USPS accountable for delays;
- opportunities for local, state, and Indigenous governments to offer certain non-mail services, like hunting and fishing licenses;
- support for rural newspapers that may qualify for reduced mailing fees;
- and more.
This is especially big news for the backbone of the USPS – the workers who make sure the mail gets to where it needs to go. The president of the American Postal Workers Union called the bill a “turning point in the fight to protect and strengthen the people’s public postal service, a national treasure.” The president of the National Association of Letter Carriers called the passage of the bill “a monumental victory for letter carriers and all Americans who depend on the Postal Service for affordable and high-quality universal service.”
Washingtonians rely on our postal system every day to do everything from get prescription medications and paychecks, to voting, to keeping in touch with friends and family, to shipping goods and products for sale. I’m very happy to see Congress act to pass this bill into law – no thanks to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the only member of Congress from Washington to vote against it.
With gratitude for all you do,
Tina Podlodowski
PS – the tweet of the week for everyone who’s both a fan of soon-to-be JUSTICE Ketanji Brown Jackson (that’s all of you) and the band Outkast:
Washington State Democrats PO Box 4027 Seattle, WA 98194 United States