Stop tricking progressives into signing Michelle Rhee's union busting petitions
Michelle Rhee has been using Care2.com to collect tens of thousands of emails addresses. She uses cleverly worded, deceptive language for her anti-union petitions that have entrapped the otherwise well-meaning into signing her anti-union, anti-teacher petitions.
Rhee has been traveling the country working with Tea Party governors to weaken public schools. She lobbied on behalf of SB 5 in Ohio, and the anti-collective bargaining bill in Michigan. She played a major part in eliminating collective bargaining from Tennessee's teachers; she advised Rick Scott as he gutted the Florida budget for public education; and she hired a lobbyist in Pennsylvania to work on weakening tenure for teachers. She even appeared on Fox News to support Scott Walker’s union-busting in Wisconsin.
Rhee uses Care2.com to post deceptively worded petitions with such titles as: “Join the Fight to Save Great Teachers” and “Pay Effective Teachers What They Deserve.” When you delve into it, she’s working to weaken unions and institute merit pay for teachers. These are insidious, corporate, anti-progressive reforms. Care2.com should not be participating in Rhee’s union busting.
Care2.com claims that it is an open platform, but even as an open platform, they have a choice to actively promote and organize for an issue or client. If Scott Walker or John Kasich were to post a petition title “Join the Fight to Save Great Public Workers,” we would not let it stand. So we must stand up to them and let them know that this is not acceptable.
Dear Care2.com,
Working with Michelle Rhee is unacceptable. Care2.com is supposed to be a platform for progressive social change. We understand that the website is an open platform, but active promotion and organizing for Rhee’s issues is inexcusable.
Care2.com members feel tricked. mislead and deceived by your promotion of her petitions. To promote these petitions raises serious doubts about the credibility of Care2.com; in particular on labor issues.
It is just as inexcusable for Care2.com to promote a Rhee petition as it would be for you to promote a Scott Walker anti-union petition. They use the same anti-union arguments to achieve the same ends, ending collective bargaining and weakening the middle class.
As a member of Care2.com I ask that you rectify the situation. Stop promoting her petitions; no amount of money is worth attacking a basic worker's right in collective bargaining.
