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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsChange.org Drops Michelle Rhee Group Under Pressure From Progressives
WASHINGTON -- In a surprising reversal, Change.org, the progressive online powerhouse that channels grassroots energy into petition-based activism, has dropped two anti-union clients, including Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision.
The move comes after intense pressure from the labor movement and other progressive allies, who accused the for-profit company of betraying its liberal roots by partnering with Rhee, the former head of Washington, D.C., public schools, and the similarly aligned group Stand for Children headed by education advocate Jonah Edelman. The ouster of StudentsFirst and Stand for Children was confirmed by a Change.org spokesman.
Leaders of Rhee's group were outraged. "We're surprised at their decision," Nancy Zuckerbrod, spokeswoman for StudentsFirst, told HuffPost. "When we spoke to them this afternoon, they couldn't point to a single one of our petitions on their site that violated either the terms of use or spirit of their organization. Not a single one. In fact, they said they agreed that much of the work of our members were in line with the progressive values of the organization. And it's clear that the Change.org community does as well, as tens of thousands of them signed our petitions fighting for the civil rights of all children to receive a high-quality education. For instance, more than 47,000 people signed our petition in support of the Dream Act, compared to fewer than 4,000 who signed the heavily organized protest petition on a different site against Stand for Children."
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It was Change.org's recent controversial petition, criticizing the Chicago Teachers Union vote two weeks ago to authorize a strike in the fall, that set off the current firestorm of protest. The letter, sent to the Chicago Board of Education and CTU President Karen Lewis, was authored by the Illinois chapter of Stand for Children:
400,000 Chicago students could be locked out of Chicago classrooms because contract negotiations are starting to break down, causing a premature strike-authorization vote to occur before anyone knows what is in the contract proposal. We strongly call for all parties to bargain in good faith to reach a new agreement. Dont hold our students hostage in a negotiation where they have no voice!
The petition provoked a barrage of responses, with Chicago teacher Jennifer Jones drafting a letter on a MoveOn.org-affiliated site, SignOn.org, to the founder of Change.org, demanding that the website Stop Supporting Union-Busters. Jones letter has collected roughly 4,000 signatures.
more . . . http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/19/changeorg-michelle-rhee_n_1610760.html?fb_action_ids=191133521016358%2C10150895280746188%2C4211162601119&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_source=other_multiline
hlthe2b
(102,351 posts)as horrendous an opportunist as I've seen..
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)And she's long overdue for a smackdown.
Zalatix
(8,994 posts)HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)OrwellwasRight
(5,170 posts)We have a winner!
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)This has been a year long battle. I've signed dozens of petitions.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)THIS is the way to take out the Fake centrists, make them unprofitable.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)And that's a good thing since she uses social networking to lie like a rug.
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)Iwillnevergiveup
(9,298 posts)Michelle Rhee is hopefully done.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for Rhee.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)maybe she will lose favor with Democrats.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Dear Public Education and Teacher Supporters,
Yesterday, we got some good news. Thanks largely to your thousands of signatures and comments Change.org has dropped both Jonah Edlemans Stand for Children and Michelle Rhees Students First as clients.
You can read Huffington Post's coverage here: huff.to/M5j0bh
Though this is good news, we still need to be very realistic about Change.org and their willingness to repeatedly dupe signers into supporting petitions that appear to be progressive but are really backed by corporate and anti-labor organizations.
While this is a great step, we still don't have a clear indication from Change.org on where they draw the line on anti-worker organizations and groups that advocate against collective bargaining or promote legislation written by ALEC, an extreme organization that you may recognize as the author of the 'Stand Your Ground' law in Florida and anti-worker legislation across the country. We should be heartened that our voices were heard in this instance, but warned about those that would call us allies in the struggle to support public education and those who educate our children. What is to stop Change.org from doing this again? What other media are acting like they are friends to teachers and workers, but they are really not?
http://michaelklonsky.blogspot.com/2012/06/in-mailbox.html