TakeAction Minnesota

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Drop-In Legislative Meetings

Register to meet with your legislators at these drop-in legislative meetings with TakeAction Minnesota.

We believe in a democracy where everyone is in, and no one is out. No exceptions. This is our opportunity to find legislators on a schedule that works for us, take up space in the Capitol, and have our legislators to listen our hopes and dreams for the future.

You must register to attend these drop-in legislative meetings. Meet TakeAction staff and leaders at the staircase outside the front entrance of the Capitol. And bring a friend. … Continue reading »

Drop-In Legislative Meetings

Register to meet with your legislators at these drop-in legislative meetings with TakeAction Minnesota.

We believe in a democracy where everyone is in, and no one is out. No exceptions. This is our opportunity to find legislators on a schedule that works for us, take up space in the Capitol, and have our legislators to listen our hopes and dreams for the future.

You must register to attend these drop-in legislative meetings. Meet TakeAction staff and leaders at the staircase outside the front entrance of the Capitol. And bring a friend. … Continue reading »

Drop-In Legislative Meetings

Register to meet with your legislators at these drop-in legislative meetings with TakeAction Minnesota.

We believe in a democracy where everyone is in, and no one is out. No exceptions. This is our opportunity to find legislators on a schedule that works for us, take up space in the Capitol, and have our legislators to listen our hopes and dreams for the future.

You must register to attend these drop-in legislative meetings. Meet TakeAction staff and leaders at the staircase outside the front entrance of the Capitol. And bring a friend. … Continue reading »

Building Minnesota in 2019 – Duluth

We had a lot of wins in the last year and some difficult losses.  Join us to dream big and learn what we have planned locally and statewide to build a better Minnesota this year.  We will have breakouts on lobbying with your representatives, upcoming municipal elections, and our work with Vision Duluth.

REGISTER HERE

Free food, childcare, and transportation (within Duluth area) will be provided.… Continue reading »

New Poll of Likely 2018 Voters Shows Broad Support for Family Care in Minnesota

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 26, 2018

Contact: Kenza Hadj-Moussa, TakeAction Minnesota, 612-386-9556

JaNaé Bates, ISAIAH, 612-234-1735

 

NEWS RELEASE

New Poll of Likely 2018 Voters Shows Broad Support for Family Care in Minnesota

Poll shows a majority of Minnesotans support elder care, child care, paid family leave, and earned sick and safe time proposals

St. Paul, MN—All of us may need care at some point in our lives, which according to a new poll is driving Minnesotans to demand action on care issues in the coming election. A new poll released today shows over 60% of likely voters in Minnesota support family care proposals that include elder care, child care, paid family leave, and earned sick and safe time.

A majority of voters (51%) would be more likely to support a candidate who supports family care proposals, according to the study conducted by Lake Research. Despite this mandate, some politicians are working to divide Minnesotans by their race, religion or zip code to distract from this drastic underfunding of our care infrastructure. These same politicians have delivered tax breaks to corporations and wealthy Minnesotans who help to fund their campaigns.

Across the state, Minnesotans like Jacquelyn Kelly and her family are facing the shortages and care needs caused by underfunding

“We have to talk about care in Minnesota this election season,” said Jacquelyn Kelly, a family caregiver and member of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota. … Continue reading »

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St. Cloud Candidate Forum on Care Issues

The Central Minnesota Cares Campaign is hosting a candidate forum at the Tech High School Auditorium with local house candidates from House Districts 14A, Tama Theis and Aric Putnam, and 14B, Dan Wolgamott, as well as Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District candidates, Tom Emmer and Ian Todd. 

Over the last several months groups with the MN Cares Campaign have had hundreds of conversations with families in Central Minnesota and found that, across the political spectrum, voters in St. Cloud are struggling with issues of family care and urgently want politicians to put forth bold solutions. Though many conversations, this is what we found:

The struggles that Central Minnesotans are facing around care intersects with many issues affecting our state, from affordable housing, education, and transportation, to mass incarceration and immigration. Come engage with these candidates’ vision to address the care crisis facing Minnesota families. … Continue reading »

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Online Caucus Training: A Future Worth Fighting For

Too many of us have experienced politics as hostile, inaccessible, dirty, or confusing. As we work together to dismantle corporate power, gender oppression, and structural racism, we will work close to home.

Caucuses are local meetings in every district in Minnesota that kicks off and holds up our party political system. Join with other TakeAction activists and leaders from across the state to fight for the state our families and communities need to live lives of joy. We’ll cover the details of what happens at a caucus and how to show up powerfully, as well as ways to create new opportunities to take power for our communities.

Register here, all are welcome!… Continue reading »

CARE Film Screening

TakeAction MN will host a free, open-to-the-public screening of the new documentary, followed by a discussion. The screening is sponsored by Caring Across Generations, a national campaign to transform care so that everyone can live and age with dignity.

“Although we’d rather not think about it, we’re all aging. And if we’re lucky enough to love a long life, most of us will need help. 90% of Americans want to age at home, but who will provide the care we’ll need?

CARE pulls back the curtain on the largely unseen world of home elder care. With a verité eye, it follows the stories of care workers and their clients. We meet undocumented Vilma, who lovingly cares for 93-year old Dee—long an independent businesswoman, who lives 3,000 miles away from her closest family. We go to work with Laurie, mother of 5, who tends to wheelchair-bound Larry in a tiny rural town. We meet Toni whose husband, a CBS executive, suffers from severe Parkinson’s disease. “Peter would die in a nursing home,” Toni says, but keeping him home requires 24/7 help.

CARE depicts the beauty and social importance of home-based care. It also reveals a broken system., where workers make poverty wages and families struggle to pay for the care they need.… Continue reading »

5 Things to Know about the Caring Economy

Thank you to everyone who participated in the March for Medicaid and Caregiving.

[<a href=”//storify.com/TakeActionMN/5-things-to-know-about-the-caring-majority” target=”_blank”>View the story “5 Things to Know about the Caring Economy” on Storify</a>]… Continue reading »

Members of the Caring Majority Kick Off a National Gathering with a Rally outside Rep. Lewis’ Office

Contact: Kenza Hadj-Moussa, 612-386-9556

September 14, 2017

NEWS RELEASE

Caregivers, people living with disabilities, and seniors held a March for Medicaid and Caregiving Thursday afternoon, kicking off a two-day convening with national partners in Minnesota.

(Burnsville)—This afternoon, over 100 seniors, people living with disabilities, family caregivers, and care workers from TakeAction Minnesota held a march and rally outside Rep. Jason Lewis’ office. The March for Medicaid and Caregiving came as part of a national convening held in Minnesota with partners from Caring Across Generations.

At the march, constituents called on Representative Jason Lewis to protect Medicaid and shared their personal stories.

“To say the work of caregivers is hard would be an understatement,” said Perri Rittman, a Burnsville resident and caregiver for her mother. “As an unpaid caregiver, I deal with these extreme hardships every day, and I know I’m not alone.”

The threat to Medicaid continues as Congress scrambles to put together a federal budget. President Trump is clamoring to pass massive tax breaks and tax reform. To pay for major tax breaks, other areas of the budget will have to be cut.

Constituents fear that Medicaid has a target on its back.

“Representative Lewis already voted for Medicaid cuts, against the will of his district,” Rittman said.… Continue reading »

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March for Medicaid

Medicaid provides long term care and health care support for over 1.2 Million Minnesotans, including 100,424 people in MN Congressional District 2. Family caregivers, care workers, people with disabilities, and seniors will not be silenced by Jason Lewis who has refused to hear our stories. Our numbers of supporters are growing as we continue to protect a lifeline for longterm, dignified care: Medicaid. Register Here!

Detailed Schedule

3:15pm: Meet at the Burnsville Transit Center (100 East Highway 13, Burnsville, MN 55337) to ride bus and carpool to the march start (bus will depart no later than 3:30pm)

4:00pm: Our March will begin in front of the SuperAmerica at Hwy77/Cliff Road (2250 Cliff Road, Burnsville, 55122). The bus will drop off here. There will be an option for participants to be dropped off directly at Jason Lewis’s office if they do not wish to take part in the march. Marchers who want to drive themselves directly to the march start rather than meet at Burnsville Transit Center are welcome to do so.

4:30pm: Marchers will join the gathering at Jason Lewis’s office (2805 Cliff Rd E, Burnsville, MN 55337) with songs and speeches and invite him to hear our stories. The march will be about .7 miles total.… Continue reading »

#PayThePCA Campaign Update

PCAs, clients, and families are coming together on May 18th to push for legislation to increase wages and address the Care Crisis. Will you join us?

For over a year, personal care attendants, clients and family members have been coming together to share their stories of what care means to them and how our caregiving system effects us all. These conversations have happened at doorsteps , community dinners, and on Facebook. Last week, workers and caregivers met in Willmar, MN to connect and share their hopes for a stronger long-term care system that respects worker, as well as seniors and people with disabilities. It’s time to take our voices to the Capitol.

Right now, lawmakers are making decisions at the Capitol in St. Paul about the PCA program as well many other issues that effect us and our families. But they will not be making these decision about us without us.

So what is going on?

  • Last year, our coalition won earned sick and safe time for workers in Minneapolis and St. Paul that they can use to continue getting paid when they have to miss work for their own or their family’s health. Lawmakers are a debating a proposal that would take these paid sick days away.
… Continue reading »

Join us!

Want to join us? Text “CARE ACTION” to 97779.

Care Worker Action logoCare Worker Action is home care workers coming together to build community and win higher wages, benefits, and better conditions on the job. 

We care deeply about our work and our clients, but we aren’t paid enough to make ends meet, receive few benefits, and sometimes work in conditions that are unsafe for our clients and ourselves.

We know that when home care workers are valued, our clients and communities thrive with us.

Winning a Raise, Together

This spring, when we come together, we can win a raise for home care workers and more support for our clients.

But it won’t happen unless we unite to push politicians to listen to our concerns and needs. Want to be part of the campaign? Contact Sabrina with any questions at 651-379-0762 or sabrina@takeactionminnesota.org

It’s Been Done BeforeHomeCarePhoto

When home care workers have come together in other states, they’ve won:

  • higher wages,
  • paid time off,
  • medical insurance,
  • paid travel time,
  • the right to unionize, and
  • greater training and support.

Care Worker Action is an arm of TakeAction Minnesota, an organization with a decade’s worth of experience making meaningful changes for Minnesotans including:

  • raising the minimum wage,
  • saving MinnesotaCare, and
  • banning the criminal history box on job applications.
… Continue reading »
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Meet Care Worker Action

Last week,  Abena wrote about two women who show us how critical it is to have more Care Worker Action Team-1women in leadership at the state legislature. Like many of you, I am inspired by these women and our other TakeAction endorsed candidates because they give me a glimpse of hope, a vision of the future of our state.

And I also know that leadership at our state Capitol is not enough. For most of us, we learn
about the world, we shape our ideas of who we can and should be, far away from marble halls of the Capitol building. We learn and grow at home, on our neighborhood blocks, in classrooms and the living rooms of our friends and family. And so we can’t just look for leadership at the Capitol, we have to look for leadership at home.

This is what a new program of TakeAction Minnesota, Care Worker Action, is all about. Care Worker Action works to build the leadership and power of home care workers and Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) who work to provide in-home care like housekeeping, personal care, and other support to seniors and people with disabilities.

There are 55,000 home care workers in Minnesota. Overwhelmingly, these workers are women (estimated at 89%), disproportionately people of color, and the average wage is $10.80/hour with little opportunity for raises or advancement, even after decades of experience.… Continue reading »

Care Worker Action

The Care Crisis and the Caring Majority

Care Worker Action logo
Long-term care for seniors and people with disabilities is a growing need in our state and country. Yet, affordable care is out of reach for all but the extremely wealthy and care jobs are plagued with low wages and poor conditions. Together, we are “The Caring Majority,” those of us effected by our long-term care system, seniors, people with disabilities, paid and unpaid caregivers, and families, and our ranks are growing every day. Together, we will fight to create a long-term care system in Minnesota that offers safety, economic stability, and reliable care for all of us.

Join us!… Continue reading »

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Sabrina Mauritz

Sabrina Mauritz joined the TakeAction Minnesota team in November of 2015 as the Director of Care Worker Organizing. A native to Washington, Sabrina cut her organizing teeth with on-campus organizing at Gonzaga University around issues of poverty, homelessness, and trade. After several years in direct service, she took the opportunity to move to Minnesota and connect faith with justice as a social justice minister in a Catholic Church. When a proposed Constitutional Amendment to limit marriage came on the ballot in 2012, Sabrina joined the Faith Team of Minnesotans United for All Families and was part of a team that organized thousands of faithful Minnesotans in support of the freedom to marry for all loving couples.

After organizing with the successful campaigns to beat back the constitutional amendment and extend marriage right in Minnesota, Sabrina stayed on with OutFront Minnesota and was part of several victories for LGBTQ justice in Minnesota. With TakeAction, she launched our Caregiving work by organizing personal care attendants through Care Worker Action.

Sabrina organizes to build the capacity of our movement, both within TakeAction Minnesota’s base and with our partners statewide.

As Training Director, she sees herself as a personal trainer for our emerging leaders: teaching new techniques, creating drills for us to strengthen new muscles, and cheering us on along the way.… Continue reading »

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