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For Immediate Release
March, 01 2018, 11:30am EDT
Contact:
Lindsey Giostra, lindsey.giostra@berlinrosen.com, 646-992-8303
CREDO Mobile Announces Grant to Combat Recent Attacks on the Internet, Democratic Values and Worker Rights
In reaction to the FCC’s threats to end net neutrality, the Trump administration’s fiscal and immigration policies, and the fight to raise the minimum wage, CREDO Mobile will support the efforts of three progressive organizations.
San Francisco
CREDO Mobile, the mobile carrier with a conscience, announced today that Free Press Action Fund, Center for Popular Democracy, and OUR Walmart will receive grants in March to build on their recent successes and aid their goals to counteract attacks on an open and free internet, labor inequality, and civil rights.
"We are proud to be strong and dedicated fighters for an open and free internet, an inclusive society for all, and the fair and equal treatment of workers across the country. This month, CREDO Mobile customers will help champion progressive, positive change through the invaluable work of Free Press Action Fund, the Center for Popular Democracy, and OUR Walmart," said CREDO Mobile CEO Ray Morris.
During the critical fight to maintain an open and free internet, Free Press Action Fund catalyzed a public outcry on Twitter against FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, mobilizing 500,000 activist calls to Congress and 600 protests at Verizon stores across the country. To disrupt Trump's deportation and health care policies, The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) brought together thousands of people for a large-scale protest against the repeal of the Immigrant Ban and Affordable Care Act. And, winning the largest corporate pay raise in US history, OUR Walmart championed the fight to raise Walmart employees base pay from $7.25 to $11 per hour, ultimately resulting in a $2 billion redistribution of wealth to working people.
With the support of CREDO Mobile, these three groups will be able to advance future initiatives, including Free Press Action Fund's advocacy efforts for digital rights, CPD's mobilization and action to defend democratic progress from recent years, and OUR Walmart's initiative to broaden the fight for economic stability for people who work in retail to the American South.
CREDO Mobile's donations to progressive causes total roughly $2 million per year, and over $85 million has been given since its founding in 1985. Each month, CREDO members power these donations, which come from a portion of their phone bills, by voting on how to divide more than $150,000 in grants each month among three progressive groups.
"CREDO members were crucial in securing strong Net Neutrality protections in 2015. With CREDO's help, we'll push Congress and the courts to overturn the Trump FCC's terrible decision to roll back those safeguards -- and so much more," said Craig Aaron, President and CEO of Free Press Action Fund
"We're incredibly grateful for CREDO's support. The communities we represent - more than 50 of the most dynamic community organizations in America - are on the front lines of the resistance, working every day to move a powerful vision of racial and economic justice from the local level up. We are mobilizing hundreds of thousands of members to fight the Trump administration through protest and through forward-thinking policies that both protect our communities and act as a model of the kind of world we want to live in, a world where people of color, immigrants, and working families can thrive. CREDO is helping to make that work possible, and we look forward to working with CREDO to further advance our vision of a just, equitable society," said Jennifer Epps-Addison, Network President and Co-Executive Director of Center for Popular Democracy
"OUR Walmart is leading the fight to raise pay and transform working conditions for people working in low wage retail jobs starting with the country's largest corporate employer, Walmart. Thank you for your support! CREDO members have always stood with people working at Walmart as we fight to make our lives better. We couldn't do it without your love and support. We love you, CREDO!" said Mary Watkines, Member of OUR Walmart
CREDO Mobile is a progressive phone company that makes it easy for its customers to fight for change - and raises millions of dollars for nonprofit groups that do the same. CREDO Mobile has raised more than $72 million for progressive groups, including the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Rainforest Action Network.
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Over the weekend, The New York Times reported that Clayton, who currently serves as the US attorney for Manhattan, had issued subpoenas to four of its journalists after they'd reported on security concerns related to the luxury jet gifted by the Qatari government, which Trump has begun to use in place of Air Force One against the wishes of the Secret Service.
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"The committee need not speculate how Clayton would exercise the enormous powers of the federal government: He is demonstrating it now," the coalition wrote. "A federal prosecutor who will weaponize the grand jury process against reporters—and their sources—to punish disclosures unwelcome to the president has shown the Senate the precise instinct that is disqualifying in a director of national intelligence."
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