Newsletter: December 2021

Dear Friend,

As 2021 comes to a close, we wanted to share important strides Lift Our Voices has made over the past year to protect survivors in workplaces across America. Because of your support, our organization has led the charge to keep workers safe, and to advocate on behalf of all those who are unable to speak out to protect others.

BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO END FORCED ARBITRATION ADVANCES IN CONGRESS

In July, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 was re-introduced in the U.S. House and Senate. Last month, both the Senate and House Judiciary committees voted to advance legislation to a floor vote in their respective congressional chambers paving the way to final passage. This federal bipartisan legislation, championed by our co-founder Gretchen Carlson, would ban the use of forced arbitration clauses when it comes to sexual harassment and assault, protecting survivors and creating safer work environments for all employees, and would be one of the greatest positive changes to labor law in our country’s history.

Gretchen Carlson with co-sponsor Rep. Cheri Bustos on Capitol Hill.

Thanks to the support of sponsors Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Ken Buck (R-CO) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the respective bills are one major step closer to becoming law, and as Gretchen wrote in an op-ed in The Des Moines Register, we are working to advocate for its passage. We invite you to join us in urging Congress to get the job done and advance this important federal bipartisan legislation to protect all American workers.

LIFT OUR VOICES YEAR IN REVIEW

Throughout the year, we have worked to raise greater awareness of workplace issues and the impact on survivors when they are bound by legal bureaucracy.  In speeches, panel discussions, media interviews, and meeting with survivors directly we have been busy telling survivors’ stories. We are currently working with Stanford Law School’s policy lab to examine the practices of NDAs and mandatory arbitration, as well as the Michelle Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford to raise awareness around how silencing mechanisms protect toxic workplaces. In addition to the federal legislation, we are especially proud of our work to advocate on behalf of anti-NDA legislation in Massachusetts, and the Silenced No More Act in California that passed this fall. A look at additional activities throughout the year can be found on our website.

With your help, 2021 has been a great year for Lift Our Voices, including expanding our team with the addition of Sarvenaz Bakhtiar as our first executive director. We are so excited to have Sarvenaz on board as she helps us to grow the many opportunities for LOV in the coming year.

On behalf of Lift Our Voices, we thank you for your continued support in making the workplace safe for all survivors, women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. If you would like to help our mission, please consider donating.

Wishing you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season,

— Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky | Co-Founders, Lift Our Voices