Save Our Economy Now!

/ Uncategorized / By

A Call to Action for Local Business

Save Our Economy Now! Keep American Business Alive!

Fellow business owners, community partners, and allies!

Call to action:  Join our petition to urge the federal government take action now to save our economy, by signing up here!

Cambridge Local First, along with the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) of Massachusetts, the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), Black Economic Council of MA (BECMA), and the Foundation for Business Equity have come together to work on a campaign that is urging Congress to get funding into the hands of local businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis immediately.

We are urgently calling on Congress to address the following requests:

  1. Fund the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) advance now!
  2. Implement the new unemployment benefits now! 
  3. Increase the CARES Act Payroll Protection Program (PPP) by at least $250 billion, change the forgiveness requirements, and provide support for new and smaller businesses in applying now!  
  4. Provide relief for 1099 contractors, the self-employed and gig workers now!
  5. People of color, immigrants, and low-income communities and business owners are experiencing major challenges with the stimulus program. Target aid to them now!
  6. Action is necessary to ensure the resilience of the small-scale and mid-sized farmers, fishermen, and ranchers now!
  7. Implement a comprehensive healthcare strategy IMMEDIATELY that includes widespread testing along with other necessary medical protocols so that businesses can re-open safely and as soon as possible.

Our previous petition: It is time to stand up for our local businesses. Please sign our petition and show that you stand with us. Our plan involves five key steps that we believe are necessary to help small and mid-sized local and independent businesses (including farms and fishermen) in all communities across the United States survive this crisis. Join us as an organizational partner here, and sign our Change.org petition here.

  1. Provide federal assistance to small and mid-size businesses to cover expanded paid leave at 100%, and 100% of their employees’ health insurance.
  2. Maximize unemployment benefits through federal government assistance so that laid-off employees can pay their bills.  
  3. Restructure and/or defer bank debt and deliver adequate cash into the hands of small and mid-size businesses to cover lost revenue from the shutdown or turndown of business.
  4. Pay insurance companies to cover standard ‘business interruption insurance’ for the pandemic.
  5. Institute a moratorium on evictions, foreclosures, utility shut-offs, and auto/equipment repossessions.

Business Partners (440)

Non-Profit Partners (71)

Other (6)

Organizing Committee members (10)

Cambridge Local First