Grassroots Campaigns, Inc.

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Grassroots Campaigns, Inc.
Formation 2003
Type Advocacy organization
Headquarters Boston, MA
Location Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Berkeley, CA
Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Columbus, OH
Denver, CO
Los Angeles, CA
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Washington, DC
Founder Douglas Phelps
Website grassrootscampaigns.com

Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. (GCI) is an independent organization that does strategic consulting, fundraising, and field organizing for causes and candidates. They run face-to-face fundraising operations in neighborhoods and in high-traffic public venues to fundraise and build support for political groups, issues, and campaigns.

It was founded by Public Interest Research Group members who wanted to elect progressive candidates instead of push for progressive issues.

The organization is not a nonprofit, since campaign finance laws mean that obtaining nonprofit status would make it less able to contribute to the Democratic Party and progressive candidates and organizations.

Contents

[edit] History

Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. was founded in December of 2003, and by April of 2004 had opened offices in 40 cities throughout the country. By July 2004 they had over 2,000 staff knocking on doors and fundraising on behalf of the Democratic National Committee. With continued work on behalf of MoveOn PAC in October 2004, they added 50,000 individuals canvassing their neighborhoods in 17 of the most contested swing states of the 2004 Presidential Election. Grassroots Campaigns was also very involved in the 2006 mid-term Elections with over 120 employees doing Get Out the Vote phone banking in nearly 40 offices nationwide.

[edit] Current work

According to Grassroots Campaign's website, they have been working to stop many of the policies supported by Republicans in Congress and in the White House since 2004 (Citation Needed). They say they have played a part in the House and Senate elections in 2006 and have helped create the opportunity for real progressive change on key issues like the war in Iraq, education policy, health care, and energy. GCI says thay continue to partner with the Democratic National Committee to run canvass operations, get more people involved in the party, and raise money. They say they are continuing to work with MoveOn.org Political Action.

[edit] Past and current clients

[edit] Lawsuits

[edit] California

A Boston-based company that provides thousands of workers to solicit door-to- door for donations to the Democratic National Committee and other causes has been sued for overtime wage violations for allegedly working its staff 14-hours a day. The suit, filed in federal court in San Francisco earlier this month, accused Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. of overworking mostly college students long hours, seven days a week gathering petition signatures and donations for Democratic candidates and groups like Moveon.org. "It's ironic that a company that bills itself as a champion of the progressive movement would treat its own employees so badly," said Robert S. Nelson, of the Nelson Law Group, a San Bruno, Calif. firm that filed the class action on behalf of at least a half-dozen former employees. A spokesman for Grassroots Campaigns in Washington, D.C., did not return a call for comment. (National Law Journal, 7/17/07)

[edit] Oregon

Fourteen students sued Grassroots Campaigns Inc. for wages they claim the nationwide contractor for the Democratic National Committee owed them for their local work as canvassers in 2004 for the failed John Kerry campaign. According to the complaint filed in August 2006 in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Grassroots paid the students the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour, instead of Oregon's then-minimum wage of $7.05 an hour. The suit seeks the wages each student is owed, plus a $1,692 penalty per student. Grassroots national canvas director Wes Jones says the students were paid properly and legally. (Willamette Week, 9/20/06)

This case was dismissed on August 2, 2007 after a settlement was reached by both parties. (Oregon Courts Online, subscription needed to access court records)

[edit] Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. Staff

  • Founder: Douglas Phelps
  • Vice President: Ivan Frishberg
  • Vice President and National Canvass Director: Wes Jones
  • Vice President: Sue Moran
  • Chief Financial Officer: Hyam Kramer
  • National Field Director: Jon Scarlett
  • National Field Director & Director of the Progressive Voter Network: Clayt Freed
  • Lead Organizer: Kama Suddath
  • Lead Organizer: Erin Casey
  • Lead Organizer: Merriah Fairchild
  • Organizer, Progressive Voter Network: Mari Schimmer

[edit] Further reading

  • Fisher, Dana. Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America, Stanford University Press, 2006 ISBN 978-0804752176
  • Peter Levine, President of CIRCLE (The Center for Investigative Research on Civic Learning and Engagement), whose endorsement appears on Activism, Inc. retracts it on his blog.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links