Main Street

What Our Members Are Saying

Across the country, Working America members are getting engaged in the issues that matter to their communities. One of the ways they get the word out is through letters to the editor of their local paper. What top the list of our members’ concerns over the past week? The ongoing job crisis and how to fix it.

Here’s what Muriel Gschnell, a Working America member in Butler, Pennsylvania, had to say in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week:

President Obama’s plans to invest in public education and infrastructure are critical for a thriving economy and for ensuring that America has a bright future. Our schools need the support, especially now, due to the extreme education cuts that Pennsylvania’s children are enduring. And investing in infrastructure will be beneficial. Infrastructure improvements have contributed enormously to the safety and morale of my town, which previously had two frighteningly eroded bridges that have been replaced with safe, beautiful ones.

Further ensuring that America’s future will be prosperous is the president’s support for collective bargaining. Collective bargaining, as he said, equips us for a “race to the top,” instead of a “race to the bottom.”

And here’s what Romina Halabi of Denver, Colorado wrote to the Denver Post:

Where are the jobs for educated young workers in Colorado?

I graduated from the University of Denver two years ago with a master’s degree in international studies and have yet to procure a job. My student loans have been deferred as long possible, and every month I see the interest compound upon itself. I have done sporadic temp work to avoid homelessness, with no real career opportunities on the horizon. Remember when society told you that if you worked hard, got good grades and had the drive, you could live the American dream? I did that. Instead, like many young Americans, I am treated like a disposable worker. Where is the future career I dangled in front of myself as motivation all these years? Will I ever get a job with good benefits like a secure retirement or paid sick days?