This is the time of year for being grateful, hopeful, and joyful—and Working America members in Ohio have been wholeheartedly participating by expressing their thanks and appreciation for the folks occupying public areas our cities, including Cleveland.
Occupy Cleveland has been maintaining a constant presence on Public Square for over two months. There is a dedicated group of individuals involved in occupying, but also working peacefully to prevent foreclosures in the Greater Cleveland area and participating in community events.
Working America stands with the 99 percent. But our members may not always be able to join these protests—so Ohioans are finding other ways to show that they appreciate the occupiers in Public Square.
Less than a month ago, offices across Ohio began collecting thank you notes to Occupy Cleveland by going door-to-door and making phone calls. The response was inspiring. On Saturday, Working America’s Cleveland office delivered over 200 such letters from around the state to Occupy Cleveland at a potluck event.
I attended the letter delivery with Jim, a Cleveland Working America member. After spending some time enjoying the food and interacting with Occupy Cleveland organizers, we presented the thank you notes to the group. We had put the notes in a binder, so they are able to flip through them when they are feeling discouraged, lonely, or just plain cold.
In addition to presenting the binder full of letters (to murmurs of disbelief that we had collected so many), I read a few of the most poignant ones from each office out loud. In one memorable letter, a single mom from Columbus expressed her support for Occupy because she recognized that they are addressing her day-to-day struggles. In another, Phyllis from Cleveland expressed her appreciation and ended by imploring the protestors to keep warm (important advice in a Cleveland winter!). Our members are genuinely grateful that someone is giving them a voice.
The letters were met with an overwhelming appreciation by the participants in Occupy Cleveland. Some were moved to tears, while others struggled to find the words to express how much the notes meant to them. After the presentation, they passed the binder around, and continued to express amazement at the fact that Working America had collected so many great letters. Indeed, this simple show of solidarity went a long way in boosting the morale of the organizers.
Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on working families may have divided Wisconsin and polarized the two sides, but it also motivated us to not only speak out, but to take action. Working America members feel pretty strongly about what Walker is doing to our state, and most of our members agree that the Governor is hurting working families.
Our members from all stages of life, have been putting in the effort to recall Governor Walker. Lois from Oshkosh is a retiree whose family members are now struggling to make ends meet because of his cuts. Lois is not only collecting signatures in her free time, but also regularly calls the local recall office to asking what food and supplies are needed.
Scott from Bay View is a contractor who has been out of work for about a year. He is using his free time to collect signatures and has personally collected more than four hundred. Julia from Milwaukee owns a local daycare center; she has noticed a drop in attendance since Walker took office as parents lose their jobs or state assistance for child care. Julia has been circulating petitions amongst the parents at her daycare to help with the recall effort.
Ron from Milwaukee, also retired has also been collecting signatures in his spare time. He told us that despite living on a limited income, “I’m down to eating peanut butter sandwiches right now, but I want to get this guy out and that’s more important than me going out to some restaurant for a fancy dinner.” Ron understands that the recall is about more than just collective bargaining rights; he thinks that access to education and health care are top issues, and Walker’s treatment of teachers, cuts to education, and restrictions on BadgerCare don’t sit well with him.
Mary from Racine displays the kind of selflessness and generosity Wisconsin is known for; she is living on disability payments to make ends meet, but does what she can to give back to the community. Mary regularly donates clothing and food to those in need, she had this question for politicians like Scott Walker, “if I can give back while my Medicare gets cut then why can’t the wealthiest 1 percent share in the sacrifice as well?” She has been helping in whatever way she can with the recall to show Scott Walker that all people, regardless of wealth, matter to Wisconsin communities.
Political hands on both sides concede that removing Governor Walker is a tall order. Even before an election is scheduled, organizers must gather over 540,000 signatures before January 17, and the Wisconsin winter doesn’t make the collection process any easier. Walker and his wealthy allies are already bombarding the airwaves with pro-Walker TV ads. But this recall effort has been held together by the optimism of those who are out there pounding the pavement for signatures, donating to their local recall offices, and the thousands of citizens who are signing the petition. The tenacious recall volunteers have already proved their dedication and effectiveness, collecting 300,000 signatures in just 12 days.
Clearly, the people of this state believe that by working together we can help move Wisconsin Forward again.
Another holiday season is upon us. Along with turkeys and mashed potatoes, cranberries and stuffing, football games and falling leaves, there’s another side to the season – one that most people are very lucky not to experience. Unemployment.
For families whose heads of household are unemployed, it can be a stressful and depressing time. Sometimes they can’t afford to feed their families on a regular basis, let alone a large Thanksgiving meal.
That’s why it is so amazing when we see people in this very situation reaching out to and helping other families in need. Our Working America members are a beacon of hope in these difficult times. No matter how much they are struggling, they are always open to helping each other: whether it is going down to the unemployment office together to lend a helping hand, donating clothes, or putting together complete Thanksgiving dinners, the compassion for each other is inspiring.
One such Working America member, Cynthia Hutchinson, is a perfect example. “Every year we collect donations from local businesses and pool them together. We buy fixings for Thanksgiving dinners and our office staff puts them together.” Cynthia, who is a chaplain for Sol Amor Hospice, gathered names of Working America members and through donations collected by her employer, provided Thanksgiving dinner for ten needy Working America families. “It’s a great feeling to know that we are helping make the holidays a little happier for so many deserving families.”
Part of what we try to build through our members is a sense of community; not just through collectively advocating for political change, but also the simple idea that we are not alone, and that the misfortune of one family affects all of us. We thank our members for their courage, resilience, and their incredible generosity during a time when economic suffering is so deeply widespread.
Around the country, working people are standing with over 45,000 employees at Verizon. In August, Verizon workers went on strike to demand a fair wage and good benefits. Now, in December, they are still in contract negotiations, fighting to keep the middle-class jobs they have worked hard for.
Even after returning to work from a two week strike, Verizon hasn’t budged on their greedy demands. Despite $19 BILLION in profit over the last four years alone, Verizon is demanding to offshore more jobs, makes retirees pay $6,000 a year for healthcare coverage they have already earned, cut healthcare for current workers and dozens of other concessions from the very people who have built the company and who create its profits.
Snow Deaton Schaefer, a member of Working America, spoke passionately to the crowd about the importance of keeping good, middle-class jobs here, at home. “NO MORE OFFSHORING. NO MORE OFFSHORING,” she chanted into the megaphone as more and more people joined in.
Here in Colorado, labor, faith, community, and student/youth groups are standing up to corporate greed and rallying to support middle-class jobs. Members of Working America’s Young Worker Community Action Team arrived at the Verizon store on the 16th St. Mall on Saturday morning to stand in solidarity with Verizon workers. When asked why she came, Romina Halabi said, “It’s the right thing to do. These workers have to know that they are not alone in this”.
Ed. – Working America Canvass Organizer Jeff Chech was a founding member of Occupy Pittsburgh. On November 14th, the Pittsburgh City Council surprised many observers when it issued a resolution in solidarity with Occupy Pittsburgh.
However, BNY Mellon is lobbying the city government to evict the encampment. We urge readers to call Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl at 412-255-2626 and ask him to stand with the City Council, the 99 Percent, and the First Amendment – not big corporations like BNY Mellon.
Occupy Pittsburgh got its start with a gathering of 400 in a local church on October 5, 2011. After several more of these “General Assemblies” and hours of discussions and preparation, we marched to the location of our current encampment on October 15th. That day we left from Freedom Corner, the place where African American demonstrators in Pittsburgh met and marched from during the Civil Rights Movement, and moved nearly 4,000 strong into downtown.
The turnout for our inaugural march and rally was evidence that the Occupy message resonates with the American people across a broad range of economic, political, social, and geographical demographics. Many recognize that it’s time to throw off the chains of Wall Street and the big banks and demand economic fairness.
Anyone confused about Occupy’s primary, driving concern need to hear only one of its rally cries: “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out.”
Occupy Pittsburgh is the only encampment in the country that sits on bank property. Taking land from the bank sends a loud and clear message about the movement, both to its supporters and its opponents.
The BNY Mellon Green is a piece of privately owned green space within Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle. A city ordinance states that privately owned parks in that area must be “free and open to the public without restriction.” While allowing camp-outs may not be the original intent of that law, it provided a stronger, more legally defensible way of staging an occupation than camping in a city park, and it saved us from immediate confrontation with police.
The first night of camping was trying. When we got on site, the ground was swampy. A rumor spread that BNY Mellon Employees had been seen hosing down the grass the night before to make the space unusable. I didn’t bring a tent with me, so I laid down a tarp and my sleeping bag and fell asleep – not beneath any visible stars, but looking up at skyscrapers crowned with glowing monikers Mellon, UPMC, Citizens Bank, ALCOA. I lay down at the feet of giants, and woke up about an hour later with the feet of a rat on my head. I jumped out of my sleeping bag and paced for most of the remaining night. The next day I got a tent.
Occupy Pittsburgh has been on the BNY Mellon green for two months now. We have a food tent, a library, a medical tent, and much more in our community. On Sunday, December 11th we have planned a day for camp reorganization, cleaning and winterization. It will be an all-day event getting the site ready for the harsh winter months ahead. This event seems to have upset BNY Mellon.
The bank, we’re told, assumed that we would go home once it got cold. Now that we’ve proven our staying power, the giant is grumbling. Word has gotten to us that BNY Mellon has been contacting city government officials and pressing for our forced removal. The last several days have been filled with emergency Occupy Pittsburgh meetings. We’re trying to learn exactly when the raid is planned. Pittsburgh’s mayor says that he wouldn’t allow for our eviction without a court order, but there’s some speculation around how long it would take BNY Mellon’s team of high-priced lawyers to have one issued. A day? Five minutes?
No matter when it comes, or what happens to the tents, you can’t tell a People’s Movement to get off of your lawn and expect it to disappear. Occupy is building strength. Its age is still measured in months and weeks, but we know that making real progress often takes years. The Civil Rights Movement lasted more than a decade, and got stronger with every step forward. Occupy will follow the same course. It may take time, but we’re ready to keep pushing ahead.
At the steps of Winter Garden City Hall, Working America member Dennis Maclaren held his 7 year-old son Aidan, choking up as he shared his struggles as a long-term unemployed graphic designer. “When I’ve applied for work over the past several years, it’s dozens of people vying for the same position,” Dennis exclaimed as he spoke the crowd of thirty community members in attendance. “I have long exhausted my unemployment insurance, but without them during these past years hunting for work, I wouldn’t have been able to afford a roof over my family’s head and food on our dinner table.” Dennis was one of many who came to Representative Dan Webster’s (R-FL) office on December 8th the national day of action to demanding Congress extend unemployment benefits for the millions without work.
The purpose of the gathering was to stand in solidarity with those who have lost their jobs during the economic recession, and to send a strong message to Rep. Webster urging him to remember all of his unemployed constituents when he votes for the extension of unemployment insurance in the coming weeks. “As a student I’ve been looking for work in my field for years now, and having to balance student loans with job hunting is an enormous burden,” said member Krist Cooper, who has been taking action with the Working America’s Unemployment Action Team. “How is unemployment extension even a debate? It’s a vital necessity for those currently without work, and first stepping into a jobless workforce.”
Outside of Rep. Webster’s office, a delegation of students, teachers, union members, religious leaders, and local city officials prayed and chanted for the passage of unemployment extension before the December 31st deadline. “If Congress does not act now, then 2 million people will lose their unemployment insurance by the month of January,” said Lorraine Tuliano, President of the Central Florida City Labor Council. “It’s time for our representatives to be accountable to their constituents and to stop playing political poker at the expense of millions of unemployed families.”
The following is a guest post from Becky Merola, a Working America member from Orlando, Florida. Becky is pictured above questioning Todd Reid, State Legislative Director for Senator Marco Rubio.
Working America’s Unemployment Action Team organized an event Friday, November 4 to hold Florida Senator Marco Rubio accountable for his rejection of the American Jobs Act. Fake job applications were filled out to be handed in to Rubio’s office in downtown Orlando. The idea was that since Rubio rejected the Jobs Act, which could have created 20,500 highway and transit modernization jobs, 25,900 educator and first responder jobs and 16,600 public school infrastructure jobs in Florida alone, then he must have his own better plan to create jobs. Those who filled out the applications would be the first in line for these positions. Rubio is also co-sponsoring a bill (the Reducing the Size of The Federal Government Through Attrition Act of 2011) to cut federal employment by 10%, which would result in the loss of 440,000 jobs. The personal delivery of the applications allowed “applicants” a chance to put a face to those affected by unemployment and under-employment. This event was held on the first Friday of the month, the day when monthly unemployment statistics are released.
Working America’s Young Worker Action Team in Orlando comprised of students from UCF and Valencia, arrived at Rubio’s office in solidarity with the Unemployment Action Team. Members of Student Labor Action Project at UCF are part of Working America Orlando’s Young Worker Community Team, and the students were able to contribute to the over 30 people in attendance, which also included people from Working America Downtown Action Team and the Occupy Orlando movement. Working America’s David Fernandez was one of the lead voices of the event and was able to get the message out to the multiple media outlets present. Applications were filled out the day of the event as well as before, and while waiting for someone from Rubio’s office to accept the applications the attendees began chanting in the street. Todd Reid, Rubio’s State Legislative Director, was sent to collect the petitions and while doing so was forced to hear the stories of those affected by the lack of unemployment in Florida.
After the petitions were handed in, some of those attending shared their stories. One was Ada Carrion of the Unemployment Action Team, who spoke of the difficulties she has had in losing employment and struggling to make a living on the jobs she could find. Another speaker was Becky Merola of SLAP at UCF, who spoke about how the current state of the job market is affecting students who are graduating with huge debt and no job prospects. With young people’s unemployment rate hovering between 25 to 30 percent, the unemployment problem has spread and even grown across generations.
While Reid was unable to give any solid answers on Rubio’s plan for unemployment, those in attendance were told he would be releasing a bipartisan jobs package in the next few weeks. This action was important to put an actual face on the people affected by unemployment. The Unemployment Action Team was able to make an impact, not only on Rubio’s office but those passing by, receiving several honks from local union bus drivers, and local media.
We will continue to hold Rubio and other officials accountable for their actions concerning job creation (or job destruction in Rubio’s case) until we see changes made. The Unemployment Action Team plans on being at Rubio’s office, or other local institutions and elected leader’s offices, every first Friday of the month. These monthly actions are being called “First Fridays” and will continue until progress is made. The Young Worker Action Team will continue to stand with our community and labor allies as long as politicians refuse to put the needs of students, workers and the unemployed before the economic interests of the 1%. For now we need to continue mass education efforts about the lack of jobs and the amount of people it is affecting so we can see more and more people get involved and make their voices heard to elected officials.
It’s been nine months since Scott Walker’s attack on working families began in Wisconsin. In that time, Wisconsinites have said again and again they will not sit back and let Governor Walker get away with moving our state in the wrong direction and hurting working families. We said it in August, when two anti-worker Republican State Senators lost their seats, and we are saying it again now that Governor Walker himself is eligible to be removed from office.
It may have taken us a little bit to get here, but from what I hear talking to working men and women in Milwaukee every day, excitement and determination has not once waned. Because of the victories in the August recall, two major Walker initiatives were not able to pass due to one swing vote; that has only increased our determination to keep fighting. But with each action by the Governor and his enablers in the legislature that ignores increasing unemployment in Wisconsin, cuts funding for our schools, or kicks children off of their health care, more and more Wisconsinites are realizing that Walker is not up to the job of leading this state.
As the recall kicked off Tuesday, those Wisconsinites were ready to send that message. The first day of the recall showed just how many folks were still upset with Walker’s refusal to compromise on his budget and the legislation he pushed through that is hurting every working family in the state. Those folks showed up in droves to be among the first to sign the petitions to recall the Governor and his right-hand woman, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch.
About 2,000 people attended the kickoff rally in Milwaukee, gathering at a local park and then marching to Walker’s street where his neighbors had set up tables to collect signatures for the recall in their yards and driveways. Working America members showed up to not only show their support of the recall but also to help in whatever way they could, with one member even manning a table outside his house to collect signatures. Folks were holding homemade signs and talking excitedly about the idea of electing a Governor who not only cares about Wisconsin, but cares about the people of the state and what they need.
The people of Wisconsin will continue to fight for not only their rights, but the rights of their families, friends and neighbors. We will continue to show our elected representatives that we will not stand idly by while they ignore our voices, but will do what it takes to get our state back on track and moving “Forward” again.
“MIC CHECK!” the crowd shouts back in unison, passing the message to those who can’t hear it like a human microphone. I am standing in a line in the middle of the General Assembly meeting of Occupy Portland, surrounded by tents, tarps, and various protest signs waiting to make an announcement. It is 7:37 pm, and a throng of occupiers gather around a statue situated in between two parks in downtown Portland where they have set up camp. Outfitted in rain gear, mylar blankets, and sporting the occasional umbrella—though normally Portlanders scoff at such a thing—the group listens intently to each of the speakers, reacting with simple hand signals to indicate their approval, disapproval, or need for clarification.
Four days ago, this all started when 7,000 people marched through the streets of downtown Portland to stand in solidarity with New York’s Occupy Wall Street protests and send a strong message: we will no longer allow Wall Street and large corporations to destroy the American Dream and squeeze out working families. Chants of “This is what democracy looks like!” and “Whose streets? Our streets!” echoed off the towering white-columned Wells Fargo Bank building. The energy in the crowd was palpable; it was clear everyone was ready to have their voices heard. Since then, hundreds of protesters have been occupying an encampment in Chapman and Lownsdale Parks in downtown Portland.
As I walk through the encampment, I am struck by the positivity and general organization of it all, despite the rain, mud, and maze of tents and tarps. I am greeted by a man who wants to explain the mission of the occupation, and when I tell him I am there with Working America and want to help, he smiles broadly and leads me through the camp to an orange tent of organizers. It is not long before I am sporting an armband of orange duct tape to indicate that I have been recruited by the media team and I’m asked to make an announcement at the general assembly explaining Working America and asking how we can best help the group. A woman named Lena excitedly tells me that the general assembly meetings are rapidly becoming more and more efficient and organized, and directs me towards the middle of camp. We chat about how Working America talks about the very same issues that they are fighting for on a daily basis to our members, and while we might not all be able to put a tent up in the park, working families all over the country are cheering them on and standing up for real change. She offers me a meal, thanks me for coming, and I begin to sense the community that has developed in just a few days. Everyone here is bound by the common threads of their belief in the idea that we all deserve employment, to be able to go to the doctor when we are sick, have access to education, and retire with dignity. They took to the streets in New York, and now we are repeating that message here in Portland and all around the country.
Last month, the Pennsylvania Program Team took to the phones to urge Working America members to call their Congressmen in support of the U.S. Postal Service and the letter-carriers who work for this important institution. It is hard to imagine our country without our army of blue-clad men and women out in the neighborhoods delivering the mail, but that is exactly where we are headed.
The U.S. Postal Service is in a fiscal crisis, but not for the reason you might think. Sure, with the advent of email and mobile banking, the amount of mail that the average American sends each year is falling. Birthday wishes are posted on Facebook, and even Netflix has switched to a “streaming only” model. But that is not the reason the U.S. Postal Service is broke.
The U.S. Postal Service is out of money because in 2006, Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. This law requires the Postal Service to prefund its future health care benefits for retirees for the next 75 years in the next ten years. Under this law, the Postal Service is required to pay an astonishing $103.7 billion into this fund by 2016. This is a huge burden on the industry. Besides paying for existing retirees benefits, they are also prefunding the benefits for employees who don’t even work there yet. They are prefunding the benefits for employees who might not even be born yet. This is something that no other government or private business is required to do.
If this law is not reformed, the Postal Service will be forced to lay off 30,000 workers, end Saturday delivery, and close post offices in many rural areas.
Working America members were outraged. In our couple weeks of calling our members on this issue, we heard almost unanimous support for the Postal Service and too many anecdotes about letter carriers to count.
First there was the elderly woman who lived alone. Her mailman checked in on her every day to make sure she was okay. Next, there was the woman whose son recently passed away. Her mailman sent the most beautiful card about watching him grow up over the years. Last, there was our longtime activist Bob MacHaler who said, “Five-day delivery will kill the Postal Service.” Working America members understand that letter-carriers don’t just provide a service, they are members of our communities.
On September 27, letter-carriers held a rally in every Congressional District calling on our Representatives to support them in their fight for fair funding. In Philadelphia, there were horns honking and flags waving. They still need all the help they can get. The fight for the Postal Service is not over. If you haven’t already, please call your Congressman and ask them to support the Postal Service. America cannot afford to lose this important institution.
