During Kevin Pape’s first week of training, he met a guy who was confrontational at first, but was passionate about the fight to keep good jobs in Ohio. He shared how his family is trying to survive in the face of outsourcing.
Tags: good jobs, membership, outsourcing, taking action, video
Canvasser Jake Sinderbrand was inspired by a guy who had lost his job but not his hope for making a difference.
Tags: good jobs, taking action, video
Canvasser Christina Jens relates a story of a new member in Minnesota who was excited by our work on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). As a single mother of disabled boy, this new member was glad to know there’s an organization working on improving health care, wages and good jobs for working families.
Tags: good jobs, Health Care, video
by Renee Chandel—Pennsylvania
At first he didn’t have time for me. I quickly explained, “No, sir, we’re fighting to keep good jobs in the US. Jobs are being outsourced and American people are losing work.” He let me in, took the clipboard from my hands and looked it over. He paused at each point. “Good jobs,” he said, “That’s like fair wages, right?”
He told me he’s a contractor for a delivery service and he can’t keep up with job expenses. His employers are tapping him for money that he doesn’t have and he can’t afford his family medical bills. He was grateful for what Working America does.
Tags: good jobs, membership, outsourcing, wages
by Curtis Neff—Michigan
Hello fellow Americans, my name is Curtis and I just finished a canvassing campaign in northeast Iowa. I have to say it was quite rewarding. We canvassed in areas needing our message. The cities and towns were Waterloo, Marion, Vinton, Marengo, Urbana and Shellsburg.
We found people working in factories for less than $10 per hour and worried about their futures. We found folks getting the rug pulled from under them on their pension plans. We spoke with people who had the face the threat of their jobs going to Mexico. This was fighting side of what we do.
The friendly side of what we do involves the “hey, come on in and sit down.” This happens in Iowa. We canvassed some towns of 600 people or less and it was everything Hollywood could attempt to make it seem. We met some of the feistiest yet friendliest senior citizens you will ever meet. I met a lady whose birthday was close to mine. She hoped to make it to 98. She looked about ten years younger and had my same spirit. I met a ton of conservatives who joked with me about who we individually were going to vote for but they still agreed with us on the issues and became members.
Iowa has national attention because it’s the state the politicians pander to in the electoral process. Iowans know it and it does make them more aware.
My last night in Iowa I was canvassing in Shellsburg, population 500. I was walking down Main Street where I met a man. He asked me what I was doing. I told him and he paused. He looked and it seemed like he was almost sad when he said, “Thank you.” His wife had already signed up a block before. I told him I was out for 28+ more members. He wished me luck. I told him, “I won’t need any luck. The people in this town are so great. I’m blown away by their laid-back greetings at the door.” Every door that night was a conversation and not a rap. I saw him at the end of the night, and he said with enthusiasm, “did you sign up as many new members as you wanted?” I said with a wide eyed smile, “yeah, and and then some!” It was a great finish to a great campaign.
I’m a proud Iowan and I would encourage anyone to visit here. It’s not a cakewalk so I don’t want you to be misled. It’s a rewarding experience encompassing small town values with progressive idealism from people willing to stand up for what is right. Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa.
Tags: good jobs, membership, outsourcing, taking action
by Jake Sinderbrand—Minnesota
While canvassing in St. Paul, I knocked on the door of a high school student who had just turned 18. He was concerned about the job market but had no idea about the candidates or the upcoming election, or how to make a difference. After talking about the issues for a while, he found that he agreed with the labor-supported candidate, Melvin Carter, on almost everything. Now, he is proud to be able to cast his first vote for Melvin Carter.
by Carissa Lovelace—Kentucky
Today I spoke to one of our members, a man in his mid-forties, and I asked him what I ask everyone: what’s your most important issue, what do you do for a living, and who are you planning to vote for? He answered that health care was his most important issue, he was unemployed, and he was voting for Steve Beshear, the labor-endorsed candidate for governor here in Kentucky. I said that he didn’t seem too happy about that, which he didn’t, to which he replied that he wasn’t. He explained that his job at a local chemical plant had recently been outsourced due to its inability to unionize, and that his son, who has special needs, was not receiving the proper medical attention.
The kicker was, he was a registered Republican and had voted the party line his entire life. This election would be the first time he voted for a Democrat. He said he couldn’t justify voting for a man that was doing nothing but hurting the middle class, and that it would be sheer ignorance for him to vote for Ernie Fletcher, the Republican incumbent governor, again.
I assured him that not only would Beshear be better for the job, but that Working America would do its best to hold him accountable once elected. He cracked his first smile of our conversation and I wished him a good night.
Paid for by AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Treasury Fund.
Tags: good jobs, Health Care, membership, outsourcing, voting
by Chris Antonneau—Iowa
We were out talking to folks in Marion, Iowa about the outsourcing of American jobs. I ran into a middle-aged gentleman that told me about his recent employment. A few months back he quit a job he worked for many years because he was so upset about the amount of jobs they were shipping overseas. He can’t understand why they would continue to outsource without doing everything they could to provide that job to an American. Since he was well-qualified he did not have a hard time finding a similar position. It is a shame he had to quit his job he loved because of unfair business practices and corporate greed.
Tags: good jobs, outsourcing
by JB Arnett—Kentucky
Last night I talked to a concerned citizen from the West End of Louisville named Anthony. He was disturbed that every commercial and political appearance this campaign season had taken place in middle to upper income level areas, with none in the West End. He made it obvious that health care coverage and jobs were vital to his part of town and that something needed to be done.
Anthony invited both candidates for governor here in Kentucky to his neighborhood, to discuss these and other issues. He also thanked me for my hard work and effort in support of who he considered the best candidate, Steve Beshear. The last and most important thing he said was that, while he understood the West End wasn’t the greatest or richest place in Louisville, every person deserves a chance to be heard. So let’s give the West End a chance!
Paid for by AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Treasury Fund.
Tags: good jobs, Health Care
by Renee Chandel — Maine
A woman today shared with me the story of herself and her friend. They were both working for a store in Maine for two years. In that time the woman I spoke to earned a .25 cent raise, she was making $7.75 an hour. Each of the ladies were offered a job at a competing store in Massachusetts for $12.00 an hour to start in one month. They each gave their current employers a month’s notice and were fired on the spot. The woman I spoke to said that with her husband’s salary she was able to go without a few weeks of pay. Her friend, however, being a single mother was evicted from her home because she was unable to pay rent.
