by Jennifer Tschappat—Ohio
I was in Fostoria, Ohio and canvassing to put a stop to job outsourcing. A woman who had just had her 90th birthday explained to me that her daughter was losing her factory job to Mexico. She was happy that Working America was helping change public policies involving outsourcing. When she gave me the $5 dues payment, she said it was for her daughter and all her daughter’s friends that were losing their jobs.
Tags: membership, outsourcing, seniors
by Jared Ames—Michigan
I talked to a retired woman today who was initially very standoffish. Once I introduced the issue of keeping our jobs in America she opened up. She talked about all three of her children who had lost jobs due to outsourcing. One of her daughters was in the customer service field for a phone company.
Outsourcing affects everyone even retirees whose family can be devastated by the choice of companies to save a few extra bucks.
Tags: membership, outsourcing, retirees, seniors
by Jared Ames—Michigan
I canvassed a guy last night who was in his 90s. He was excited about what we were doing and said the country should have focused on keeping our jobs here years ago. He posed a question to me: “Why don’t we hear people say we should buy American any more? I always buy American!” It got me thinking about this era when people wrap themselves in the flag about warfare but but where’s the cries for patriotism to keep our jobs here? We built it here, let’s keep it here!
Tags: outsourcing, seniors
by Carissa Lovelace—Virginia
As I talk to people in Manassas, Virginia it is becoming clear to me that everyone, no matter what state they live in, is deeply affected by the issues that we fight for.
Last night was an especially eye-opening experience. I was talking to a woman on her porch about our issues and after taking the clipboard she pointed directly at “secure retirement,” saying “that’s the one that I care about.”
Before I could ask why, she began to tell me the story of her 62 year old husband who had worked for an airline for 31 years, 5 months and 24 days. The airline filed bankruptcy and laid off their most tenured employees, one of which was her husband. A government pension compensation program had taken up his plan and was paying him half of what his actual pension was. He was receiving half what he expected per month for the first 2 years, which dropped by $200 the next two year and is expected to drop by an additional $1,220.00 when he turns 66!
She has taken extra work around the neighborhood, and he has taken an evening job that pays 13 dollars an hour for a different airline. They pay double their mortgage payment so that when his pension sinks lower they will hopefully own their home. She could not stress enough the depression and anxiety that this scenario was causing both of them.
They had not envisioned their lives coming to this after they worked so hard. The last thing she told me was that the CEO of the airline was guaranteed a multi-million dollar salary during the time of the bankruptcy no matter what happened in the future of the company.
Tags: Jobs, membership, pensions, retirees, seniors
by Charity James—Minnesota
Last night while I was canvassing in an apartment complex. I knocked on the door of a 98-year-old lady. After going over the rap with her, I asked her to sign up. All she kept saying was, “this is crazy, because I pay $660 a month for rent, and we do need more affordable housing.” I stood confused for a second, then noticed that she thought I was offering affordable housing.
Again, I let her know what we were about. She then let me know that she was having a hard time hearing, but her hearing aid had been misplaced and her health care plan wouldn’t allow her to have a new one for another two months. She said that if she had better health care, she would be able to hear me better. I told her “that’s what we are out here fighting for.” She signed up and became a dues-paying member.
After about 20 minutes in her home, I was ready to go, but not before I gave her a couple of numbers for better housing.
Tags: Health Care, Housing, membership, seniors
by Lauren Vlot—Pennsylvania
I spoke with an older woman who answered the door. She sympathized with us, saying she did not have health care. She was hit by a car and spent four months in a coma suffering brain damage, yet she is quite functional. She takes a very strong medication that gives her the shakes and costs $220.00. She became teary-eyed, and so did I, as she stated she only makes $1,000.00 a month on social security, so her son helps her, and tells her she is his rock. She then told me everything will work out because she has faith. She is a truly memorable person.
Tags: Health Care, membership, seniors, social security
by Jacquea Olday—Pennsylvania
Today was my first day of canvassing the community with Working America. I knocked on my first door and met this elderly woman who has gone through so many problems with her income and health insurance. While she was signing up to become a member, she told me about how she takes over 20 pills a day, how her husband has problems with his health and how they are barely getting by. She was almost in tears as she told me about how she sometimes has to decide between her medicine and her groceries. It’s crazy in this nation how such bad things happen to the elderly, people who are disabled, people of color, immigrants and our soldiers. And what’s worse than that is how nothing is ever said about it.
I am happy that Working America is doing this because Americans and especially our elderly deserve the basic things (like health care, like the ability not to have to choose between medicine and groceries)—but we don’t have it. And there’s a problem with that.
Tags: Health Care, membership, seniors
by Keesha Coleman—Pennsylvania
I knocked on a retired woman’s door the other night, who told me that her dad is also retired and that they have to live together in order to survive. They cannot afford to live on their own with the money they have. Both of them worked their entire lives and are now struggling to maintain, now that they are retired. Their story touched me because these people don’t have the means to support themselves, after YEARS of working! Where are the retirement benefits? Why should we all have to work, shedding blood, sweat and tears, with nothing left to show for it, when we’re not able to work anymore? It just isn’t right.
Tags: membership, Retirement, seniors
by Nabil Cristillo—Pennsylvania
I knocked on the front door of a house and an elderly lady, maybe in her 70′s, opened the the door a crack and peeked out to see who I was. Through the crack, I explained to the lady who I was and gave her the Working America rap. As soon as I mentioned the fight for better health care, she opened her door and told me her family sends her money as it is the only way she can afford health care for herself. She was more than happy to
sign up as a member and a supporter of health care.
Tags: family, Health Care, membership, seniors
by Kim Andrews—Pennsylvania
I was canvassing in an area where I used to work nearby. In the past I worked in a large retail store where I socialized with our frequent customers. Tonight I knocked on a house where one of my old customers actually lived. We used to talk about her two kids who were very sick and who she cares for. Strangely enough, the woman herself is 87 years old and her children are in their sixties. Neither of her children have health care although she herself is covered by Medicare. Her son is a Vietnam vet and he still cannot get proper medical care.
She was excited to see that I was now at her door fighting on these issues and providing her a chance to also join with us. We had gone from having weekly conversations about our health care frustrations to working together through Working America to reach a solution.
Tags: Health Care, Medicare, seniors, veterans
