Working America, Hard at Work

Working America: Organizing the other 99%

When Scott Walker unleashed his budget repair bill on Wisconsin we saw something amazing happen. People from all walks of life got mad, stood up and said enough is enough. In Madison and across the state everyone who came out to the protests, called their senator or put out a “Recall Walker” yard sign became brothers and sisters with us in the fight against Walker.

In what was labor’s darkest hour in Wisconsin we saw hope in the faces of people who stood up to the right-wing talking heads and said, “This isn’t just an attack on unions, it is an assault on every man and woman in Wisconsin who wants to work for a living.”

Out of the ongoing struggles we face there is a very simple question waiting to be answered; if so much of the public is willing to come out and support us on the issues we agree with then why can’t this happen every day?

Working America is the solution to this problem.

As the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO Working America provides a way for the general public move from expressing their support for union workers to actually joining the labor movement. From the small business owner to that stay at home mom; from the unemployed veteran to the blue collar worker we organize people who share the basic belief that America is a place where everyone deserves the education to get a good job and the right to retire with dignity and health.

And it turns out there are a lot of us that share these values.

Right now we are living in a state divided. Between talk radio and Fox News politicians like Scott Walker have convinced a lot of people to vote against their own interests. Rather than finding ways to help lift up the people struggling in the current economy they say the solution is more furlough days and fewer benefits for public employees.

Walker and his cronies can only win this argument if they keep the public focused on dragging each other down rather than seeing the money for their children’s education being given away to companies that turn around and build factories in China.

That is why every night we go out into communities across Wisconsin to talk with people about the issues we share. We knock doors in areas like Sheboygan, Beloit and even Waukesha letting people know the truth behind the attacks on working families. The need for good jobs, quality education and a secure retirement go way beyond party which is why 2 out of 3 people we talk to at the door become members of Working America and over 50% take action right away.

When we talk to the general public we have found a whole lot of people who share our values and are fired up to fight for them. Our growing community action teams are getting active across the state to hold their representatives accountable for the promises they made. We make phone calls to politicians, write letters to the editor and march against the attacks on workers.

By knocking on doors and engaging our members we Working America has grown to 80,000 people across Wisconsin since 2008, but as we were shown by the protests in Madison there are a whole lot more we need to reach out to.

And that is why we need your help to keep growing. Through our Friends and Family program we work with our partner affiliates to get the people you know who need to be involved in the labor movement signed up. If you have a friend that has always wanted to join a union but never had the opportunity then Working America is for them. If you have a relative who voted for Walker cares about jobs issues then get them signed up.

To get involved and keep the movement spreading you can get in touch with Working America’s Member Coordinator Carrie Geenen (cgeenen@workingamerica.org, 414-257-9622) or State Director Peter Drummond (pdrummond@workingamerica.org, 414-258-3805).