Working with Working America

Has that person with the red shirt that says Working America on it stopped at your door? Have you gotten a knock from the people with the red and white name tag that says Working America STAFF on it? If you have, then chances are you have heard “Hi, I’m with working America AFL-CIO and we are fighting to save jobs. The way we are doing this is taking signature members who support green jobs that can’t be outsourced. All I need is your name and address.” Then after you sign down you are asked for a $5 contribution. Then have a good night. Anywhere in that were you informed about why they need members?
Maybe you heard this. “We are taking down signature members in order to lobby politicians for green jobs.” Well all of this is true. But what you probably didn’t know is that you signed a paper that makes you a member of Working America AFL-CIO for 18 months and they can use your name to lobby politicians for whatever they see fit. Yes they run a “strength in numbers” campaign, and right now it’s for green jobs, but what next? Do you really want your named being used for whatever someone else wants to use it for? That means that politically you agree with whoever they decide to support or fight for those 18 months. Do you want someone else using your name to support someone you may not agree with? Worse do you want someone using your name to fight someone you do agree with?
So who are they? Wikipedia says this: “Working America is an allied organization of the AFL-CIO…… provides workers who are not union members input into the policies, goals, and legislative efforts of the AFL-CIO. It also recruits people to help with letter-writing campaigns, phone banks and other activities to promote causes important to the labor federation.” So when signing up to be a member what you are doing is helping the labor unions accomplish their goals. Well the unions don’t spend much time helping non-union members, much less members of the unions.

So now you know what they may not have told you, so next time they stop at your door, think about what you are really signing up for, in fact ask the person at your door, because I bet they don’t even know what they are signing you up for.

-liv3mind