Not Too Late to Stir the Pot with America’s Working Women   by Mike Hall, Sep 28, 2006

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Yesterday, we told you about President Bush’s rosy, campaign-stop pronouncement that we are all basking in the sunshine of a glowing economy. Not so, says Phyllis Yount, a Branford, Mo., aviation school flight dispatcher.

The current economy isn’t good right now even though politicians say it is. If someone makes $5.15 an hour, how can they afford gas that’s almost $3?

So Yount is joining thousands of other working women for some political push back as part of a unique “Stirring the Pot” project sponsored by the AFL-CIO and its community affiliate, Working America. On Oct. 10, working women across the country will meet for informal dinners around kitchen tables or in coffee shops, break rooms or bars to talk about their concerns for the Nov. 7 elections. They will hand-address postcards to send to women in their area about the importance of getting out the vote to change the direction—especially the economic direction—of the nation.

Yount, who will host a dinner at her home, says:

If enough people care and vote, it does count. I want people to realize how important it is.

The idea for the Stirring the Pot night grew out of the more than 26,000 responses to the Ask a Working Women survey, in which women indicated their top concerns are economic: health care they can afford, paychecks that keep up with the cost of living, retirement security that’s not a phony promise. They also said too many politicians weren’t listening or didn’t care.

Meagan Jeronimo, a Houston, Texas, legal secretary and co-chairwoman of the Stirring the Pot campaign, says:

Women are getting squeezed between stagnant wages and soaring costs, between the need to be involved in our kids lives and inflexible work schedules…and most of us have just about had it.

We need to stir the pot—the world cannot change unless we make elected officials and candidates understand that, to our families throughout America, economic security is a vital part of our national security. Policymakers must start prioritizing the needs of our families and communities.

Shelia Rice has seen what out-of-reach health care costs have done to her parents and how a bleak job market forced her son to make a difficult choice. That’s why she’ll help stir the pot and get out the vote.

The Sharpsville, Pa., mother of three and stepmother of two says that despite working for 42 years, her mother never received health care coverage from her employers. She was forced to wait until she turned 65 and qualified for Medicare to finally receive back surgery to fix a long painful herniated disc. Rice’s father was forced to take a job at 68 to help pay for needed medication. Her son, who couldn’t find a job to support his family, recently joined the military.

It’s been hard watching my mother suffer for years because she had no health care….It’s a shame these are the choices we give our young people—MacDonald’s or fight in a war.

In Ohio, Kelly Ryder is well aware that the Nov. 7 election will be felt years down the road when lawmakers make decisions on pay equity, education and family and work life issues. A sales person for a sheet metal company, she’s especially concerned about what it will mean to her opportunity to have a family.

I’m a single working woman. I would like to have a family one day, but it seems nearly impossible to have enough money to do so, even with two incomes.

It’s not too late to join Yount, Rice and Ryder in Oct. 10 Stirring the Pot events by hosting an event or finding out if there is a gathering near you. Go to the Stirring the Pot website where you can register to host an event, download a event toolkit and discussion guide, read some frequently asked questions or contact the group for more information.

Also don’t forget to check out the AFL-CIO political action center, www.votenov7.org/, where you can register to vote, learn about working family issues and download candidate comparison fliers. If you’re a union member, sign up to volunteer to get out the vote. If you’re not a union member, join the AFL-CIO community affiliate Working America and join the fight for good jobs, affordable health care, quality education and secure retirements.

This portion of this website is paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, 815 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, with voluntary contributions from union members and their families, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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