New Hampshire 2010
Join our thriving grassroots campaign in New Hampshire as we work towards healthcare for all, green job investment, affordable housing and economic policies that build a strong and sustainable economy! Working Families Win hosts monthly educational events, house meetings, community meetings with elected officials. You can make a difference by volunteering your time and energy today!
Background
In 2006, Working Families Win started our grassroots campaign in NH. With the help of many dedicated volunteers we contacted thousands of voters in the 2nd Congressional District in New Hampshire about the differences between Paul Hodes and Charlie Bass on issues that impact the daily lives of working people.
Nationwide and here in New Hampshire people voted for change in 2006! Many working people are researching the candidates’ views and voting history on important issues like: universal health care, increasing the minimum wage, fair trade, the right to organize and corporate accountability.
In 2007, we monitored elected officials and how their votes impacted working people on issues like: children’s health care funding, trade agreements, the minimum wage increase, the right to organize and Medicare reform. Our volunteers helped plan educational rallies, wrote letters to the editor on important policies impacting our community, communicated with our Members of Congress and Senate about our concerns, and attended Presidential Candidate events to ask important questions.
In the weeks leading up to the NH Presidential Primary on January 8th, 2008, 25 volunteers worked together with our volunteer leaders to make over 1,000 calls to voters! Our continued goal to build a strong grassroots campaign for working people here in NH was a great success! We created a website for undecided voters to find information comparing the presidential candidates postions on healthcare reform, job investment, trade policy and retirement security issues. We made sure voters knew their polling location, how to register to vote and had rides to the polls. We also dropped of voter guides door to door!
2008 was another example of success! Our work has grown- 149 Working Families Win Volunteers contacted nearly 10,000 voters in Cheshire and Sullivan County in 2008. We researched the positions of the House, Senate and Presidential candidates running for office in 2008 and created side by side comparisons on issues impacting families in our state. Candidates that support healthcare for all, green job investment, affordable housing and sound energy policy won the election because of your efforts.
In 2009 Working Families Win Members expanded their visibility on healthcare reform by attending town hall meetings, writing letters to the editor, meeting with national elected officials, holding weekly vigils on the downtown greens of several communities around NH and attending educational workshops.
Fair trade policy moved ahead with the TRADE ACT, the first legislation of its kind in the United States Congress, now co-sponsored by both Congressman Hodes and Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter. The legislation creates a positive trade agenda that puts worker and environmental protection, human rights and democratic economic process at the forefront of building a stronger international trade agenda. The legislation allows Congress to create positive critieria for trading partners and replaces the outdated FAST TRACK legislation with a new model of fair trade.
The final increase of the federal minimum wage was realized nationally in July and discussions about improving wages and looking toward a living wage continue even in spite of the economic downturn. As full-time and part time working families are hit with the economic reality that their wages cannot afford them a roof over their head, access to healthcare, food and other key services, the need for economic reforms increases in urgency.
This years highlights included: a public workshop at Keene State College that featured 18 young adults speaking about the need for quality, affordable healthcare for 18-30 year olds, nearly 100 NH residents travelling to Washington D.C. to speak with House and Senate Members about the need for a strong public option in healthcare reform legislation, over 35 weekly vigils, a record turnout for Homeless Memorial Day Service of Remembrance on December 21st and finally, a dozen visits, thousands of calls and hundreds of letters to our congressional offices about health and economic policy that impacts each of us as individuals and our families.
Join our statewide education and action campaign in 2010 to help continue building a strong voice for working people here in NH!