Neither rain, nor winds, nor injury or disability keeps WFNHP members from volunteering to RECALL Walker and RECLAIM Wisconsin.
Bonnie Pedraza, VA Hospital retiree, explained that the rain did not bother her as she grabbed a packet to go door-to-door to talk to fellow union members about the importance of getting out to vote on June 5th.
“I’m here because we need to recall Scott Walker. If he stays in office, tens of thousands of poor people will lose their health care," said Pedraza. "Besides for being amoral, in terms Scott Walker should understand, this is not cost effective for our state." --Bonnie Pedraza
Blind occupational therapist, Kari Held, works with people with serious and persistent mental illness at the Day Treatment Center in Milwaukee County's Behavioral Health Department. Kari knows personally the type of devastation Scott Walker is willing to cause to further his own political career. In 2009, despite her then 20 years of service to Milwaukee County, Scott Walker proposed to eliminate her job and the entire Day Treatment Center. You can read the full Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here. Despite her disability, Kari wanted to do her part to recall Walker. Accompanied by her service dog, Trista, she spent last Saturday afternoon at the Milwaukee Area Labor Council hand-stamping post cards that were hand-written by union members for union members. Now that's one special delivery!
“As Milwaukee County Executive, Scott Walker did not have the peoples’ interests in mind,” explained Held. “He certainly did not have our patients’ interests in mind when year-after-year he excessively cut mental health services. Now, as Governor, Scott Walker again does not have the peoples' interests in mind and is overturning important laws. He is taking away union rights, he is taking away equal pay rights for women and he is costing Wisconsin jobs.”
Held continued, “I know Tom Barrett will have the peoples’ interests in mind. He will do more for the people of Wisconsin and more for our mentally ill. We need to vote Scott Walker out of office on June 5th and elect a true champion for working people, Tom Barrett.”
Registered Nurse Sherry Pearce volunteered to call fellow union members before her PM shift, encouraging all she spoke with to vote for Tom Barrett on June 5th. “I support Tom Barrett because he will stand up for Wisconsin. He will stand up for our nurses and for health care rights. Tom Barrett will be an advocate for working people,” said Pearce.
Maryan Torres, RN, explained that, “as a Milwaukee County nurse Scott Walker has taken away my right to collectively bargain with my employer and that is why I am working to recall. We have lost our contract, we have lost our voice at work, and we have lost our ability to speak out on behalf of our patients to improve their care.”
Jean St. Louis and her sisters from Milwaukee and Racine make volunteering a family affair. The sisters collected thousands of signatures to recall Scott Walker and his fellow cronies last winter. Jean, Doris, Mary and Doloris stood on street corners ranging from the corner of Hope and Capitol, 13th and Oklahoma, Brady Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
“We are working to recall because Governor Walker is trying to destroy the middle class,” said Doris St. Louis. “He is trying to divide us as working people and as middle class Wisconsinites. Trying to bust unions is no way to move forward.”
You can join these inspiring fellow members by volunteering today. You don't have to live in the Milwaukee area to volunteer. There are opportunities all around the state from 9am to 8pm now through Tuesday, June 5th. Simply pick up the phone and call the WFNHP office at 414-475-6065 to volunteer today.
Click here to see more photos of WFNHP's exceptional volunteers.