That Knock at the Door? It’s An AFSCME Member Fighting for Workers.
by Cynthia McCabe | October 11, 2012
AFSCME Local 1023 (Council 25) member Sheila Pennington canvasses in Detroit. (Photo by Cynthia McCabe)
DETROIT – In the age of Facebook, Twitter, texting and never-ending campaign emails, it’s still the most effective way of advocating for candidates: knocking on doors and talking to the registered voter who answers.
But Sheila Pennington, AFSCME Local 1023 (Council 25), knows the folks who answer the door are trying to get her off their porch. “As quickly as possible,” she adds with a laugh.
Pennington is one of about 30 volunteers who head out each day to canvass neighborhoods across the city, handing out literature touting Pres. Barack Obama, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, urging voters to shoot down a law installing unelected emergency financial managers and to support laws protecting collective bargaining. They knock an estimated 2,500 doors each day.
It’s cold on this day in Detroit and the grey sky threatens rain. Fall is coming faster than usual. But Pennington bundles up with a thick sweatshirt and makes her way up and down the street lined with modest homes in a quiet neighborhood outside of the city. A 20-year union veteran, she’s been canvassing a long time and she’s noticed that it’s been harder to get people engaged this year than in previous campaigns.
“Whether you want it to be or not, politics is in everyone’s lives,” Pennington says. “I hate to hear people say, ‘I’m not political.’ Well you need to get political because your existence depends on it.”
It might be fatigue, after two years of non-stop assaults on workers’ rights requiring constant member and voter education. But, Pennington points out, “That’s even more reason to get out here and get involved. Turn on the TV and see what’s happening. You need to get involved.”
Today, Pennington only finds a few people at home as she starts the first hour of what will ultimately be a seven-hour canvassing day. But those who do answer listen politely, take the literature she gives them and even ask a few questions about the emergency financial manager proposal. It’s enough to keep her energized and she heads down the street to the next house. There are many more to go and only 27 days left until Election Day.
Get involved! Visit AFSCME.org to find out how you can participate in the 2012 campaign in your area.
