On the Campaign Front Lines
Scott Jorgensen
SMWIA Local 9
Holding Politicians Accountable
Scott Jorgensen has been knocking on a lot of doors lately. And he’s finding the people who answer are grateful someone is taking action.
He's been going door to door in two efforts by the Colorado union movement to spread the word about working family issues—member-to-member walks inside the movement and canvasses in the larger community for Working America, the AFL-CIO's affiliate for nonunion members.
"On both of those, we're talking about keeping jobs in the state, strengthening health care and education, raising the minimum wage, issues like that," says Jorgensen, a sheet metal worker and member of Sheet Metal Workers Local 9. "A lot of people will thank us for what we're doing. They just seem kind of excited that someone's doing something."
He continues, "When you talk to the people who have been in unions for 30 years, they're really glad to see young people stepping up and keeping unions alive"—Jorgensen is 26—"and when I go out there for Working America, they brighten up a little when I say that I'm not asking them for their vote but that we're here to hold politicians accountable."
Jorgensen is very clear his politics are rooted in the union movement. "The union wages are the reason I was able to buy a house at such a young age. Having the support of my union to be able to do that was really great. I'm a fan of the camaraderie in the union. I like seeing a bunch of people getting together to fight for the greater good and what they have in common," he says.
Such union solidarity circles back to politics. Two of the issues that Jorgensen is most concerned about are health care ("I see lots of people having to dish out a lot of money for their health care") and protecting workers' retirement ("the federal government is doing whatever they want as far as taking people's pensions away from them"). As he sees it, "people have to jump through hoops just to take care of their families."
That's why, from now to November, Jorgensen plans to take part in rallies, volunteer for more member-to-member walks and get other Local 9 members "riled up to volunteer when they have some time."
He notes, "I tell people in my local to get involved because you have to start somewhere, and working with people at the top is a very good place to start. Go to the people that represent us and support us.
"We need to do something for them if they're going to do something for us."
