Why I Fight: Bradley Harmon, President of CWA Local 6355

We’re struggling to deal with the highest demand for social services – really since the state started providing social services. In child protective services, I’m seeing more parents with mental health needs who can’t get treatment. Tons and tons of families have no cash income at all; the only money they’re getting is food stamps. Food pantries run out of food all the time here.

And we’re handling this all with fewer staff. One welfare office in St. Louis City sees 2,600 clients a day, but the state has cut our receptionist staff to two. That’s two receptionists dealing with 2,600 clients, eight hours each day – that’s faster than a ticket taker at a stadium and these people are asking for things much more complicated than a No. 3 with no pickles. Over the past four years, politicians have cut our budget every year and we’ve lost a total of 2,000 jobs. Our members haven’t seen a pay raise since 2008 and they’re making less money every year.

We are the lowest paid state workers in the entire country.

We’re tired and we want change. Missouri doesn’t have collective bargaining rights, so the only way to make a difference is direct, non-violent action.

This spring, we set out to collect signatures to put two important initiatives on the November ballot. The first would raise the state’s minimum wage by $1 to $8.25 an hour. The second would cap interest rates on payday, car title and other short-term loans at 36 percent, the same rate Congress set for military families; right now, Missouri payday loan stores are charging users an average interest rate of more than 440 percent.

Working with student, community and faith activists, we gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures. Now, in just a few months, Missourians will be able to cast a ballot to help working families. These two initiatives could help dig people out of debt, protect workers from abuse and give families the spending power needed to boost the economic recovery.

We’re very excited. We’ve been working really hard to develop a stronger activist culture in our local.

But it’s not really optional. We have to do this. We have to.