Why is the economy not working for ordinary people?
Where are the good jobs?
Those were big questions that people from around Renton asked at a meeting of the new Renton chapter of Working Washington on May 3rd. We agreed that the odds are stacked up against working class Washingtonians when it comes to finding a good job with a secure future in this economy.
We decided that the people who speak for us in Washington, D.C. need to hear from us–not lobbyists for for corporate special interests who usually have their ear.
Luckily, Congressman Adam Smith was holding a town hall that same evening. We decided to move our meeting to the Congressman’s town hall to speak out together.
Working Washington member R.L. Stewart spoke at the town hall. He told Congressman Smith that people in Renton are still hurting. We need more jobs. And we need to stop giving tax breaks to corporations that aren’t creating jobs here in Washington.
When R.L. spoke, other Working Washington members stood up, surprising Rep. Adam Smith with our show of unity. Congressman Smith told us that he heard our message and that he would work on addressing our issues.
Now it’s up to us to hold elected officials accountable.