"MESSAGE FROM YOUR UNION!"

We are at 80% saturation here in Albuquerque. This statistic is for Labor 08 and does not include contact made by the Obama campaign office or other organizations. With such saturation, it's getting to the point where people are begging and also screaming at us not to call them or knock on their doors anymore. Canvassers are empathetic and/or rattled. To date, I have done mostly administrative work.


My first experience out of the office was on Thursday. I joined up with four other folks to pass out information at the City Mechanics yard. We arrived at the yard at 3:45. The workers were supposed to be departing at 4, however, we later learned that most workers take a short lunch and leave early. So, when we arrived at 3:45, the lot was emptying out quickly. I was told to "jump out!!!!" "Run, run, run ... get'em." I had been told to just say "message from your union" and pass the leaflets on. So, Looking crazy in a bright orange, oversized "Labor 2008" tee that hung down to my knees, and too many political pins flopping around, I ran around with several others chanting “message from your union!” and pushing "Labor for Obama" flyers into workers car windows before they could reach the exit of the lot. Regardless of how insane I must have looked, and the close proximity to the exit, people were receptive and only one person refused. After workers ceased to depart from their shifts, we returned to the office and resumed scanning calls and walk information into the system.

Although I was supposed to go work for the Obama office on Saturday, Tiffany asked me to return to Labor 08 to help because they were still behind in scanning information.

Perhaps I should explain scanning…it is just that, I literally use a scanner to scan a bar code which indicates a union member and their contact information. Addition information scanned is who the member has decided to vote for, or if they are undecided and their status (home/not home/refused). The Information is forwarded to the AFL-CIO and they return updated call/walk lists to us. This is important because it’s what has helped us reach such high saturation rates. If workers are not home or if they are undecided they get cycled back into the call/walk list until we get an answer.

It’s hard to get a sense by scanning how members are voting. There are zip codes that are majority McCain and areas that are majority Obama. There are those two who give more information than is needed. One man said he would not vote for Obama because his “mother is a slut.” Another said he would never vote for a “socialist” and another said he would not vote for a "nigger." I got one woman who said she could not vote because she was sick with cancer and did not think she would live until November 4. That one really bothered me. There was another guy who said he could not tell us who he was voting for because he was involved in the Witness Protection Program. That gave us all a good laugh and was a good topic for comic banter for awhile.

Comic banter is our main relief while scanning. Being a bit of a stray here, I’ve latched onto a group of No. Cal. Laborers and do what they do. Since our trip to the City Yard, we’ve been asked to scan to help clear up the back-log of information that has come in from canvassing over the past few days (there are a lot of rank-and-file members canvassing) It is mostly union reps and organizers doing inter office work. Inter-office we make the best of the tedious work by voicing our opinions on everything that crosses our minds. It’s all in good nature and makes time fly. We tease Roy (Laborer) about his pink coffee drinks and Hammer (AFL-CIO?) about his country music. Maggie (No. Cal. Labor Organizer) has just returned to work at Labor 08 and she adds great energy and focus to the office. My new friends are also teaching me Spanish. Yesterday I learned how to say ballot, ballot box, candidate and president. We’re starting out with easy words but will start with sentences on Monday.

I find that I’m rather wound up and having a hard time sleeping. I was up until three a.m. Sunday morning worrying about what will become of us if Obama does not win. Hopefully, a three hour canvass walk with the local Obama offices will wear my body down enough to overcome my overactive imagination. I’ll meet my friend Leslie for a 3-6 shift. I confess, I am a bit anxious about setting out today given this overwhelm of political activity and my lack of familiarity with the area. I’m wearing my black boots that come up to my knees in case I get attacked by a dog.