Jobs, opportunity, and a growing economy are what middle-class families want President Obama to speak to during Tuesday’s State of the Union address.
The faces in the Alliance for American Manufacturing’s (AAM) “Manufacturing State of the Union Box” will not be in Washington for the speech. Instead, they will watch from home or work, hoping President Obama will offer solutions on issues that matter to them, including manufacturing jobs that afford them a middle-class lifestyle.
“I pray we aren’t laid off again, because it’s hard out here,” says Melinda Allen of Tennessee. “We need to work. That’s how we pay our bills, it’s how we eat, and do the things we need to do in life. We depend on our jobs; that’s why I go every day.”
Pictured (from left to right, back to front): The Allens (Tennessee), Luke Desiero (West Virginia), Durwin “Oodie” Royal (Texas), The Millers (Ohio), Gayle Goodrich (Indiana), David Ramirez (Indiana), Jessica Graves (Pennsylvania), Kyle Worzala (Wisconsin), and Matt Snodgrass (West Virginia).
From all walks of life, these Americans tell their stories of what the last year has meant for them — and what they hope to see in the future. Their stories provide an important perspective on what everyday life is like for men and women trying to achieve the American dream.
Here’s a sampling of what they told us:
- “You have to go and find work. And it feels like entrapment because you know how the job market is. You know you need to take this job, but the wage may not be competitive.”
- “I’m proud to have the heritage going on and to be able to continue that tradition of being family owned and American-made.”
- “The economy has been hard on us nonprofits because the need has gone up, but it’s hard to raise money because a lot of people lost their jobs in the recession. I’m sure that a lot of folks, even if they’re working again, they might have used their savings or their 401K, so they’re trying to rebuild that."
For more information about the faces in the "Manufactuing State of the Union Box," contact Taylor Garland at (202) 297-9196 or [email protected]. AAM will fact check the State of the Union on Tuesday night, follow along on Twitter @KeepItMadeinUSA.
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