Speaking for many, Hopkins woman says, ‘I just want to work’

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_4734

By Barb Kucera, Workday editor
20 January 2011

ST. PAUL - At the state Capitol Thursday, Gretchen Gubbins put a human face on the major issues facing legislators this session: fixing Minnesota’s $6.2 billion budget shortfall and reviving the state’s sluggish economy.

Gubbins, who was laid off from her job as a school cook 18 months ago, addressed reporters at a news conference where the Minnesota AFL-CIO announced its 2011 legislative agenda.

“I’ve been trying to find work since then,” said Gubbins, a Hopkins resident and member of Working America, the AFL-CIO's community affiliate. “You’re lucky if you can find a job at $10 or $12 an hour. You can’t live on that.”

But Gubbins is willing to try almost anything, as she struggles to pay the bills and keep her house. She has gone to food shelves, applied for heating assistance and taken in renters to make ends meet.

“I’m just the common person that needs to be heard,” she said. “I’m not the only one that is going through this. All I need is a job to get back on my feet.”


Gretchen Gubbins (center) joined Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson at a news conference to outline the federation's 2011 legislative agenda.

FULL story at link.