Cindy

Cindy, 47, lost her job at VF Jeanswear two years ago, after working there for 26 years. She lost her job to outsourcing and is struggling to make ends meet as a bartender while she retrains as an electrician. Cindy has had a hard time, almost losing her house, and now she might be forced to sell her car.

My Story
I’ve had a really hard time paying my bills since losing my job. The past two years have eaten all of my savings. A mix-up with my checking account right after I lost my job started the downward spiral. I was charged $1,500 in overdraft fees, and I haven’t been able to recover. It’s impossible to bounce back without a steady income.

I almost lost my house last month, but I was able to stop the bank from foreclosing on my home by borrowing money from my family. Now they want my car. If I’m forced to sell it, I’ll have to quit school, and I only have one quarter left to go.

I don’t have many options. I am barred from a lot of jobs, because my work at VF Jeanswear eroded all the cartilage in my left shoulder. As a result, I can’t perform any repetitive motions. I’ve been working as a bartender and taking odd jobs. I’ll do anything: clean houses, wash cars, whatever I need to do.

My family can’t help much more, because they’re all struggling too. The entire town’s been hit hard, since several companies have closed in a very short amount of time. A lot of people I know are retraining as well, but I’m beginning to wonder what good it does. One girl just finished, but she still can’t find a job.

The direction Bush is taking this country is dangerous. We’re becoming a service economy, with nothing being produced in the United States. Bush needs to realize that we need jobs in the United States, not to send them somewhere else.