Shannon Duffy, United Media Guild administrative officer, sends us this dispatch from weekend activities in Missouri:

Two members of TNG-CWA 36047 _ Kelly Anthony (standing, with clipboard and
Charlie Edelen, seated, by door) took part in a petition canvas this past
Saturday in North St. Louis County, Missouri.

Over 25 volunteers - which included unions members from the Guild, HERE and
several area congregations - spent the morning knocking on doors and
standing in front of high-traffic retail establishments (until chased off by
police) collecting signatures for two petition drives underway in the
Show-Me State.

The petitions concern capping the interest rate on payday loans and raising
Missouri's minimum wage by a dollar an hour.  Missouri law mandates that, to
place an issue on the ballot by way of petition, a threshold must be reached
in two-thirds (six of nine) congressional districts.  That number is based
on the last gubernatorial election and the Guild, one of the first unions to
endorse those issues, has been hard at work since coming out in support.
Saturday, over 1100 signatures were gathered in a five-hour span and, with
about a month to go, the group believes it is on target to qualify for the
November ballot.

Shannon Duffy, Administrative Officer of the Guild, did not finish as one of
the highest collectors for the day (a rate occurrence!) but he did receive
some acclaim for "most difficult get."  It seems he came across a home where
the owner was on his roof and Shannon yelled up to him.  The man said he
would love to sign but he was too busy and couldn't come down, so Shannon
climbed up there and got the job done.

Overall, a very nice job by everyone and it's pedal to the metal from here
until the deadline on May 7.