The Occupy Movement has created fertile ground for sowing seeds of change. One seed that many progressives would like to see planted is a focus on extending unemployment benefits and job creation. These issues are integral to the organic occupations springing up everywhere.
Unemployment - It's Getting Worse
Currently, 52% of the unemployed workers in this country are no longer receiving benefits - and this will be much worse unless Congress acts to extend unemployment benefits, as millions more will lose them after 1/1/2012. It's not just the United States and Europe that are seeing these kinds of crises. The new president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, warns that unemployment could become a global crisis if action is not taken to create jobs.
Who Needs to Hear From Their Constituents
From the United Auto Workers: For millions of Americans, that thread is about to break unless Congress acts now to extend unemployment insurance benefits. America wants to work, but too many people can't find jobs in this recession. Nearly 7 million Americans have been unemployed for more than six months. Not since the Great Depression have so many people been out of work for so long. Republicans in Congress have blocked the President's Jobs Act or any meaningful legislation to create jobs and lower our staggering 9.1 percent unemployment rate. Now they are about to let unemployment insurance expire for millions of Americans who can't find work. Unemployed workers depend on this modest benefit to pay their mortgages and other bills until they find jobs. But unless Congress acts now to extend this vital benefit, millions of Americans, including one million children, will fall into poverty on Jan. 1. It's time for legislators from both parties to set politics aside and pass a 12-month extension of the federal unemployment program.
Call today: (202) 224-3121 Tell your representative and senators not to leave town without passing a clean bill extending unemployment insurance for 12 months.
Call today: (202) 224-3121 Tell your representative and senators not to leave town without passing a clean bill extending unemployment insurance for 12 months.
| Senate | Senate | House |
| Republicans | Democrats | Republicans |
| AK-Murkowski | CO-Bennett | AZ-Schweikert |
| MA-Brown | MO-McCaskill | FL-Posey |
| IL-Kirk | MN-Klobuchar | IL-Tim Johnson, Walsh, Biggert, Schilling, Shock |
| OH-Portman | MT-Tester | MI-Benishek, Amash |
| PA-Toomey | ND-Conrad | MS-Nunnelee |
| NE-Ben Nelson | NJ-LoBiondo | |
| SD-Tim Johnson | NY-Grimm | |
| WV-Manchin | OH-Boehner, LaTourette | |
| VA-Webb, Warner | OK-Tom Cole | |
| PA-Tim Murphy | ||
| WV-McKinley |
Job Creation - Let's Make it Happen
While many politicans see assaulting workers as more important than creating jobs, more than ninety members of the US House of Representatives have co-sponsored President Obama's American Jobs Act to create jobs which are so desperately needed. Meanwhile, in Connecticut, participants from Occupy New Haven marched for jobs and an end to violence against youth. This is a great sign that the Occupy Movement is looking at job creation as a way to turn the tide against corporate greed. Further, MoveOn.org and Rebuild the Dream are calling for November 17th to be a national day of action with the focus on job creation. How will we pay for the jobs? Tax Wall Street. The AFL-CIO has an online action to let your elected officials know a tax on financial speculation could generate enough revenue to create millions of new jobs. Bonus - take action and they'll send you a "I am the 99%" bumper sticker!
