Join Us Nov 30 @ Rockefeller Center

Keep the Lights On for the Unemployed

Demonstration at the Rockefeller Tree Lighting

5:00 pm November 30th at 5^th Avenue below 50^th St
Trains: B,D,F to Rockefeller Center, E to 5th Ave, Grand Central Station

Join us in Upholding the True Spirit of the Holidays!

This holiday season is going to be a wretched one for millions of Americans who can’t find work. There are an estimated 17 million unemployed, about 8 million of whom are collecting Unemployment Insurance (UI), and 5 million “99ers” – workers without UI benefits because they have already collected all the weeks available in their state – 99 weeks is the most any state provides. Each UI check means a family who can keep the lights on this holiday season, and maybe enjoy a simple celebration. But come November 30^th, the number of 99ers will begin to rise dramatically – if Congress does nothing, 2 million more households will see their benefits cut off by the end of the year.

This means 7 million workers – who lost their jobs through no fault of their own – will be left with no income or solid job prospects.

We live in a rich country - where billionaires clink champagne glasses to toast their profits – and yet millions of jobless workers do not know if they will be able to afford a Holiday meal. With this demonstration, we are not trying to dampen the joy of the Christmas Tree lighting for the families who still have a little cheer to share with their children. We hope to act as a reminder that the true spirit of the Holiday is to remember the least among us.
 

WE MUST EXTEND UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE TO INCLUDE THE 99ERS!

Flyer for the event:

99er "Breadline" Demo coverage

Naomi Cohn- New York Public Policy Examiner

Edward Nelson- NY Public Policy Examiner

The demonstration on Saturday was great! But we face a difficult struggle to get UI benefits extended for 99ers. We can do it!

VIDEO- Breadline 2010

Interviews at the Breadline

This is sort of "backwards," posting the interviews before the main video, but I want to get these up for press to use quotes from.

This is "activist video," meaning: bad sound, jiggling camera, etc. so bear with me! :)

Ucubed Letter

A new letter dropped into my inbox from Ucubed. We share it here for informational purposes, not as an endorsement of the contents.

Passionate, Persuasive and Powerful

Dear UCubed Leaders and Jobs Activists:

Tensions are rising. On the UCubed Facebook page, the anger and desperation of America’s jobless is clearly evident.

Last week, nearly six hundred jobs activists commented on UCubed Facebook updates. Some comments were white hot. Some sought clarity. Some asked for help. And some “liked” it enough to let their friends know.

Unfortunately, one update turned into a circular firing squad. The unemployed and the 99ers began taking potshots at each other. It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it got downright ugly. And we had to delete the ad hominem attacks.

Continued after the jump...

Congress' letter to the EEOC on discrimination against the Unemployed

Good news: a large number of Congressional signatures (57) on a letter to the EEOC on discrimination against the unemployed in hiring.

Bad news: They don't mention age discrimination at all!!! Also, discrimination against the disabled should probably be part of this discussion as well.

via unemployedworkers.org

The full text of the letter after the jump...

Thanksgiving 2010: No Feast for the Unemployed

Pictures from the Nov 20 "Breadline" demonstration in front of the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

 more after the jump...

99ers: Hands Across America

Flyer: "Who are the 99ers?"

Who Are the 99ers

Flashmobs4Jobs at the Witness for Living Wage demonstration

Flashmobs4jobs was part of the Witness for Living Wage demonstration (that's one of our members, Sam, on the right of the above picture)! Hundreds of New Yorkers, including nearly 100 clergy members from all across the city, delivered thousands of prayer postcards asking the City Council to pass the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, which would require all companies which receive tax breaks from the City to pay $10/hr plus benefits or $11.50/hr without benefits.


Labor Press New York coverage (incl. photo)

Solitary Fracture on 99er Civil Disobedience

WARNING- if you don't like swearing, don't watch! :o

Stand With Us Nov 20th (printable flyer)

Flashmobs Breadline Flyer FINAL

Coverage of Nov 12 (en Español )

Telemundo: Arrestan a desempleados

Univision Nueva York: Protestas contra el desempleo en Nueva York


Univision Nacional: Beneficios de desempleo en la mira


CNN en Español: 99 semanas

99er activist talks about getting arrested

I’m 68 years old, and have been a “good girl” all my life. But this past Friday I turned into an activist and had myself arrested for the cause. I joined a small group of 99ers and members of the long-term unemployed, who gathered in front of the building housing the Dept. of Labor’s unemployment office to tell Congress to “Get to work so that we can get to work.”

==>READ THE REST OF THE STORY<==

Press coverage from 11/12 Civil Disobedience

(preliminary- more coverage still coming in)

ABC News: Thousands in New York, millions across country stand to lose jobless benefits


Unemployment News: 99ers Arrested During NYC Protest

NY 1: Four Arrested at Rally for Extended Unemployment Benefits

NY Unemployment Examiner: Protesters Arrested at 99ers' Rally for Tier 5 Unemployment Benefit Extensions

CBS New York: Unemployed New Yorkers Call For Congress to Extend Jobless Benefits

99ers Arrested in Civil Disobedience

NYC- activist video from the rally:







Statement from one of the activists (to be added)

Stand with us Saturday, Nov 20

Stand with Us

Saturday, November 20th!

Thanksgiving 2010:

No Feast for the Unemployed.

Please join the 99ers, other members of the unemployed, their friends, family and supporters, in recreating a 1930's "breadline" on Saturday, November 20th. We need to bring home the fact that the unemployed have been jobless and without benefits for far too long – and are starving.

We will be lining up in front of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, at 33 Liberty Street, in Manhattan, beginning at 11:30am. Please wear black or dark clothes. Hats, flat caps, scarves and shawls are fine, but no white or bright colors. This is to be a somber event. We will recreate the image from the Great Depression – because we believe this is the Great Depression II, not the Great Recession! Congress and the country have ignored us for too long. On the Saturday before the Thanksgiving holiday we will be invisible no more!

The media will be in attendance. We need to have as many people in the line as we can get, so please reach out to your friends, family, neighbors, and members of your house of worship, to join you. We will be picking up stale loaves, as props, during the week before the event. However, if you can get loaves from stores and bakeries that discard them at closing, each night, please bring them.

Directions: 5, J, A, C, 2, 3 to Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau.

Please check with the MTA for any service disruptions on the weekend.

To join our breadline, contact: Sam or Kian at breadline2010@gmail.com. 

Sponsored by flashmobs4jobs.org. Visit our site for more information or visit us on Facebook.

Live near NYC? On 11/12 Tell Congress: Do Your Job!

Ok ok- it was raining cats and dogs last week! So we called 11/4 a trial run!

11/12 Flyer DOWNLOAD LINK

11-12 Flyer Final

Multiple Choice

The woman in the photo is:

A. Un-American
B. Lazy
C. On drugs
D. A potential thief
E. Unemployed

The correct answer is E.Unemployed. She has tried to find work for over two years but has not been hired because of her age and the fact that she's "over-qualified".

Contact Congress and tell them: GET BACK TO WORK!

Dear Concerned Citizen,

Congress has delayed acting on behalf of the unemployed for far too long. 3-5 Million people have been CUT OFF THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS EVEN THOUGH THEY CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR WORK.

Now, Congress PLANS ON TAKING A VACATION! They will not resume sessions until November 15, then they will meet for ONE WEEK- THEN GO BACK ON VACATION!

Fax and Call your Congresspeople and Tell them that
business-as-usual has got to change!
The unemployed need Tier 5 and S.3706!

Remember- for the next week your Representatives and Senators will not be in Washington! Go to the website of the individual lawmaker to find contact information for their offices in your home state! If you want a pdf to fax, find our flyer here.

U.S. Voters have demanded that their law-makers be more accountable- now IT'S UP TO US 

to hold them to their

PROMISES TO THE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS!

We CAN make a difference!

For more information please contact UWAGnyc@gmail.com or Call Kian at (917) 216-0693 .

Thank you for your valuable time,

Sam Talbot
Unemployed Workers Action Group NY/NJ
http://www.FlashMobs4Jobs.org
917-326-1079

UWAG's Rally to Restore Tier 5

UWAG at One Nation Rally 10-02-10

Every day is a Sanity Rally for 99ers!

99ers were at the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington, on the 30th: