The Union of the Unemployed Is Growing;
In 3 Months, It Gained 1,950 Job Activists

Ninety days after it was launched, the Union of the Unemployed remains a work in progress, but the foundation is expanding, using a unique organizing principle, the Ucube. The basic unit consists of six jobless workers within the same zip code address forming a ”cube.” Nine such cubes make a Neighborhood. Three Neighborhoods form a “Power Block’ that contains 162 activists.

Politicians cannot easily ignore a multitude of power blocks, nor can merchants avoid them. The union is built from the ground up. Ucube activists will select their own leaders at each UCube level. Check the Ucube web site

As the Union of the Unemployed expands, ucube by ucube, its political activity is also increasing. In 90 days, UCubed activists sent 17,000 messages to Congress. Almost 10,000 of these emails and letters supported a long-term extension of unemployment benefits. Another 2,000 activists signed the “Throw the Bum Out’’ petition after Senator Jim Bunning stopped a 30-day extension of unemployment and COBRA health benefits.

The UCubed web site saw 20,000 more visitors than in February and 112,000 more page views. With over 66,000 visitors to the site and 354,000 page views, UCubed will continue to have an expanding audience, says Rick Sloan, acting executive director of the Union of the Unemployed. Sloan is also Communications Director of the International Association of Machinists.

UCubed Activists to Press Candidates on Jobs

A draft of a 16-point plan, called “Hire Us, America!” will be e-mailed to every UCubed leader and jobs activists on May 1 for their reaction. Bumper stickers and yard signs are being printed. They can be used to promote the slogan, “Hire Us, America!”

The plan contains a comprehensive list of reforms for job creation, including:

• Create a Works Progress Administration (WPA) to hire the jobless.

• Craft a national industrial policy.

• Discourage outsourcing of American jobs.

• Negotiate all trade agreements, beginning with NAFTA.

• Stop China’s unfair currency manipulation.

• Enact strong, enforceable “Buy American” legislation.

Throughout the summer, UCubed leaders and job activists will be asked to visit their local political campaign headquarters. Each candidate running for state or national office will be given a yard sign and bumper sticker to support the UCubed jobs program.

With the 2010 midterm election only months away, voters will be watching what state and federal candidates of both political parties are proposing on the jobs issue. Since there is growing talk by the media and conservative economists that the recession is over and the country is well on the way to economic recovery, Congress and the White House are not going to be highly receptive to the idea of creating the kind of massive jobs program that is urgently needed.

It will be a daunting task to get the attention of the government on the plight of millions of unemployed. Washington will be focusing on other major problems, like financial regulation, energy, immigration and, of course, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So, if the government and Corporate America are to create a sufficient number of jobs, it will be up to the millions of unemployed to play a leading role in their own behalf. It is unfortunately true that most jobless workers have been politically dormant, mainly because each of them felt alone and powerless.

Now the picture has changed. They have a union of their own to fight for them, in addition to what support they can get from the official labor movement. If even hundreds of thousands will join the Union of the Unemployed, and fight aggressively for their right to a livelihood, Washington will have to listen.—Harry Kelber