Last week was jobs week in America.
Across the country, more than a dozen USAction Education Fund partners engaged in activities to promote the need for immediate, robust action to turn our economy around.
The Good Jobs for America campaign is both short-and long-term. In the short term, USAction Education Fund plans to fight for an extension of the federal unemployment insurance into 2012 – just as we successfully fought to extend the program last December. For the long term we are organizing for the American Jobs Act, a downpayment on Good Jobs for America. It’s a fight that will continue to Election Day 2012 and beyond.
In Iowa, USAction partner Iowa Citizen Action Network stood with SEIU, CWA, AFL-CIO and other groups to demand congressional action on jobs. Some 75 people gathered in Iowa City and marched toward a bridge in need of repair. Among the speakers was ICAN’s Amy Logsdon. “We need to turn up the heat like never before,” Amy told the crowd. “We need to move our members of Congress away from the right wing’s destructive focus on deficits, budget cuts and austerity measures – a focus that undermines workers rights, living standards and our communities – and move them to a clear focus on the creation of good jobs that ensure workers’ rights, support families and build strong communities.”
In New Jersey, rebuilding bridges and creating jobs also was the theme of the day. New Jersey Citizen Action’s Lauren Townsend gathered with the New Jersey Working Families Alliance at a bridge located in Springfield to highlight the need for investment in New Jersey’s infrastructure.
“Springfield has at least three bridges that have been deemed ‘structurally deficient’,” Townsend said. “America’s infrastructure is crumbling.”
In West Virginia, where USAction Education Fund partner West Virginia Citizen Action Group enjoys longstanding ties with leading labor organizations, WVCAG organized an “America Wants to Work” event. “They’re tired of the status quo,” said WVCAG Executive Director Gary Zuckett. “The economy’s not working for the majority, for the 99 percent of the country.”
In New Britain, USAction Education Fund partner Connecticut Citizens Action Group (CCAG) stood outside a public high school and stressed the need for President Obama’s American Jobs Act (AJA). The AJA, among other things, provides funding for bridge and school repair.
“We call on Senator Liebermann to do the right thing and join the rest of the Connecticut delegation in calling for passage of the president’s jobs plan as a down payment to putting America back to work,” said CCAG’s Tom Swan.
Labor ally Susan Truglio, president of the New Britain Federation of Teachers, noted that Obama’s jobs plan would put 280,000 public-sector workers back to work, including teachers and first responders.
In Middleton, PA, Penn Action dogged Republican Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick – an opponent of jobs legislation and occupant of what could be one of the nation’s most closely contested House seats in 2012. “He can take an active step to create jobs,” said Penn Action organizer Robin Stelly. “Now is the time, and we can’t fool around. This is about getting people to understand that the government has the money for the American Jobs Act.”
Another election was on the minds of USAction Education Fund partner New Hampshire Citizens Alliance. Along with the Granite State Organizing Project, NHCA took advantage of a GOP presidential debate to organize a “flash mob” outside debate headquarters at Dartmouth University.
The song-and-dance routine featured activists singing and dancing to the tune of Motown’s “Stop in the Name of Love.” The message – don’t cut Social Security.
In Maine, USAction Education Fund partner Maine People’s Resource Center joined the AFL-CIO in marching through the rain to the State House with a simple message: “We are the 99 percent, we are the 99 percent, we are the 99 percent,” they chanted.
The rally featured unemployed electrician Dawn Frank,. “Workers like us didn’t crash the economy; Wall Street did,” Dawn said. “It’s been rough. It’s been rough for everybody.” Let’s get Maine workers like me rebuilding our country.”
USAction Education Fund and partners have been working to collect stories of the un- and under-employed, as part of a larger effort to organize those most affected by the jobs crisis. This summer, USAction Education Fund collected 1,199 stories from its online members about un- and under-employment, and shared those stories with affiliates.
USAction Education Fund partners this past week also began interacting with Occupy events, joining events in some locales and providing assistance, when asked, in others.
In Boise, USAction Education Fund partner United Vision for Idaho (UVI) helped host a National Week of Action featuring former Labor Secretary Robert Reich as well as student activists from a half dozen states, including Wisconsin. UVI also provided assistance to Occupy Boise, and managed to add 2,000 people to its listserv, a move that will come in handy during the next legislative session.
In Kalamazoo, USAction Education Fund Michigan Citizen Action (MCA) attended an event put on by Occupy Kalamazoo. MCA leafleted the 200 or so people in attendance, and urged participants to call Rep. Fred Upton, a member of the so-called Supercommittee, and urge him to oppose potential Medicaid cuts. In all, 34 calls were generated to Upton’s District and D.C. office in a short period of time.
