#75 English 01/15/10

Ur Union of Unemployed

“Strength in numbers,” is among the bedrock principles of the modern labor movement. Yet, without the organization and resources to enforce a demand, a group of any size cannot hope to effectively leverage its potential strength. More than 31 million Americans are currently unemployed to some degree in this recession. More than 35,000 of our own members know the pain, the isolation and the frustration of not being able to provide for their families.

To give them the voice and the leverage they lack, the IAM is launching Ur Union of Unemployed,   or UCubed for short. The goal of this community service project is to give unemployed workers the means to connect, share experiences and join forces to press public officials for policies that really matter for workers and their families.

UCubed is designed to function as an online community, with small groups of unemployed activists in a single zip code forming “cubes” and joining with other cubes to ultimately become a linked, national network of not just size, but power.

In addition to giving unemployed workers a means to connect with each other  through a dedicated website, www.unionofunemployed.com, Ucubed will also provide information and resources allowing activists to speak with a single   voice on critical policy issues, including unemployment benefit extensions, food stamps and COBRA benefits.

There is no single answer to a national emergency the size and scope of this Grave Recession, but UCubed is one way for the unemployed to feel less alone  and to make their voices heard loud and clear above those who would dare say this crisis has passed.