BLOG POSTING FROM Ur Union of Unemployed (UCubed) "a community service project of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)."
July 25, 2011


Announcing the Pink Slip Primary

Presidential candidates filed their Federal Election Commission reports recently. President Barack Obama lapped the entire Republican field by raising $86 million dollars in three months. His closest competitor was Mitt Romney who raised $18 million.

But money isn’t everything in politics. Votes count, too.  And jobless households will cast 40 million votes in November 2012. And yet, jobless voters will not have a voice – or much of a vote – in the presidential nomination process.

True, some jobless voters are Democrats; some are Republicans; some are Independents; and some reject any party label. But they’re all in the same boat. No presidential candidate has to court their votes, not when the nomination process starts with Iowa and New Hampshire where the “official” unemployment rate is 6.0 percent and 4.9 percent respectively.

So, on November 7, 2012, forty million jobless voters will be forced to choose between two major party candidates, candidates chosen by a few hundred thousand party activists who attended caucuses in Iowa or voted in the New Hampshire primary, candidates who never had to confront the harsh reality of being unemployed or underemployed for the past two, three or even four years. And that’s just not right.

So, we are hosting the PINK SLIP PRIMARY at UCubed. We want the jobless to vote for – or against – the presidential candidates who would lead this Nation.

Starting on August 1st at www.unionofunemployed.com, the jobless of all political persuasions will be able to see what the candidates running for president have said about jobs, what their campaign appeals are, and what they’ve done to put Americans back to work. They will have a chance to “vote” in the PINK SLIP PRIMARY for the candidate of their choice in the party of their own choosing.

On the last day of each month, UCubed will announce the monthly and cumulative totals for the PINK SLIP PRIMARY. So vote early, vote often. And encourage your friends and families to participate.


Ur Union of Unemployed (UCubed) website urges visitors to "Join UCubed in the Pink Slip Primaries and fire the politicians who are least likely to help the jobless."


PRESS RELEASE from International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
January 15, 2010

Machinists Union Debuts Unique Program for Unemployed Workers

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), today unveiled a new community service program designed to mobilize the unemployed and underemployed to better cope with the stress and pressure of being jobless in America.

The new IAM program, called Ur Union of Unemployed, or UCubed for short, will function as an online community, with small groups of unemployed activists in a single zip code forming "cubes" and ultimately becoming a linked network with considerable political and economic influence.

"We hope that UCubed will provide a measure of relief and an end to the isolation, frustration and depression that so many unemployed workers experience," said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. "Working together, they can build a network of mutual support and help each other to get through the next few years."

In addition to giving unemployed workers a means to connect and share experiences through a dedicated website, they will also have the opportunity to speak with a single voice on critical political issues. The UCubed website will feature links to allow activists to pressure state and federal lawmakers to respond more effectively to the jobs crisis.

The UCubed legislative component will focus on issues directly affecting the jobless, including unemployment benefit extensions, food stamps, COBRA benefits and JOBS NOW!, the IAM effort to draw attention to the need for a national industrial policy.

The IAM is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America, representing nearly 700,000 active and retired members in dozens of industries. For more information about the IAM, visit www.goiam.org.