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(Under construction. Not ready for prime time.)
Who.
- - Unemployed. Those of us who need but do not now have a
steady full-time job.
- - Underemployed. Those of us who --
- - are being paid at a rate below the true value of our work and our abilities.
- - and/or are being paid for fewer hours than we actually work or need to work.
- - and/or are enduring bad working conditions or an unorganized workplace.
- - Supporters of of the unemployed and underemployed. Those of us who back VUUW organizing actions, whether we ourselves are currently unemployed, underemployed, or neither.
Visibility, tactics.
Presence in numbers at a Thompson Center Plaza,
near city, county, state, and federal offices. Our hours normally
will include at least the late morning and early afternoon. Aim for
some presence 7-days-a-week.
Near basic public transportation. Someday adding
Daley Plaza? Excelon Plaza? Millennium Park Bean?
Card-sized handout typical draft: “Support
the unemployed and underemployed. Gather in Chase Plaza 11 a.m –
1 p.m. daily. www….”
Very visible picture-taking activities and
production of video and audio shows, such as member groups being
interviewed for release to broadcast media and VUUW's own channels on
YouTube etc. Reporter interviews are with multiple spokespersons who
are surrounded by supporters.
The caps! Brightly-colored baseball caps will be
a major identifier for members and supporters. Caps will be worn at
gatherings and media appearances. Caps will be available from members
or at dollar stores.
Posters, signs, flyers. Buttons, badges, scarfs
of our colors.
VUUW web site (startup development at
www.9898.us/vuuw
). Can include facts and discussions, group photos, montages,
slideshows, video statements, and interviews. Blogs. Podcasts. Web
RSS syndications.
Talk show production and appearances, always with
multiple representatives.
Sharing of our wireless computers and phones.
Literature and handouts, for each other and the
public.
Phone messages at first may be handled by an
affiliated nonprofit organization. Evenings by an answering machine.
Toll-free number? A texting service for announcements and calendar
dates.
Myspace and Twitter and Facebook pages and
messages.
Listserves for bulk emailing to members and
supporters.
Email organizational address, forwarded to
interested members.
Weblogs (blogs) and online threaded discussions.
Appearances and our own regular shows on
broadcast TV channels and public / educational / governmental cable
access channels.
Internet server space for sharing
password-protected draft documents and pictures and video and audio.
Steering and Advisory Committees.
In formation. Please suggest prospects, people
with organizations, time, skills, positions, contacts, other
resources.
Principles ...
The unemployed and underemployed demand respect
and can speak for ourselves, thank you. We are not helpless,
staying home and blaming ourselves for the failings of the economic
system. We are volunteering our time to support organizing by
unemployed and the underemployed people.
We will not be invisible or allow ourselves to be
portrayed merely as victims.
We join in solidarity for mutual support.
Differences in our analyses of political rights
and power will not destroy our fundamental mutual support. We will
work to find mutually supportable stands on the relevant public
issues.
Members speaking in public are absolutely
accountable for distinguishing their personal views from the adopted
stands of the organization. No people yet speak for this
organization, until there is an election. Our statements to
public officials and to the press will be by multiple members.
Although we are nonviolent, we are unapologetic,
aggressive, and bold about being visible and demanding our rights.
This is an organization of unemployed,
underemployed, and other supportive citizens coming together for
mutual support and to raise our visibility and our issues. We do
self-help and public education.
This is not …
This is not just a group of journalists or
authors, although we speak out publicly and want our stories told
everywhere.
This is not a school or research organization,
although we include teachers and researchers.
This is not a lawyers’ organization,
although we will utilize the help of legal professionals.
This is not a religious organization, although we
invite the support of religious groups.
This is not a mature political organization, but
we will make demands for major public policy changes by political
representatives.
This is not a social service agency, although we
will help each other find public and private resources for our family
and individual needs.
This is not an employment agency, although we
will share ideas about how to get the jobs appropriate for our skills
and with appropriate compensation.
This is not the much needed but far more
ambitious ‘national union of the unemployed’. We may help
toward it by gathering the support of powerful labor organizations
and affiliating with other organizing projects.
This is not a subsidiary of any other
organization or party. And it is not to be used as an election
campaign committee by anybody.
Organizational matters
- Places needed, of
varying sizes.
A large and very visible place: A meeting spot
for a very visible public presence, 7 days a week.
Outdoors at Thompson Center Plaza. (Where
during bad weather?) At the center of the metropolitan area, near
city, county, state, and federal offices, and near the main public
transit interchange.
Marches, city public events, lunchtime concerts,
TV newscasts’ live sidewalk window backgrounds, governmental
and media company offices, ….
A small place: A headquarters. Minimal office or
desk space. A small committee meeting place.
Medium-sized places: For: press conferences,
larger committees. Boardrooms, classrooms.
Auditoriums: For rallies, multimedia
presentations, Midwest Academy style accountability sessions for
specific commitments from public officials. Quarterly conventions for
reports, elections, voted resolutions, and new organizational
business, and camaraderie.
UMC Chicago Temple? Old St. Mary’s?
Downtown universities Columbia, DePaul, UC, Washington, …
Office buildings with auditoriums. Library? CAN-TV studio and meeting
room?
A declaration of purpose, constitution, and
by-laws should be drafted and voted as soon as possible.
Declaration of Purpose / Preamble ideas.
The unemployed and underemployed are a large and
growing …. Media pundits regard the anticipated economic
recovery as the business owners' recovery, and accept that reforms
for workers canlag far behind. ...
We will not be portrayed as simply victims but
are capable of organizing and speaking for our own interests.
Although we are beginning with an informal
structure and are all volunteers, we will develop structure and staff
as our growth requires.
An initial Steering Committee will authorize
editors for publications and Internet presence using a web site,
Channel, blogs, FaceBook, MySpace, and Twitter. Producers will be
authorized for our media channels on YouTube, broadcast TV and radio,
and cable. The Committee will act as Keeper of the Holy Seal,
authorizing uses of the organization’s name on communications
and events.
Membership qualifications: Support the unemployed
and underemployed. And provide VUUW with contact information. No dues
or fees requirement.
Program activities such as:
Gatherings for visibility. Being seen by the
public, including the media and public policy decision makers.
Engaging the public in public places about our
situation and our issues.
Getting to know each other and developing our
common interests. Exchanging survival tips on: Dealing with public
and private social service agencies, seeking job information,
organizing a workplace, negotiating pay and working conditions, etc.
Taking solidarity ‘field trips’ for
visibility at prominent places where labor organizations are
protecting and improving jobs. Support for press conferences, picket
lines, and sit-ins (HartMarx?).
Incorporation as a 501c3 nonprofit organization,
with bank accounts and tax-exempted fundraising, is a future
possibility. Meanwhile, an existing nonprofit organization will help
us process and account for expenses.
Other cities are starting VUUW organizations
simultaneously. St. Louis, San Francisco, ….
VUUW site development staging page(Items considered for other pages)
www.9898.us/vuuw,
mailto:bgf@aaahawk.com
Topics potential
- General
- Food
- Shelter
- Health
- Coping. COBRA rules, tips. Medicaid rules, tips. Agencies for help.
- Reform issues. Medicare for the unemployed and everybody.
- Jobs
- .
- An artist responds to homelessness.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment.
- Unemployment search of Dogpile.
- .
- .
- Coping. Unemployment Compensation rules, tips. Illinis Department of Employment Security rules, tips. Unions, Legal Agencies for help.
- Reform issues. Enforcing nondiscrimination in hiring. Immigration reform. Union rights.
- Organizing and Bargaining
- Research, Commentary, History
Miscellaneous objects
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Past U.S. photos.