Three days after Christmas nearly 800,000 jobless workers lost their unemployment benefits because House Republican leaders sent Congress home in November rather than calling for a vote to extend unemployment benefits. They join the ranks of 1 million jobless workers who have already exhausted their benefits. Send a fax to your representative with a copy to Rep. Tom Delay and President Bush right now. Tell them to restore and extend unemployment benefits for all those who need them until the economy has recovered.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am outraged at Congress' failure to extend unemployment benefits to hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers whose benefits expired three days after Christmas. In addition, some 95,000 additional unemployed workers are now running out of their regular benefits EVERY WEEK and they have no jobs or federal emergency benefits to fall back upon. They join a million jobless workers who have exhausted both their federal and state benefits before finding new work.

Every day that goes by is a day that these families struggle to pay rent or mortgages, utility bills and grocery bills.

This is a moral tragedy that should shame elected leaders. These hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers--already victimized by a stagnant economy--have no other options now that their benefits have expired. How could the House have headed home for the holidays while destroying the holidays for desperate workers?

I urge you to vote to extend and restore unemployment benefits for all those who need them until the economy recovers. Congress and the president should extend this program and provide additional assistance for workers who have already exhausted their federal benefits. Leave no jobless worker behind.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
January 05, 2003