By Robert Borosage — OurFuture.org

To be thrown out of work is a crushing blow. Homes are lost. Families split. Children are terrified. Hopes are dashed. Today, nearly one in five American workers is without a job or scraping by on whatever part-time, short-term work there is.

We need a real jobs bill now, and a strategy that commits our government to revitalizing America’s economic foundation, built around a commitment to full employment.

Tell the Senate: We need action on jobs NOW!

Last night, in his State of the Union address, President Obama pressed the Senate to act boldly on jobs. Now it’s up to us to keep the pressure on, by making sure the voices of the jobless are heard.

Campaign for America’s Future is sending out this call to every American who needs a job, and to every American who has a friend or relative suffering in this Great Recession.

Last month, the House passed a jobs bill that was a first step towards what is needed. Now the Senate is reportedly cutting that in half, and weakening it further. This makes no sense.

But last night, President Obama demanded the Senate pass the House bill now.

Tell the Senate: We need action on jobs NOW!

President Obama told the Senate:

The House has passed a jobs bill … As the first order of business this year, I urge the Senate to do the same. People are out of work. They are hurting. They need our help. And I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay.
In fact, 27 million Americans are either out of a job or stuck in jobs that don’t offer enough hours. These are the voices the Senate needs to hear from, not the bankers and the CEOs.

Tell the Senate: We need action on jobs NOW!

President Obama also rightly noted the House bill is not nearly enough to bring this nation to full employment.

… these steps still won’t make up for the seven million jobs we’ve lost over the last two years. The only way to move to full employment is to lay a new foundation for long-term economic growth, and finally address the problems that America’s families have confronted for years.
The Senate must hear our call for not just a single jobs bill that peters out after one year, but a real long-term jobs strategy.

Tell the Senate: We need action on jobs NOW!

Bold ideas to put millions of Americans back to work have already been proposed by the AFL-CIO and other economic policy experts.

Rebuild America’s schools, roads and energy systems. Close state budget gaps to prevent mass layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters. Direct public sector hiring to expand services that strengthen our communities. Using our taxpayer dollars to “Buy American” and revitalize our manufacturing industry.

We have workers that need jobs, and jobs that need to be done. The time to act is now.

Tell the Senate: We need action on jobs NOW!

If you have lost your job, or if you know someone who has, let your Senator know. This isn’t politics. People are struggling. We need to stand with them and demand action.

Speak out today, and then share this action with all your friends and neighbors, and help us insure that the Senate hears from those who can’t afford lobbyists as they struggle simply to feed their families and house their children.

Let’s break through the partisan posturing, and send Senators a message.