Machinist Royce Braaten (right) mobilizes other workers to write Congress.

Braaten is committeeman for Railroad Local 112 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Determined to help America’s more than 31 million unemployed get back to work, he took it upon himself to distribute and collect postcards for the IAM JOBS Now! campaign. The cards addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid demand a stimulus package that focuses directly on creating jobs.

“I do it for the union,” says the CP Rail Systems worker. “Without the union, we would not be working at this job under these conditions.”

New jobs numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor show employers took 2,561 mass layoff actions involving 248,006 workers during the month of September – a slight decrease from the previous month, but researchers are still reporting year-to-date highs. The manufacturing sector reported 97,066 new unemployment claims for the month of September, 3,174 more than the previous month.

The IAM is mobilizing members to write letters to Congress. They’re also sharing information about the campaign on Facebook.

This story was written by the Machinists News Network and is reprinted from www.goiam.org

For more information
Learn more about the IAM’s Jobs Now! campaign