Visit this web page for more information, a list of participating cities, and a sign-up sheet. New York City 99ers will be meeting at City Hall. CNN, NPR, RTV and other media, including a documentary filmmaker, will be covering this event. Directions by subway: R to City Hall; 4, 5, 6 to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall; 2, 3 to Park Place; A, C, E to Chambers, J, Z to Chambers.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), is one of the few who have consistently stood up for 99ers, the unemployed and hardworking Americans against the corporations, big banks and stone-walling politicians. Today, on the floor of the Senate, Senator Sanders spoke passionately for close to nine hours, about the need to reject the compromise for extending tax cuts proposed by President Obama.

Former New Yorker Alexandra Jarrin, a 99er who is now living in Brattleboro, VT, has made arrangements with Senator Sanders’ office to deliver letters from the 99er community about their plight. Send in your story and why we need a Tier V or more weeks included in the UI legislation currently being negotiated on Capital Hill. Even if you are not a 99er, but know and care for someone who is, he wants to hear from you. Many Senators and Representatives are incensed that a deal has been made to extend tax cuts for the rich, while current and future 99ers have been left out in the cold.

Give them the back-up they need to fight for all of us. Email your story to: DearBernieSanders@gmail.com . CNN will be covering this on Saturday at approximately 4pm.

I’m 68 years old, and have been a “good girl” all my life. But this past Friday I turned into an activist and had myself arrested for the cause. I joined a small group of 99ers and members of the long-term unemployed, who gathered in front of the building housing the Dept. of Labor’s unemployment office to tell Congress to “Get to work so that we can get to work.”

Congress was set to return to session on November 15th, after granting itself 45 days off for campaigning, leaving less than a week to pass vital unemployment legislation. On November 30th, current UI benefit extensions will expire and 200,000 New Yorkers will be left without a safety net. Additionally, Senator Debbie Stabenow’s bill, the Americans Want to Work Act (S.3706) — which would create another 20 weeks of benefits, or a Tier V, for 4.5 million 99ers — needs to be brought to the floor for a vote. Neither seems likely.

Chanting “We need a J-O-B so we can “E-A-T,” and “Bail out the people, not the banks,” our group continued demonstrating for about an hour. Then four of us, including myself, walked into the middle of street and sat down, refusing to get up. Traffic was unable to move; cars were honking. A police officer came over to read us our rights and asked us to get up, or face arrest. We refused. The same officer then read us another statement. We stated we would comply, rose, kept our hands in clear sight, and then put them behind our backs. Several cops came and placed a set of plastic handcuffs over our wrists and lead us to the paddy wagon.

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Anyone presently collecting unemployment benefits will become a “99er” after November 30th, when the current benefits extension bill expires — unless Congress votes for reauthorization. And by “99er” this does not mean that you will receive 99 weeks of benefits, this means you will become a UI benefits “exhaustee”.

If Congress doesn’t reauthorize additional extensions your current benefits will conclude at the end of your current tier — and you won’t advance any further. For example, if you are presently collecting your first 26 weeks, that is all you will receive. If you are presently in Tier I, Tier II or Tier III, those are the only weeks of benefits you will receive. You will not advance to the next tier. You will become an exhaustee and will be joining the 99ers, whose last extension ended at Tier IV — or 99 weeks.

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