Saturday at ABQ Balloon Fiesta: Working Families to Launch Hot Air Balloon Calling for Congress to Take Action on Jobs Crisis

September 30, 2011 by Democracy for N...

From New Mexico labor unions, the Central New Mexico Labor Council and Working America: Jobless New Mexicans and working families from across the state will launch a hot air balloon starting Saturday, October 1, at 7:00 AM at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta calling for lawmakers to focus on fixing the growing jobs crisis affecting the country.

The balloon launch will feature a 40-foot “America Wants to Work: Good Jobs Now” banner, and unemployed workers will be present telling their personal stories about how the jobs crisis is affecting them and why they are calling on Congress to act on passing a strong jobs agenda. In addition to this Saturday, the balloon will also be launched at 7:00 AM on Sunday, October 2; Wednesday, October 5; Saturday, October 8; and Sunday, October 9, from field position F-10.

“I have been unemployed for almost 3 years,” said LeRoy Apodaca, an unemployed Working America member. “I want to work, but finding a job these days is difficult. We are asking our elected officials to focus on job creation and make that their most important issue.”

In addition to his membership with Working America, Apodaca has been an active participant of , a program that has been organizing unemployed workers since January.

The balloon event is part of the “America Wants to Work” National Month of Action calling for a jobs plan to:

• Rebuild America’s schools and transportation and energy systems
• Revive U.S. manufacturing and stop exporting good jobs overseas
• Put people to work doing work that needs to be done
• Help federal, state, and local governments avoid more layoffs and cutbacks of public services
• Help fill the massive shortfall of consumer demand by extending unemployment benefits and keeping homeowners in their homes
• Reform Wall Street so that it helps Main Street create jobs

The America Wants to Work balloon and banner are sponsored by New Mexico labor unions, the Central New Mexico Labor Council and Working America.