ABC News’ Sunlen Miller and Serena Marshall report:

Wearing homemade T-shirts with the words ”I need a job” written on the front and back, about 20 unemployed D.C. residents today staged a sit-in at the office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky.

 The group is part of  OurDC,  a jobs advocacy group, with a few members of OccupyDC also participating.

Eating Subway sandwiches, sitting on every piece of furniture in the minority leader’s office lobby, and even the floor, the protestors pledged to stay in McConnell’s Russell building office until they get a face-to-face meeting with McConnell.

“We believe the senators need to hear, feel and understand the pain of the unemployed,” a member  of the protest said, “The bottom line for here is that there is bitter, bitter pain of not working and gridlock and they want folks to see it, hear it and feel it.”

 The group has been offered a lower-level meeting with a McConnell staff assistant, but the protestors said they wouldn’t leave until they got to speak directly to the majority leader. The protest has so far stayed calm and peaceful. As they occupy McConnell’s office, the protestors have been busy on cell phones delivering the same message to other senators.

“Every day, I apply every single day. If I’m not on the computer, I’m out there looking for various work around the region,” Andre Henson, 23, an unemployed short-order cook who has been out of work for more than a year, said.  ” I go to D.C., Maryland, Virginia. Doesn’t really matter. Anywhere I can get on the train, because I don’t have a car. But I’m out here every day doing it.”

 The group said it supported the Democrat’s infrastructure jobs bill that was set to be voted on later today, but that the main purpose of their visit was  not to get involved in the politics of the bill  but  to have the senators “feel the pain” of the unemployed living in the nation’s capitol.