Establishing a GREAT Local Legislative Advocacy Program

Transcription

1 Florida Education Association * 2013 Florida Legislative Session Establishing a GREAT Local Legislative Advocacy Program Getting legislators elected who understand public education and who will fight for our issues is certainly the first step to a successful political action program. However, to translate electoral victories into concrete legislative gains, unions must develop strong local legislative advocacy programs. A strong program is one in which the state and local union works together to: Define issues and educate elected officials at all governmental levels; Develop activists who are trained in the skill of issue advocacy; and, Mobilize members to lobby in legislatures and in district offices. A strong legislative program does not take place in the state capitol. It takes place at our members workplaces, in local and statewide media and in communities all over the state. That s because the principal goal in lobbying is to demonstrate strong, broad-based support for our position and to persuade decisionmakers to agree with it. Elected officials need to be convinced that the union s position is substantive and that it has support in the community. Legislative and Electoral Work: Two Sides of the Same Coin Ideally, you and your legislative/political action committee members would begin a relationship with legislators before or during their campaigns for office. The period of campaigning is the perfect opportunity for our members to communicate our positions on issues. Sometimes this does not work out as planned. But regardless of whether we supported them or not, we still have an obligation to educate new legislators on our issues. Our members are their constituents and they are their elected representatives. A Successful Legislative Advocacy Program The Basic Components There are several components to a legislative advocacy program. As with political action programs, creating an effective legislative program isn t mysterious; it just involves putting basic elements in place. And, as with other political action programs, local legislative programs must be built over time, starting with the components you feel your local can address first and then adding to the program as more members become involved. Component 1: Prioritize the issues. There are a myriad of legislative issues that come up every legislative session that affect public schools and public school employees. While just keeping track of all of these issues can be difficult, developing a comprehensive legislative program that adequately addresses them all, often proves to be impossible. Therefore, the state and local affiliates must work together to prioritize the issues we work on. This is often done by state and local government relations committees. When prioritizing issues, we consider the proposed legislation s effects on the following: Overall funding for public schools Workplace issues Benefits such as public employee pensions Collective bargaining Component 2: Coordinate back home activities with the state strategy. We form unions because we understand that collective action is a powerful tool. That fact is just as true when it comes to legislative advocacy. Consequently, the state and locals must work together to support the larger agenda. An important step in developing a legislative program, is to meet with your state government relations staff to talk about how to state and local activities can be integrated and complement one another. Component 3: Integrate your legislative advocacy program into your union s

2 structure and culture. Not only do your members need to be aware of your union s legislative and political activities, they should understand that those activities are part and parcel of the union s culture. Once your members see legislative activism as an integral part of the union s role, it will be easier to mobilize them to help with those activities. Conversely, mobilizing members for legislative activities help to convert them to being a real part of a union culture of legislative activism! The Basic Components of A Successful Legislative Advocacy Program 1. Prioritize the issues. 2. Coordinate back home activities with the state strategy. 3. Integrate your legislative advocacy program into your union s structure and culture. 4. Meet with legislators including those the union did not support after their election. 5. Mobilize members to participate in as many aspects of the legislative process as possible. So how do you let your members know what the union is doing for them on the legislative front? Here are a few ways: Create a subcommittee responsible for legislative action as part of the local s political action committee; Have your political action committee chair give legislative updates on the agenda at your executive council/board meeting; Develop a mechanism appropriate for your membership to provide input on the local and state legislative agendas; Include legislative and political updates in all membership meetings and all of the local s communications to members; Mobilize members to communicate the union s legislative position, in multiple ways including: Phone banking; One-on-one communication in the work-site; Turning out for a rally; E-activism; Coalition work with other unions or other higher education groups; and Letter-writing campaigns. Component 4: Meet with legislators including those the union did not support after their election. Often new members of the state legislature are unfamiliar with educational issues. They also may not know who among their constituents the FEA represents. This is an ideal opportunity to provide information on our positions and priorities. It s also a great time to show the legislator that the union s membership includes the voters whose support he or she may need in the future. Try to demonstrate to the legislator in positive terms that your union s legislative program translates to active and involved constituents as well as voter clout. Component 5: Mobilize members to participate in as many aspects of the legislative process as possible. One-on-one meetings with legislators are just one way to make our position known. Participate in local legislative delegation hearings, co-sponsor a workshop on education issues with other public education stakeholders in your county, send members to Tallahassee to testify at committee hearings when possible, mobilize your members to lobbying your legislator on committee and floor votes. If this is beyond your current capacity, start by looking up one or two key places in this process where your local can participate visibly and build your capacity from there. Legislators may start viewing your local as a resource for developing legislative language or testifying as an expert on a particular bill. Testimony and lobbying by members hit home with legislators because they show how the legislature s work affects real people in their jobs and lives. Your members are the best spokespeople for describing how a particular legislative action harms or helps on the ground and in classrooms. Their testimony puts a face on legislative issues, making them your most immediate and powerful tool for bringing the issues and their real-life implications home to the legislature, the press and the public.

3 GrassRoots Education Action Team What is the GREAT Program? The Grass Roots Education Action Team (GREAT) Program is a member-driven effort to strengthen the relationship between FEA and members of the Florida Legislature. Under the program, local affiliates establish GREAT Committees by legislative district. Participants will meet with their Legislative members at least once a month in the three months prior to the legislative session in the district. The size of the GREAT Committee will vary from local to local, but should be large enough to ensure that there will be a sufficient number to meet with the legislator, yet not so large that the meeting fails to be productive. Given that the GREAT program is premised on the development of a continuing relationship with the Member of the legislature, it is important that the participants reside in the legislative district of the Member of the Legislature with whom they meet i.e. that they be constituents of the legislator. By scheduling regular meetings with Legislators the goal is to build lasting relationships while formalizing a line of communication to advance our positions. What are GREAT members asked to do? Participants are asked to do the following: 1. Schedule and meet, as an GREAT Committee, with the Legislator at least three per year to communicate on issues identified by the FEA PPA Department. 2. Report to FEA PPA the outcome of the meetings via . Doing so will enable FEA lobbyists to better represent our members concerns when meeting with the Legislators. 3. Communicate with their local union membership thru the local union newsletter, or other appropriate means, the outcome of the meeting, e.g. educate the membership on the positions of their Legislators. How will GREAT members receive the necessary information for the legislative meetings? FEA PPA will provide: guidelines on setting up and conducting a meeting with members of the Legislature; FEA legislative issue talking points; leave behind materials and reporting forms. How does an FEA member signup for the GREAT Program? Since each local affiliate has a different structure for political and legislative mobilization, the process for participating in the GREAT program will vary. Members will be encouraged during the annual PPA legislative briefings to sign up using a GREAT form. This information will be provided to the local President or legislative/political program chair. Members will also be encouraged in member publications to contact their local president or legislative/political program chair if they wish to participate in local GREAT meetings.

4 How to Schedule a GREAT Meeting Call the District Office: Well in advance of the scheduled meeting time, call the senator s or representative s district office to set up a meeting. Ask to speak to the scheduler. Identify yourself and explain why you would like an appointment (include a list of the issues you would like to discuss.) Have several dates/times available to allow for the most flexibility, including Saturday mornings. Times of the year that work best usually occur just before or just after legislative committee meetings in Tallahassee. Choose a Location: If you have a large meeting space, see if the member will come to your office. This will allow you to have more people present than if you meet at the district office. Consider hosting a breakfast or lunch. How to Prepare for a GREAT Meeting Invite Meeting Participants: FEA members participating in the GREAT program should be prepared to attend two meetings: a briefing session (see next bullet point), and the actual meeting with the member of the Legislature. Follow-up/reminder calls should be made to GREAT members as the meeting dates approach. Briefing Session: Bring the GREAT members together a day or two ahead of time to go over the issues that will be raised. You should appoint a chair of the GREAT committee (responsible for coordination of the meeting and the reporting of the meeting results). It is very important that meeting participants are well informed on issues. Emphasize how the issue affects you, your members and your community. Select a spokesperson at the meeting, knowing that others can add to what is being said. Or, divide up the agenda, assigning an issue to each participant. Review the FEA PPA Legislative issue briefing materials. The issue briefing will include fact sheets and background materials that can be left with the legislative member. Lobbying Tips Be on Time: Make certain you reach your appointment on time or a few minutes early so you can dispose of coats and get settled before the meeting. Be prepared to wait; elected officials often run behind schedule. The Meeting: Begin the meeting by thanking those who are in attendance. If it won t take more than five minutes, introduce participants. If possible, begin the meeting with a thank-you (for sponsoring a bill, voting in support of an FEA position, etc.). Be Brief: Because Legislators often have very busy schedules, plan on getting your message across in less than 15 minutes. Don t get sidetracked into small talk; make your time really count. Be Firm: Find out exactly where your Legislator stands on the issue. Ask what action he or she intends to take. Don t be afraid to press for specifics. Take Notes: Write down the lawmaker s precise response to questions on key legislation. You also might want to make notes on any problems or rough spots in the meeting. Listen carefully: Be ready to answer questions clearly and succinctly. If you don t know the answer to a question, admit it and offer to provide the information later. Pay attention to your Legislator s viewpoint, even if you disagree.

5 Script for Talking with Legislators 1. Always introduce yourself - Let them know who you are and why you care about the issue. Remember, you re the expert! Here s an example of how to start off talking about FEA s priorities and the impact of additional budget cuts: We re here to talk to you about how we preserve Florida s public schools. We realize the economic situation is bad but it is important for you to know what is happening in the schools in your district and what further cuts will mean. As education employees who work with students every day, we can tell you first hand. 2. Be Specific, Clear and Simple - Get Down to Business Quickly - State the issue, your position, and what you want him/her to do - Impress with Evidence! Here s what I know about the cuts our district has had to make this year 4. Use Personal Stories - Remember, your job is to persuade. Tie your personal experience with the policy issue you are discussing. This is most important. A personal story will leave an image that the Legislator will remember when he/she votes on the issue. Make it real - share your own story I can tell you firsthand what it means for our students when we work short-staffed. I can tell you first-hand what happened to my students after we eliminated that program 5. Seek Support & Offer Thanks - Remember to always be polite even if they disagree with you. Thank them and follow-up with a letter or Get the Commitment: Will you commit to making our schools the priority if the legislature is able to find new sources of revenue? 3. Handling Objections - This is a key aspect of lobbying. If the Legislator doesn t agree with your view point you might suggest: While I understand your concerns, in my experience, happens - OR - I see your point, but here s the down side to not funding our local schools - OR - Before you decide, it s important that you are aware of the unintended/long-term consequences of your vote

6 GREAT MEETING REPORTING FORM GREAT MEETING REPORTING FORM MEETING DATE: MEETING LOCATION: REPORTER S NAME: REPORTER S LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT: SENATE HOUSE LEGISLATOR S NAME: DID THE LEGISLATOR ATTEND THE MEETING? YES NO LIST OTHER STAFF FROM THE LEGISLATORS OFFICE WHO PARTICIPATED: ISSUES DISCUSSED: DRAFT OTHER ISSUES DISCUSSED: MATERIALS LEFT BEHIND? FOLLOWUP NEEDED: FEA GREAT TEAM MEMBERS ATTENDING: