One example of this is the Legislative Meeting we hold every Friday. We go over what bills are of interest to the labor movement in the Arizona Capitol. We also discuss, just a bit, any legislation that affects us in national government. It is during these meetings when we encourage members to reach out to their legislators to let them know if they support or oppose bills. And sometimes we encourage them to reach out to certain legislators we think we can pressure into supporting whichever way we stand on a bill or issue.
Another example of Arizona AFL-CIO participating in urban governance was our Day of Action at the Arizona Capitol. We created cards that explained where we stood on multiple issues that everyone just had to put in the name of his/her legislator and his/her name and signature. They then delivered it personally to the office of each legislator or gave the cards to us which we then delivered to the Capitol. We also gave everyone instructions on how to sign up for "the right to speak." One must sign up at a kiosk at the Capitol, but then is able to put whether they support or oppose a bill from her/his home computer. Lastly, just having a presence at the Capitol with hundreds in attendance helps make our voice as a collective and individually stronger.
I have been reaching out to my representatives for years. For instance, I can't tell you how many times I called the office of Governor Brewer to tell her how staunchly I opposed SB1070 in 2010. I love that I work for an organization that does so much work focused on getting so many people active in state and federal government.
shows the final vote
The entire roster of current Legislators
of Action at the Capitol
participating in democracy
Supporters listening to Representative Andrade
about how to best make their voices heard
Charlie,
ReplyDeleteOne of the many challenges organizations face, is the lack of participation and follow through from its members. That is to say 40 people show up for a Day of Action event but of those 40 only 10 follow through with any other action besides showing up to the event. What I love about what you are doing is that you are encouraging all of your members to have follow through and continue their actions beyond showing up to an event. I cannot tell you how many times I hear people complaining and when I ask them if they have contacted their congressman or representative they give me a blank stare, as if this was a foreign concept. We live in one of the greatest democracies in the world, with a system, that although flawed at times, allows its citizens to actively participate in the process. I will never understand why people do not feel compelled to use their constitutionally protected rights to engage their representatives. Again I am very glad to see that the Arizona AFL-CIO is doing more to make this a reality.