PEP May 2001: Blitzing Congress

Members take labor’s fight-back message to Capitol Hill.

After studying how working families would be hurt by Bush administration policies and refreshing their lobbying techniques, DC 37 members joined an army of union activists who delivered a pro-labor message to Congress.

Throughout the afternoon on March 27, DC 37 lobbying teams and activists from the AFSCME legislative conference visited Congress members at the Rayburn and Longworth House office buildings near the U.S. Capitol.

For the 200 members of the New York State AFSCME delegation, the lobbying blitz culminated with a gathering with Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Hart Senate Office Building.

“The lobbying experience is really something you’re going to remember for your lifetime,” said Local 1655 President Donald Afflick, who chairs DC 37’s Political Action Committee. “Having that access and being able to tell decision-makers how you feel about issues affecting millions of people makes you understand concretely how we can exercise our collective power through the union.”

DC 37 members had appointments at the offices of Reps. José E. Serrano, Gregory Meeks, Carolyn McCarthy, Charles Rangel, Anthony Weiner, Jerrold Nadler, Edolphus Towns and Nita Lowey.

Each lobbying group had a leader, whose responsibility was to initiate the dialog and steer the discussion, ensuring that the union’s legislative priorities were clearly articulated.

Participants spoke against privatization, proposed federal budget cuts and the Bush administration’s $1.6 trillion tax giveaway to the wealthy. They spoke passionately for a Medicare prescription drug benefit. Members also complained about provisions in campaign finance reform legislation that would restrict unions from educating members about political issues. Finally, they told the politicians and their staffers that the federal government shouldn’t adopt so-called paycheck protection legislation, which would undermine the political effectiveness of working families by restricting unions’ ability to educate members about issues and candidates.

Local 374 President Jacob Azeke led a group to Congress member Rangel’s office. “We are very concerned about privatization and budget cuts, which will lead to less services for the poor,” he said.

Criticizing paycheck protection, Local 1219 President Magda DeJesus said, “It is unfair because it would silence unions and hurt our ability to back candidates who support our issues.”