Pass The Labor Rate Bill

Building Your "Action Team"

   You are one person, however you can choose to become a one-man (or woman) political force all by yourself. If you really want the Auto Body Labor Rate Bill to become law in Massachusetts, we're all going to have to work for it and support it in every way that we can.

    Using the sample letters provided in this information packet and names of all of the legislators who must be contacted, you have the potential to deliver dozens and dozens of messages targeted to the appropriate legislators at just the right time for action. Here's an idea about how you can build your own Action Team:

    Your primary team should include your spouse (or significant other), your voting-age children living in Massachusetts, and your employees along with their families and/or significant others.

    Your secondary team should include your trade vendors (paint jobbers, parts suppliers, etc. --make sure you talk to them when they want to take an order from you -- along with other people with whom you do business, your extended family, and friends. Let's face it, these people want and need you to keep your business going strong.

This is just one idea for you to consider. You may have others that will work for you. Feel free to use them.

    Using our "Action Team Worksheet," you can make and keep a list of the people you contact to help your cause. Print out the worksheet and list each name, home address, and phone number. Then, contact each person and ask him or her to help you. Check each person's name when they have done what you've asked them to do.

    Every person you get involved in your effort has the potential to help you. We suggest that you hold a short meeting with your employees to tell them about how they can be involved in getting the Labor Rate Bill passed into law. You may allow each of them to use your office computer for a few minutes during a break to get their letters distributed to their legislators. Ask each of them to fill out a "Tracking Worksheet" after they send their letters and hand it back to you. You should fax these forms into our office at (617) 484-0568, at your earliest convenience. You may also want to give each employee an "Add My Name ..." form to fill out and fax to our office, so that they can stay informed of everything involving the Labor Rate Bill.

Make It Easy For Them to Help the Cause

    For your "secondary" team you should limit the letters they send to just the legislators who represent their residential addresses. You can make this easy for them and for yourself by asking them for their home addresses, then prepare a letter for them with the legislators' names and addresses on the letters, their own pre-printed name and home address at the bottom, and a line for them to sign their name to the letters. Then, you can fax them to each legislator at your earliest convenience. Just think of the number of messages for which you could be responsible. So, while we certainly want you to focus on sending out your own messages, please consider that with a little extra effort, you could do so much more.

Keep Track of Your Actions

   Another important way to become a political force for change in our industry is to track all of the actions you take on behalf of the Labor Rate Bill. Not only will tracking your actions likely keep you organized and focused on what you want to accomplish, but you can use your Tracking Worksheet to keep our office up to date as well. Imagine the impact of our committee and lobbying people meeting with legislators and telling them that we know they have received at least "x-amount" of letters on this bill! Make several copies and use the Tracking Worksheet we have provided for you. After you've taken action, fax that sheet to us for our files.