In order to get the Labor Rate Bill passed, we will need a great lobbying effort on behalf of the entire collision industry. Certainly, some professional lobbying will be done to help our cause, but nothing is more important than people who are a part of the industry getting involved with their own state representatives and senators. YOU ARE THE BEST LOBBYIST FOR YOUR OWN CAUSE. And, while you may think that politicians don’t care about what you think, nothing could be further from the truth. They want to serve their constituents by demonstrating their support for your causes, especially ones that make as much sense as our bill, H-1085. BUT, THEY WON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR CAUSE IS UNLESS YOU TELL THEM.
The most effective form of lobbying is the phone call. Simply pick up the phone, dial the number, and tell the person who answers that you’d like to speak with your legislator. Tell that person that your call is in regards to H-1085, the Auto Body Labor Rate Bill. If you are able to speak with the legislator, tell him or her your name and the address of your workplace or your residence (you could have different representatives and senators, depending upon their district boundaries), and that you are calling to get their support for the Labor Rate Bill, H-1085. If you call or visit a legislator, we have some suggestions:
• First, be yourself. Introduce yourself by name, the place of business where you work, the type of shop (independent, car dealer, used cars, small-medium-large, etc.).
• If you know people who know the legislator or can interject something you may have in common, such as you live in same town, know a town employee, went to same school with a family member or friend, know someone in town with the same last name, etc. – this would be a good thing to mention. Knowing people is a legislator’s stock-in-trade.
• Remember that the legislator will be impressed that you’ve taken the time to make the call or to visit with him or her. They will admire your passion for the cause.
• Make any stories you mention about business simple to understand. Don’t use jargon. They won’t understand it. And, don’t mention a particular repair, like “a lady comes in with a …”
• A legislator may want to talk about his or her own issues. That’s a good sign and you should be cordial to this idea. One important aspect of lobbying is to leave as a “friend.”
• You must pay attention to the staff members you meet or speak to on your path to the legislator. Ask for the names of staff people and write down their names and titles. These people are critical to your efforts. Say “thank you,” and treat them with dignity.
• You may find that a legislator already supports H-1085, especially if he or she has already received letters from you and others asking for his or her support for the bill. Obviously, this is a very positive development and you should thank the legislator. Still, you may wish to mention one point about the bill that is important to you. (See Talking Points)
• If you feel comfortable with the legislator, ask him or her if you can have his or her name added to our list of supporters on our website.
Another very important form of lobbying is writing letters to legislators. The staff of the legislators compile a list of “Yes” and “No” letters, phone calls, faxes, and emails on each bill. This is their “scorecard.” Since everyone won’t have the opportunity to speak with or visit with each legislator, writing letters is the most common way to lobby for a bill like ours. And, a very essential one. We need thousands of letters out there!
We have made the process of writing a letter very easy for you.
Click “Sample Letter” on the "Documents" page, and you will see the current letter we want you to use (this letter will change as the bill progresses through the legislative process). This sample letter can be copied and pasted into an email or you can edit it and print it out for mailing or sending a fax. Please make sure to put your name and company information on the letter. If you’re writing to a legislator who represents the district in which your workplace is located, use that address. If the legislator represents the district of your residence, use that address. It’s really that simple.
To complete the results of your lobbying efforts, you should report what takes place. If you receive an email back from a legislator, forward it to us at:
peter@PassTheLaborRateBill.org
If you receive a reply in the mail, fax it to us at (978) 749-0687.
Or, call us at (978) 749-9695 to talk over any important developments. We need to know which way the legislators may be leaning.
Thank you for your help.
