Title: LEGISLATIVE WORKSHOP
1LEGISLATIVE WORKSHOP
- PASS Chapter Summit
- July 17-19, 2006
- Detroit, Michigan
2Introduction
- PASS Structure (rep vs. internal business)
- Legislative Committees (national chapters)
- Grassroots Lobbying Political Activity
- Legislative Training (description process to
request) - Expectations for Chapter Legislative Committees
- Legislative Lobbying Tools
- Examples of Grassroots Lobbying Successes
- PASS Political Action Committee (PAC)
- Conclusion Action Plan
3PASS Structure
- Contract Administration
- Representational - Interacts With Employer
- Representatives
- Regional Business Agents
- Chapters Standing Committees
- PASS Internal Business
- National Committees
- Legislative, Membership Safety
- Chapter Committees
- Legislative, Membership Safety
4PASS National Legislative Committee
- Mark Dunlap, Chair
- Paul Taylor, Region I
- Larry Rambo, Region II
- Mark Matthiesen, Region III
- Martin Bailey, Region IV
- Jim Emory, Region V
5PASS Legislative Committee Advisors
- Bob Abbott, Executive Board Member/Region V
- Tom Brantley, National President
- Abby Bernstein, Legislative Director
- Kori Blalock, Legislative Coordinator
6Chapter Legislative Committee
- Structure detailed in PASS national chapter
by-laws. - Consists of at least three chapter members,
unless otherwise indicated by the chapter
Executive Board - Committee members shall be appointed for one-year
terms by majority vote of the chapter Executive
Board - Chapter president designates the committee
chairperson - All members of the chapter legislative committee
shall participate on a voluntary basis - All committee members are expected to fully
participate
7PASS Legislative Model
PASS National Office
Washington, DC and Congressional District Office
PASS National Legislative Committee
Chapter Legislative Committee
PASS Members
8Grassroots Lobbying
- Grassroots lobbying is the means by which a
person or a group of persons attempts to
influence the voting of legislators by delivering
information using letters, email, phone calls or
personal visits to members of Congress from
constituents the people back home who vote. - Lobbying and lobbyists are a major force in the
decision-making process of federal and state
governments.
9Importance of Grassroots Lobbying
- With an effective grassroots lobbying network
across the nation, PASS can help - Ensure that funding and oversight is provided by
Congress so the workforce receives the training,
equipment and support necessary to protect
aviation safety - Influence legislation affecting the structure and
components of the NAS - Preserve member benefits and protect their careers
10Legislative Training Locations
- Dallas, Texas 2004
- Honolulu, Hawaii 2004
- Chicago, Illinois 2005
- Los Angeles, California 2005
- Memphis, Tennessee 2005
- Miami, Florida 2005
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2005
- New England 2005 (Connecticut, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire Rhode Island) - Augusta, Maine 2006
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2006
- Portland, Oregon Seattle, Washington 2006
- Salt Lake City, Utah 2006
- St Louis, Missouri 2006
11Legislative Training Locations
12Process to RequestLegislative Training
- Chapter president, vice president or legislative
chairperson requests training by notifying any or
all of the following - Regional legislative committee member
- National legislative committee chair
- Regional vice president
- National legislative director
13Description of Legislative Training
- PASS national legislative committee members
conduct training in the field that culminates
with trainees performing congressional visits the
following day - Training session is five hours long
- Congressional visit takes about one hour
- Goal is to have 10 or more attendees
14Legislative Training Materials
- PowerPoint training presentation
- Congressional directory
- Grassroots lobbying handbook
- List of congressional committees
- Handouts
- Biographies of legislators
- National issue papers
- Hatch Act and the Federal Employee handout
- Political Action Committee (PAC)
brochure/application
15Beginning Six Weeks Prior to Training
- Instructor(s) will contact local PASS member who
will be taking the lead - Instructor(s) will work with local person to
- Send list of attendees to the national office
- Schedule kickoff telecon
- Secure a meeting room for training ½ day
- Work with attendees on local issue papers
16Beginning Six Weeks Prior to Training
- National office will send email and letter to
attendees regarding - Kickoff Telecon
- Overall description of training and expectations
- Discussion of how to schedule a legislative visit
- Determining point of contact for each group to
schedule legislative visit - Importance of creating an issue paper
- Training date, time and location
- Proper attire, etc.
17Chapter By-lawsLegislative Committee
- Coordinate all legislative issues with the
regional legislative committee member and
regional VP - Establish grassroots lobbying network
- Letter writing, email, telephone calls, faxes,
site visits, etc., and increasing PASS PAC
membership and participation - Ensure chapter members know which lawmakers
represent them, how those lawmakers are elected
and the legislative issues that affect them
18Chapter By-lawsLegislative Committee
- The committee shall encourage chapter members to
actively support candidates who are supportive of
issues that affect PASS members - Meetings of the committee shall be held not less
than monthly - Meetings shall be open to all interested members
in good standing
19Expectations for Chapter Legislative Committees
- Chapter legislative chairs or alternates should
participate in monthly conference calls with the
regional PASS national legislative committee
member to report on legislative and political
efforts - Report on legislative/political activities to the
chapter Executive Board as required - Request, coordinate, participate and mobilize
chapter members to attend legislative training
conducted by the national committee
20Expectations for Chapter Legislative Committees
- Identify chapter members by congressional
districts to build an effective PASS chapter
lobbying network - Be engaged on a day-to-day basis and not just for
one-shot efforts - Encourage every chapter member to sign up for the
PASS national Action Center Alerts on the
national website and coordinate with the chapter
membership committee to ensure all new members
sign up for the alerts
21Expectations for Chapter Legislative Committees
- Assist chapter members in establishing
relationships and educating federal, state and
local elected officials about PASS issues - Work with chapter members to lobby Congress on
legislation important to PASS (often under
time-critical deadlines) - Work with chapter members on conducting facility
tours and site visits for elected officials
22Expectations for Chapter Legislative Committees
- Encourage chapter members to promote the PASS
PAC, attend political fundraisers and get active
in political campaigns - Develop, assist and relay information from the
national legislative committee to PASS members - Work with chapter membership committee to
recognize members for participating in political
campaigns and lobbying efforts - Interfacing with the chapter safety committee for
possible local legislative lobbying efforts
23Chapter Legislative Committee
- Chair
- Committee Members
- Organize by state, congressional districts,
bargaining units, FAA/DOD job functions,
energy/enthusiasm, communicating skills, training
received, etc. - Chapter President
24Be Persistent and Patient!
- It will take time to build a fully functioning
chapter legislative committee - Set up short-term and long-term goals
- Take small steps and build slowly
- Legislative training can jump start your efforts
to create a functioning chapter legislative
committee
25Legislative Committee Tools
- www.passnational.org
- Main Legislative Center
- You can write your legislators
- Federal (president, senators representative)
- State (governor state senator)
- House Senate Committee rosters congressional
websites - Congressional calendar
- Legislative issues
- FAA Fair Labor Dispute Act of 2006
- Oversight of Contract Maintenance
- Reliability Centered Maintenance
- Inspector Staffing
- FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI)
- Sample letters to Congress on current issues
26Legislative Committee Tools
- PASS National Action Center
- Call the PASS national office and ask to sign up
for the Action Center email notifications - When Congress is in session and legislative
action is needed, an email will be sent to Action
Center members with specific instructions
27Legislative Committee Tools
- Chapter Teleconference Bridge
- Teleconference bridge number, host code guest
code provided by national office - Excellent tool for communicating in our new and
larger chapters - Chapter legislative committee members
- Chapter membership
- National legislative committee member
- Regional vice president
28Legislative Committee Tools
- Grassroots Lobbying Handbook
- Congressional Directories
- Congressional contact info
- Both available from the PASS national office
- Request through national legislative committee
member or directly from the national office
29Examples of Grassroots Lobbying Successes
- Chapter 71 of Title V
- OKC State Resolution
- Miami ARTCC
- Southern Florida congressional delegation letter
to FAA administrator - PASS Office Birmingham ATCT
- Cosponsors on H.R. 4755 S. 2201
- Pressuring agency
30The PASS Political Action Committee (PAC)
- The PASS PAC identifies and contributes money to
candidates who support issues important to PASS - Union dues are not used for political
contributions - Easiest way to join is through dues withholding
- Can join for as little as 1/pay period
- Only PASS members can be solicited
31PASS PAC Contributions1999 - 2005
32PASS PAC Contributions
- Currently, less than 20 percent of PASS members
donate to the PAC - If every PASS member donated just 10/pay period
or 260/yr, we would have 975,520
332004 Election SpendingCorporations Outspent
Labor 24 - 1
34What Do PASS PAC Contributions Do for You?
- Politicians supported with PASS PAC money are
much more likely to support us when needed - The PASS national legislative director gets
better access to politicians we have supported - It keeps us in the game
35Action Plan
- Select Chapter Legislative Chair Committee
Members - Review expectations for chapter legislative
committees - Talk with your national legislative committee
member participate in monthly teleconferences - Solicit members and request legislative training
from the national committee
36Action Plan
- Visit PASS National Legislative Center on
www.passnational.org - Increase Communications With Members
- Try to get every chapter members personal email
address to the national office so they will
receive timely Action Center Alerts - Try out your chapter teleconference bridge
- Work to Increase PAC Members in Your Chapter
37Legislative Committee
- Chair Mark Dunlap
- markjazz64_at_aol.com
- mark_at_simmermusic.com
- (413) 519-1912
-
- Region I Paul Taylorp.taylor29_at_verizon.net
- (800) 759-8888 PIN 1248528
- Region II Larry RamboRAMBOPASS_at_aol.com
- (850) 232-0813
- Region III Mark Matthiesenmatt1013_at_yahoo.com
- (858) 682-6275
- Region IV Marty Baileymarty25_at_excite.com
- (812) 987-4745
- Region V Jim Emory
- jim-robin_at_cox.net
- (405) 364-6701
38Questions