Sisters and Brothers —

It seems like every day, there’s some new reason to contact Congress to make sure they know what we think of what they’re trying to do. But what are the most effective ways to share your opinions?

Phone calls

One of the easiest and most effective things to do is to make a phone call. It takes just a few minutes, and you’ll usually be able to speak directly to a staff member in your elected official’s office about whatever is on your mind.

Before you call, prepare your message:

• Tell the person who answers your name and the town where you live (so they know you’re a constituent).
• Give a short message about why you’re calling. Do you want your representative to support or oppose a specific bill? Want to thank them for doing something good? Let them know.
• And always make sure to be polite — the staff member is much more likely to take you seriously if you’re not yelling into the phone.

To make your call, you can call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and ask them to connect you to your elected official’s office (they’re most likely in the office between 8am – 5pm ET). Sometimes, the IATSE will send emails with a special, toll-free number to call that will connect you to your representative. Or you can go to WhoIsMyRepresentative.com to find your elected representative’s direct office line.

Send a letter

When you’re not reaching out about an imminent vote, sending a paper letter can have a big impact. Congressional offices get a lot of mail, but someone will read all of the letters that come in, and personal stories really do stand out.

As always, make sure you’re polite in your letter:

• Start out by introducing yourself and letting them know you’re a constituent.
• Then, explain to your representative what issue you’re writing about, and how you want them to act. Personal stories are often more convincing than facts and figures, so let your representative know how you’re connected to the issue.
• Finally, close by thanking them for their time. Make sure to include contact information so they know how to reach you if they have questions.

You can find your representatives’ office addresses at WhoIsMyRepresentative.com. And the Political/Legislative Department is always willing to help with talking points or other tips — simply reply to this email with your request, and we’ll be happy to help.

Attend an event

Sometimes the only way to get an elected official’s attention is to ask them a question directly. The Town Hall Project maintains a list of upcoming events where members of Congress or their staff are planning to take questions. Use their map to see if there’s an event coming up in your area. You may also want to sign up for your elected officials’ email lists for updates when they schedule new town halls.

Before the event, make sure to prepare:

• Have your question planned in advance, and write it on an index card or a small piece of paper so you can look down for reference — like a cue card.
• Raise your hand immediately when asked for questions. The longer you wait, the longer it will take to get to your turn. You don’t want the meeting to end before you get to ask your question!

Other options

Resistbot is a new tool that lets you send faxes — basically for free! — to your elected officials, using text messages (standard messaging rates still do apply, of course). Text RESIST to 50409, and Resistbot will ask some questions identify your elected officials. Then, it will prompt you to write a message that it will send directly to your Senators’ offices. Once you send your first message, you can opt in for daily reminders to send more messages and take more actions. As Resistbot says, “With civic engagement, polite persistence pays.”

Run for office. Why not? We need more working people at every level of government, to make sure that our elected officials work for us. At the AFL-CIO Convention this year, delegates passed a resolution encouraging members to run for elected office. And just last month, IATSE 322 brother Braxton Winston won a seat on the City Council in his home town of Charlotte, NC, and Local 8 sister Laura Wentz won her election for an at-large township council seat in Upper Darby, PA. It may seem far-fetched, but you could win and help make change yourself. To get your campaign started, please reach out to the IATSE Political and Legislative Department.

It has never been more important that working people make sure our elected officials know we’re paying attention. How else do you reach out to your elected officials? Reply to this email to share your own tips.

In solidarity,

J. Walter Cahill
Department Director, Political and Legislative

Erika Dinkel-Smith
Assistant Department Director, Political and Legislative