Yesterday, Shift reported on the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU, AFL-CIO) Local 8’s messaging tips for activists speaking to state legislators. The union’s messaging tips contain a “Don’t” list, including don’t “talk to legislators about waste, fraud and abuse.”
The messaging tips also include a ready-made speech for activists in mad lib form. Presumably, activists are to stick to the script when speaking to legislators. So, we took it upon ourselves to fill-in the blanks. Enjoy!
How to prepare for a meeting with your legislator:
My name is _____Jane Doe_____, I’m from ______an alternate reality_____. I have been
legislative district/city
working for ____the Department of Ecology____ for ____2____ years. I chose to work in
agency/department
public service because_____ I believe Jay Inslee’s disproven claim that all the oysters are dying___.
start with ‘I believe’ (name a value responsibility, opportunity, fairness, etc
As a ___government bureaucrat and environmental extremist___, I ____work hard to ensure
red-tape stays in place and Inslee’s extreme political agenda moves forward______.
describe your work and its impact
In the past ____0____ years, there have been a lot of cuts to my agency.
Budget reductions have led to __________little-to-no impact_________________.
how cuts have harmed community/people who depend on services and/or affected recruitment & retention
This means/for example: ______Retention for state employee rates are higher than the national average
and more than 80% of the state’s workforce have received pay raises in the past four years_____.
I took time off work to come here today and ask ___for more taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars______.
what are you asking legislator to do?
With your help we can_________receive more pay raises_________________.
bring it back to value statement
Can I count on you to _____stand by Inslee’s secret negotiations with state employee union executives
and grant pay hikes__________?
You can check out the original form here.
