To All OPEIU Local Unions:
It's a very busy time in Washington with several key pieces of legislation pending that will significantly impact working families, including the PRO Act and the For the People Act of 2021 (voting rights).
To ensure consistent messaging and combat anti-worker efforts, OPEIU has put together messaging points on both pieces of legislation, along with some graphics that all local unions are encouraged to use in any publications, websites, social media postings or other communication methods. They are included below, and graphics are attached. We've also included an AFL-CIO statement, “Senate Rules Cannot be Used to Block a Workers First Agenda," which we hope you’ll find helpful. The Executive Council’s full statement is available here.
We are also hoping to have all local unions complete a brief survey about their existing communication platforms and ways in which the International can assist, if necessary. The survey should take no longer than three minutes to complete. We'd appreciate if you could complete no later than March 18. Thank you in advance for your kind assistance.
https://form.jotform.com/210694363809058
LEGISLATIVE MESSAGING
The PRO Act Toolkit:
- Background: The PRO Act, a cornerstone of the labor movement's unified legislative agenda, just passed the House and is now up for debate in the Democratic-controlled Senate. It needs 60 votes to send it to President Biden's desk without abolishing the filibuster or managing to work around it.
- Talking points:
- Working people won a mandate -- the Senate must deliver for the people who put them in office by passing the PRO Act.
- The U.S. can build back better by pressuring senators to do whatever it takes to pass the PRO Act.
- The PRO Act is more than a labor law bill; it's a civil rights bill meant to protect people at work.
- The PRO Act is our single best chance to pass pro-worker legislation and begin to balance the playing field between workers and employers.
- More found here, in addition to AFL-CIO graphics (attached)
For the People Act Toolkit:
- Background: The For the People Act is a monumental voting rights bill that just passed the House. If it passes the Senate, where it faces stiff opposition from many who attempted to overturn the 2020 election results, it would expand voting access and make it easier to vote -- issues with broad popular support from Americans on both sides of the aisle.
- Talking Points:
- The American people are united on the need to confront corruption and ensure every vote counts. That's why the Senate must vote to pass the For the People Act.
- The For the People Act would strengthen the integrity of our elections and ensure no one's right to vote is unjustly stripped from them.
- This bill is a bold step toward ending the attacks on voting rights we've seen for decades and would curtail the influence of large corporations in our politics.
- Resources on the For the People Act have been compiled by the Declaration for American Democracy coalition, a group composed of dozens of organizations committed to helping more people vote in a less restrictive way.