[Note: As always any sample messages, letters, etc. that we provide are just that, “samples.” The samples are just what we’re sending out from this end and you are strongly encouraged to use your own judgment, voice and perspectives. Our prose, tone and approach can always be improved upon and quite frankly a good mix of perspectives is better than following our samples verbatim. We don’t do messaging for the group (nor do we aspire to) or ever speak for the group, but instead merely facilitate our members’ ability to speak at once for more power and volume. If you’re a “professional communicator” or would like to help with recruiting, research, administration, etc. shoot us a note and we’ll be happy to get you involved. There is no lack of work to be done.]
Outreach to Groups Promoting and Advocating for Jobs Creation:
The groups represented by the contact points below are from a 60 group coalition promoting jobs creation. Most all are based in Washington, DC or have an arm there and most all have a political lobbying/activists wing within their organization. Even if we achieve only their private support your efforts will deliver a huge success, but one single win that brings in just one of these groups to our cause will do more in a week for HR3149 that we can accomplish in months. We simply cannot win this battle without more support from groups than we have at present. They have members by the thousands, personnel, political connections, communication channels, etc. that we will never have. Sometimes we write with an indignant tone, but this is NOT the time for that. This is where we swallow our pride and plead for their help. If you have a personal story, please toss our sample letter out the window and share that instead. Pour out your heart and share your pain . . . make them listen, understand and support HR3149.
1) Create your own version of a short and a long pitch to use for online and e-mail outlets. [See sample pitch below] Some online forms limit the number of words or characters and we on this end find out those limitations, if any, the same time you do.
2) Remember to save whatever you write somewhere on your computer so you don’t have to recreate the wheel over and over. (We'll probably use this pitch for weeks to come.)
3) Simply make pitching a mindless simple for you repetitive exercise that you can do almost with your eyes closed. While what you say is important, at the end of the day it’s a numbers game. Just make this effort a paste in your message, fill in the blanks (or e-mail address) and send exercise that you do over and over and over.
[Sample Letter]
FICO Scores Drop to New Lows
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/12/credit-scores-sink-to-new_n_642616.html
Bankruptcy Filings Highest Since 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38744083/from/toolbar
Fidelity Sees Record Number Raid their IRS
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38783832/ns/business-your_retirement/
What does all the above really mean? One simple thing: half of America can’t get a job or change jobs for better pay. In just a few short weeks after Congress returns on Sep. 8, beginning in the House Committee on Financial Services, Congress will debate passage of HR3149: The Equal Employment for All Act. For most jobs, the legislation will make it illegal for employers to use an American’s private and personal credit report to hire and fire. Without the help of your group and full mobilization with all the numbers you can muster and groups like yours, the bill doesn’t have even the slightest chance of passing. The reason is simple: money. The big three credit bureaus have already paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars to members of Congress in order to bribe them to protect their revenue stream. In addition to that, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 19 other business lobbying groups have paid in millions in PAC money. All are poised, ready and sitting with their finger on the trigger to stop passage of HR3149 by calling in their markers and behind the scenes arm twisting. Even if you may be opposed to passage, this pay-to-play outright bribery of Congress to kill a bill that 90 percent of Americans support is horribly wrong and smacks the word “democracy” in the face.
While the issue disproportionately impacts minorities, the truth is no group of Americans is immune in our struggling economy. The FICO numbers in the linked article above guesses at number of 70 million, but the real number is far closer to 100 million since evaluation of credit reports by employers is completely arbitrary. This number includes entry level personnel and professionals such as doctors, lawyers, sales people, marketing people, etc.. The percentage of use of credit reports by employers is now at least 60+ percent of all jobs and 80+ percent of all white collar jobs. No race, profession or socio-economic segment of America is immune.
The sad news is that without your action and full mobilization in support of HR3149, millions of Americans will continue losing their homes, their cars, their dignity and their children will starve. Employment credit checks are a catch 22 with no way out: bad credit = no job and no job = bad credit. America needs you to stand up for the people and fight the corporate greed. If not for the people with ruined credit, do it for their children, their spouses, their extended families and all generations of Americans that follow. Please act now to stop this senseless practice and the needless suffering of millions of your fellow Americans.
Committee Chair, Rep. Barney Frank, (202) 225-5931
House Committee on Financial Services: 71 Members Total
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committee.xpd?id=HSBA
[End Sample Letter]
Groups and Contact Points:
Americans for Democratic Action
mjwilson@adaction.org
dfagin@adaction.org
dkusler@adaction.org
People for the American Way
http://site.pfaw.org/site/Survey?SURVEY_ID=1141&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS
http://www.youngpeoplefor.org/contact
African American Ministers Leadership Council
contactmiamlc@pfaw.org
American Rights at Work
http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/component/option,com_contact/Itemid,35/task,view/contact_id,1/
Americans United for Change
funk@americansunitedforchange.org
Campaign for America’s Future
http://www.ourfuture.org/contact
Center for Community Change
gulmer@communitychange.org
info@communitychange.org
CLASP
http://www.clasp.org/about/contact
Change to Win
info@changetowin.org
CHN
dweinstein@chn.org
rfriedman@chn.org
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