We're at Crunch Time

We're at Crunch Time

Meeting with Merkley and Walden about emergency spending bill

Member Lobbyist Rebecca Sandoval, Right, at DCCC fundraiser

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Right after the “Showdown on K Street” we settled into more training and meeting with our Legislators. Senator Jeff Merkley hosts a coffee meeting every Thursday morning, while he is in Washington, for all Oregon citizens. I have attended a few of these affairs, and it’s a pleasant informal way to talk to the Senator.

The first time I met with Senator Merkley and he found out that I was a member of SEIU 503, he took me out to the hallway so that we could talk. The first thing he said to me was “Yay, SEIU!” He then asked me what I was doing in Washington, DC. So I explained all about the Member Lobbyist Program and he listened with interest. I told him that I was proud to have him as one of our Senators and that I was very happy to report that I worked for his campaign, as did many SEIU members. I also told him that I had heard that he was instrumental in helping Homecare become a part of SEIU in the beginning. He told me that he had even knocked on doors in order to help get Homecare workers signed up. It was a truly wonderful exchange.

He then offered to pose for a picture with me, but apologized immediately afterwards because he had to run as he had a hearing that he needed to attend. What a great Senator he is! He is truly a champion of working families.

I have also met, briefly, with our senior senator, Ron Wyden. These guys really are super busy. I have, however, been able to talk at length with a few of his legislative assistants on issues of extreme importance to working families. They are always very polite and attentive and seem to genuinely care about our issues. Each time, they have assured me that Senator Wyden was on our side. Oregon really does have the best Senators.

I did get the chance to meet with my own Representative, Greg Walden of Oregon’s 2nd district. We spoke very briefly about issues of extreme importance to working families. Alas, as pretty much all Republican Legislators are pressured to do, he responded to my inquiries about his position on the emergency spending bill, which at that point, was still in the fairly early stages of consideration—I believe it was still “in committee”—by saying the price tag was too high and that deficit spending was one of his main concerns when it came to that bill.

As a point of information, this bill not only provides for the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it also contains an emergency extension of the Unemployment Insurance funding, COBRA funding and the vitally important FMAP (Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, or Federal Financial Participation in State Assistance Expenditure) extension. This bill is of grave concern for all state workers and the people that we serve. It is predicted that without the extension of these funds 900,000 jobs will be lost in this country.

When I mentioned the dire straits that the states will be left in without this extension, sadly Congressman Walden said that he was more concerned with the deficit. I have to say that this approach to our current economic crisis seems a great deal like “throwing the baby out with the bath water.” I wonder how these “deficit hawks” think that we are going to be able to pay off the deficit if we keep losing jobs. Oh well, the fight goes on.

And speaking of the fight going on, we were privileged enough to have been invited to a fundraiser hosted by the DCCC, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, atop the Hotel Liaison. It was billed as a reception to honor two House Democratic legends: Chairman Emeritus John Dingell, (D-Mi) and Chairman John Lewis (D-GA). John Dingell is also considered the Dean of the House of Representatives, which means that he is the longest serving member; John Lewis is an iconic figure from the Civil Rights Movements of the ‘60’s. Both men were present and I got the opportunity to meet both of them. They were both very friendly and mentioned that they have worked extensively with SEIU. A couple of my fellow Member Lobbyists and I had our picture taken with these two impressive figures.

Chairman Dingell, you will remember, has been a lifelong champion of Universal Healthcare—a fight that his father, also a U.S. Representative, began fighting 65 years ago, during the time of “The New Deal.” And Congressman Lewis was very much involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s and, in fact, marched several times with the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.—he was present as King delivered his “I have a dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Lewis, himself spoke that day as the President of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. It was exhilarating meeting these two giants of American history, and comforting to know that such truly dedicated progressives are still a vital part of our government.

There are a lot of progressives in Washington DC, and we have been sent to several of their public functions that we could fit into our schedule. The same week that we attended the DCCC’s reception we were also in attendance at the Center for American Progress annual fundraising party. CAP is a public policy think tank that sprang up, in 2003, as a response to conservative think tanks such as The Heritage Foundation and The Manhattan Institute. Our own President Emeritus, Andy Stern, was instrumental in the formation of CAP.

The party was a very elegant affair catered by Wolfgang Puck. The program started with a very beautiful rendition of a medley of some socially relevant songs, such as Bill Withers’ classic “Lean on Me” performed by a Hip-Hop choir comprised of high school aged kids. The headline speaker, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, congratulated the assembled crowd for being a significant part of the historic victory on Healthcare reform. She plainly stated that without the help, energy and tenacity of the progressive organizations in this country Healthcare Reform would never have become a reality. Speaker Pelosi praised the Center for American Progress for the extremely important work that it does, but warned that the fight is really just beginning in so many ways—a sentiment that was well received by the crowd.

As evidence of the good fight being carried on, the next week we attended both a Senate Finance Committee hearing on improving the unemployment system and a Congressional briefing on jobs. I think that all working Americans can agree that these are two incredibly important issues. The Senate Finance Committee meeting focused on how to make the whole unemployment insurance system more effective by eliminating fraud and waste, so as to make the dollars spent in this area go farther. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), ranking Republican member of the Senate Finance Committee; and Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) were the only Senators present. They heard testimony from experts in the field of unemployment insurance disbursement. This hearing, while very interesting and timely, was very technical. In fact, I really only came to fully understand what the witnesses were trying to express after reading the minutes of the hearing posted on the Senate Finance Committee’s web site.

The Congressional hearing was far easier to relate to immediately. The hearing focused on the effects of the “Great Recession” on workers and communities. Specifically this hearing was held to hear testimony that related to HR-4812 or the Local Jobs for America Act. California Representative George Miller sponsored the bill and several other Representatives from the Progressive, Black, and Asian and Pacific Caucuses signed on as cosponsors.

Several members of the House spoke to the packed hearing room about the extreme necessity of passing HR-4812. The list included: Chakah Fattah, PA-2; Allen Green, TX-9; Laura Richardson, CA-37; Barbara Lee, CA-9; Marcia Fudge, OH-11; Keith Ellison, MN-5; Charlie Rangel, NY-15; and Mike Honda, CA-15. The speeches given by the Congressmen and women were compelling and indicated a high level of support and understanding of the urgency of this issue, but the testimonies of the panelists were even more compelling. One of the things we keep hearing from the staff here at the International is that out personal stories carry a great deal more weight and are far more persuasive than anything a professional lobbyist can say. This hearing was certainly proof of this notion.

Several people spoke of the difficulty they were faced with in the employment market and the desperation created by their inability to find gainful employment. It was heart wrenching to hear their stories. We heard from one mayor who outlined the devastation that his city faces because of the severe unemployment problem. I could definitely relate to these horror stories; I think all of us public employees can foresee a future scenario in which we will face these same kinds of crises if the Congress fails to act and we are faced with an ever-worsening economic situation for working families.

The good news, though, is that we are all members of a very politically powerful and proactive organization. I cannot overemphasize the value of our involvement in the work of our Union. I have heard from friends back home that many Homecare workers have been very busy phone banking to encourage fellow members to call their Senators and U.S. Representatives and urge them to support legislation aimed at creating a job filled, and not jobless recovery. And I have heard firsthand from people who have worked on Capitol Hill how effective our calls, emails and letters can be in persuading our legislators “to do the right thing” for working families.

I know I am sounding kind of preachy here, but I know that our efforts can make a difference. Quite frankly, we are at “crunch time” now, and we all need to mobilize. Together we can make a difference. I will only be here in DC for 10 more days, but I am attempting to get even more meetings with our Representatives to further plead our case. It will be very helpful, if you pick up that phone and make those calls, too. Our legislative team assures me that FMAP is not dead, yet. There is still a relatively good chance that it will pass the Senate and be sent back to the House.

And if this happens, our calls to our Representatives will, most assuredly, have an impact on their votes. By way of an update, both of our Senators voted yes on the emergency-spending bill that provides for the extension of both unemployment insurance and FMAP. Without the extension of FMAP the Governor will have no choice but to cut the state’s budget, which will result in the loss of many public services and likely force more layoffs and furlough days for state employees. This situation reminds me of one of the chants we used the day of the “Showdown on K Street”: “Banks got bailed out; the people got sold out!” I am keeping all of my fingers crossed that FMAP makes it out of Congress intact.

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Member lobbyist Rebecca Sandoval meets with Senator Jeff Merkley