Bringing it all back home
The AFT's Activists for Congressional Education initiative is building relationships with members of Congress

In mid-October, Congress will break for its traditional Columbus Day recess. It may sound like downtime in the legislative process, but AFT members like Jon Runnalls know better.

A sixth-grade science teacher from Helena, Mont., Runnalls is part of a growing number of AFT members from all divisions who are using breaks in the federal calendar to meet with their U.S. representatives and senators—offering a ground-floor perspective on the issues that affect ordinary Americans the most. It’s a chance to build relationships with lawmakers that can help make the difference when the tough votes are cast on issues ranging from federal spending for education to Social Security, says Runnalls, who joined fellow AFT members recently for a candid discussion of education funding, the No Child Left Behind Act and Social Security at the home office of Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-Mont.).

“It’s one thing to hear from the union in Washington, but if politicians hear it back home—from the grass roots, from the people in the trenches—it’s much more meaningful,” explains the middle school teacher.

And that’s precisely the thinking behind ACE, the Activists for Congressional  Education program, which the AFT launched earlier this year. To date, AFT delegations have held more than 50 meetings with congressional representatives; more than 250 such meetings, focused on districts where union membership is strong, are expected over the coming weeks and months.

“We want to build on the unprecedented member activism we saw in the 2004 campaign,” AFT president Edward J. McElroy explains. “We are working with AFT members to encourage them to meet with their congressional representatives in their home districts at least twice a year to discuss key legislative issues.

McElroy stresses that the ACE program will be a long-term effort to build strong and lasting working relationships with both sides of the aisle in Congress. The bottom line is “educating lawmakers on issues of importance to our members and letting them know that we are paying attention to what’s happening on Capitol Hill.”

It’s a face-to-face opportunity for members and local leaders to give politicians a frontline take on the good, the bad and the ugly behind major federal laws and proposals.

Mark Evenson, a college professor and president-elect of The Association of University of Wisconsin Professionals/AFT, says that NCLB and Social Security figured heavily in his group’s recent discussion with Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.). “There was also some discussion of the Perkins program and Pell Grants and other things that help students cope with the cost of higher education.”

Because of these meetings, lawmakers “know we are concerned, they know who we are and they remember we are constituents,” Evenson says.

Most of the initial meetings have focused on three major concerns: preventing the privatization of Social Security, fixing problems with NCLB, and providing strong federal support for schools and other vital domestic programs. The issues will change as the ACE program moves ahead in the weeks and months to come.

What will remain constant, however, is the emphasis on frank, issues-oriented discussions with leaders of both parties with an eye toward building a strong and lasting working relationship, says John Ost, director of the AFT political and legislative mobilization department. “ACE provides a natural point of contact between the union and Congress, regardless of the issue,” he says. “We’re already building relationships with [lawmakers] and pleased with the progress made so far.”