HOMEWORK FOR ALL STATE EMPLOYEES

Your homework is to email your local representatives the following message that you can personalize for yourself. First, Click Here and type in your zip code to find out who your local representatives are. It should bring up a list of your representatives. Click on each one of them and find their link to contact them. Type in the required info and copy and paste part 1 of the message below. Do it over again with part 2 of the message. They have a limit on the amount of charaters allowed. Let our voice be heard and a special thanks to B-Polished for writing this example for everyone to use.

Part 1,
I am a state worker who lives in your district. As a constituent, there are questions that I have regarding how I am being represented in Sacramento. I am one of the 230,000+ state workers that are being abused by the governor’s office and the legislature by the use of illegal furloughs and the threat of being forced to have our wages cut to the federal minimum wage. It seems that the state workers are being taken advantage of just because we work for the State of California. We did not create the problems in California. We too are the victims. Over the last few years, there has been a personal attack on all state workers simply because we are an easy target and the personal vendetta the governor’s office has with some of the unions that represent us.

Allow me to clarify and reassure you that I am a real person. I am not a pawn piece sitting on a chess board to be moved around or sacrificed, nor am I a percentage point or statistic that is read in a poll with a two or three percent margin of accuracy. I am a law abiding, taxpaying citizen of California who actively participates in the use of my voice through voting.

I am one of many state workers who have had a personal loss of home foreclosure, car repossession, degradation of credit standing, and/or the filing of bankruptcy. With the illegal practice of furloughs that was implemented by the governor, my wages were tampered with and reduced without any say so or vote on my behalf. I am aware of the financial difficulties that all state residents are going through.

Part 2,
I am one of them. But, just because I am employed by the state does not mean I can be used as a political ploy and my livelihood adjusted to a wage that is unsustainable without any government assistance. Furthermore, it has been the governor and state offices who has broken contractual and federal labor laws by breaking the contracts of labor unions which you as part of the legislature signed and agreed too, which in my eyes makes you just as guilty as them by not standing up for what is right and just.

At this time I am confused. You were voted into office because we believed that you would do the job necessary by representing us in every possible way. How can you find it ok to go on break when your job has not been completed by negotiating a state budget? If I left my job site without completing my assignments I would be reprimanded, if not fired. I would not be voted out of my position, but chastised or terminated for lack of productivity. I believe all representatives should be held to the same standard.

Rest assured that if I take the personal time to sit and write you regarding this issue, that it is also important enough to me to remember what your stance is and what actions you take (or not) when it comes time for me to vote in any election that may include your name on the ballot. Please be aware that though you have only heard my voice, I am not alone. Thank you for your time.