Your Support Is Vital to SAC's Mission!

By Joe LeBlanc, Strategic Action Committee co-chair

The Strategic Action Committee is planning a series of political action activities over the next month. Your participation is vital if our union is to weigh in effectively on the state budget, which has the potential to cut deeply into public higher education.

The following is an outline of our activities, which will held in conjunction with work by our colleagues at the state colleges and U.Mass. An MTA advertising campaign in support of higher education and tax increases will also tie in nicely with our spring time grassroots lobbying efforts on Beacon Hill.

Goals for the April 9th State House Lobbying Day:

Please note this is a lobbying day. A larger scale rally will be held in late April/early May.

• Meet with as many legislators as possible
• Start or continue a dialogue with old and new legislative friends
• Focus on providing information, not confrontation
• Support tax hikes. Legislators are looking for cover here.
• Stress that we are doing our part in these tough fiscal times: we will be losing positions due to the early retirement incentive, etc.
• Requesting a modest list of legislative priorities including budgets set at the FY '02 levels, as well as restoration of financial aid, library funding, and workforce development programs.

Please request the following from your college president to support the lobbying day:

The following bullets are a best case scenario. Some presidents may agree with this level of support. Others may balk at providing transportation, for example.

• Transportation to the State House on April 9
• Arranging to attend the event, including requesting a personal day if necessary.
• A list of students separated by legislative district or towns if the former is not available (this list will be given to legislators to show them the numbers of students they will be hurting with drastic budget cuts).

• Send a minimum of ten union members to the Lobbying Day
• Hold rallies like the successful one recently held at STCC before April 9
• Invite the local press to all consciousness-raising events
• Set up booths in high traffic areas to encourage students to sign the legislative petition
• Hold teach-ins, providing students an opportunity to write letters to their legislators
• Local chapters should consider paying for postage
• Write letters to the editor to protest further budget cuts to higher ed. and to support tax increases

• Late April: State House rally for all segments of higher ed.
• April 26: House budget released
• April 29: House to debate taxes
• Early May: House votes on taxes; two-thirds majority is needed to override Gov. Swift's veto.