But YOU hold the key
Campaign 2000 door to PEF’s political future
By SHERRY HALBROOK
With presidential and US Senate wannabes stumping back
and forth through New York State and the rest of the
country this year looking for supporters, the door is
open for you and your union to be recognized and heard by
the powerful in Washington.
“This is our chance to be in the right place, at the
right time to tip the scales for candidates who share our
concerns and priorities,” said PEF Vice President
Ken Brynien.
“It’s always a good time to contribute to PEF
COPE, but it will never be a better time than right
now,” said Brynien, who heads the union’s
political and legislative action efforts.
“Two years ago, PEF was one of the first major
organizations to endorse Chuck Schumer in his run for the
US Senate. Our support helped kick-start his campaign.
And then our members worked hard in his campaign against
the incumbent, Al D’Amato. Schumer won and he never
forgets that we were there for him when he needed it
most,” Brynien added.
The union’s political action committees in every PEF
region are well informed and already hard at work
researching and screening candidates who want the
union’s support in Campaign 2000.
Takes more than
kind words
The candidates who come to PEF want its endorsement, and
its support — both financial and in the form of
skillful, energetic campaign workers.
“With your help, PEF can supply all three key
ingredients to energize the campaigns of key power
brokers who will shape the laws, policies and funding
that support our jobs and the way of life we want for
ourselves and our families,” Brynien said.
“Donating to COPE (Committee on Political Education)
is the first and easiest thing you should do to support
this effort,” he said. “Just fill out and send
in the authorization form on this page to have regular
contributions deducted from each paycheck.
“If every one of our 54,000 PEF members donated just
$1 every week, this union would be a force that very few
politicians could afford to ignore. And that level of
investment is something every member can afford to make.
In fact,” Brynien added, “I don’t see how
any of us can afford not to make it, when we consider the
potential return on the investment.”
Even in the sky’s-the-limit world of presidential
fundraising, PEF members can wield power because their
COPE contributions can be combined with those of millions
of other members of PEF’s international affiliates
— the Service Employees International Union and the
American Federation of Teachers.
“Believe me, financial support on that scale
commands the attention of every candidate, the ones you
oppose as well as the lucky ones you support,”
Brynien said.
Takes more than
money
But contributing to COPE is only the first step toward
building political clout, according to the union leader.
Money is essential to big political campaigns that must
reach out to millions of voters spread out over large and
diverse geographic areas. But money, alone, cannot win
elections.
“We are wasting our money, if we don’t back it
up with our votes,” Brynien said. “And even our
votes may not be enough. If we really want to make a
critical difference in a campaign we must work to turn
out other voters, as well, to support the candidate.
“Over the years, PEF has developed a group of
experienced, dedicated, tough campaigners and activists
in every region,” Brynien said. “But every year
we lose some of them as they are promoted or retire out
of our bargaining units. We need to replace them, just to
stay even.
“If we are serious about getting ahead, then we have
to do a lot more than simply replace the activists we
lose. The good news is, our member-mobilization efforts
over the last year have involved many more members and
developed a whole network and system for mobilizing
people around issues. That network and those mobilizers
are a tremendous asset that we must use to full advantage
in Campaign 2000.”
It takes YOU
What it comes down to, is a simple question every PEF
member should ask themselves now:
“How will things be this time next year? When I take
stock then, will I be able to say that I did everything I
could to make them better?”
“Make up your mind right now to answer that question
with a big, loud, resounding YES!
“If you do, you won’t be the only one to hear
it,” Brynien promised. “Together, we’ll
make a noise that will be heard all over this state, from
now to next year and right on into our future.”
Editor’s note: The COPE contribution level mentioned
above is only a suggested amount. Whether to contribute
and how much is up to individual members. The union is
prohibited by law from discriminatory treatment of
members based on their participation in COPE or lack of
it.