SEIU Local 21LA Member Takes Her Voice to Capitol Hill
Amy Brown, Baton Rouge, is among 7 SEIU members participating in the Member Lobbyist Program.
July 21, 2010 (Washington, D.C)
Amy Brown has always understood the value of hard work.
Her father worked two jobs while her mother stayed home to
care for the family’s five daughters. His
hard work paid off. One daughter is in the military. The youngest is still in
high school; and three of his daughters – Amy is included in this count -- are
college graduates.
Amy, a graduate of Southern University A&M, is
a teacher in the Baton Rouge Head Start program. For the last five years, she
has worked with children ages 3 to 5. She loves her job and has known for a
long time that education and shaping developing minds would be a part of her
life’s work.
Amy learned the importance of union membership from her
father too. She has been a member of the Service Employees International Union Local 21LA for nearly two years.
“Members deserve an extra voice on the job,” said the Baton
Rouge native.
And Amy is willing to take that union voice all the way to
the nation’s capital to be heard. She is one of seven members from across the
country participating in SEIU’s Member Lobbyist Program.
As part of the program, participants spend two months during
the summer in Washington D.C. meeting and building relationships with elected
members of Congress. They also assist
their local/state councils in planning town hall forums, rallies and coalition
meetings as well as providing draft materials on federal issues for the
program’s journals, newsletters, website and blog.
The program is designed to help hold elected members of
Congress accountable, develop membership and involve SEIU members in
opportunities to build relationships with lawmakers on federal issues. Member
lobbyist work is not limited to meetings on Capitol Hill. They often draft
letters, make calls to targeted officials; and all participants develop a three
to four page proposal to increase political engagement of their fellow local
members.
“The lobby members all come from different states, different
backgrounds and live different lives, but we all have the same goals, which are
to be respected, live in a safe community and earn a decent wage with good
benefits to take care of our families,” Amy said.
Amy has been learning about issues such as Wall Street
Reform, promoting American jobs, and immigration reform, which is particularly close
to her. As an early childhood educator, Amy sees in her classroom the impact of
our broken immigration system on young children. Every day she finds
inspiration to take on the important issues facing working families today.
“With wages staying flat while the cost of living rapidly
increases, can we accomplish the same things my parents’ generation did?” Amy
said. “I don’t know, but I am willing to try.”
Amy will be sharing more about her summer on Capitol Hill in
journal reports in the future.