Legislative Sample Letter
Here's a sample letter you can use or write your own to the Idaho State Legislator.
Be sure to put your name, agency (ISU) and home address on your e-mail . They will only deliver signed messages. You can send one message to this address and ask that copies be given to each committee member.
If you don't want to use email, click below for a word processing document that you can edit and send via snail mail (good old fashioned postage stamp method). Remember not to use ISU letterhead or other office supplies belonging to ISU as this should be done on your own time and at your own expense.
If you do decide you want to participate, there are a few
things to keep in mind when taking on this project:
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It is VERY IMPORTANT to not use school resources of any sort including postage, paper supplies, envelopes, etc.. If you choose to email your information to the parties, please do so during times outside of working hours.
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Try to keep your letter to one page (even though I didn't in mine -- this is a do as I say not as I do kind of comment ). Single page letters are deemed to be respectful of the business of the receiver and help the writer stay on topic with their argument.
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Write legibly. If you type the letter, hand address the envelope. This gives the person opening the mail a sense of a real person and not a corporate machine is behind sending it.
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Be respectful. Use the proper formal names to address the envelope and the salutation. For example, on the envelope of my letter it would be addressed to The Honorable Edgar J. Malepeai , but the salutation is Dear Senator Malepeai . Also, please do not use offensive language or launch a personal attack. That would just be counter-productive.
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Identify yourself as a constituent. This lets the reader know you are one of the voters they work for and it again adds a personal touch to the letter and separates us from a corporate entity.
Instructions to edit and send this letter
(not during work hours):
1. Click on the mailto link below to open up a new message window.
2. Come back to this window and copy the portion of the email from
Senate Committee Members to the bottom of this page.
3. Go back to the new message window and paste this letter in the
message.
4. Change to suit how you feel. The more you put your personal touch on
this email, the better attention these legislators will pay to what you
have to say.
5. Don't forget to put your name, agency (ISU) and home address on your
email.
6. Click on send.
[Insert Date]
The Honorable [Insert Name]
State [Representative/Senator]
P.O. Box Boise, ID _______
Dear [Congressman/Senator] ______________: I am one of your constituents and a member of the Classified Employees Council of Idaho State University. In light of the recent conflict between Administration and the Faculty Senate over compensation at Idaho State University, I am concerned that any resolution will result in the classified employees of the institution being overlooked, yet again, for raises.
[Insert your own argument here – 3-4 sentence, here is a sample.] Despite some effort to raise bottom-end salaries at the University, I am concerned that many, if not most, of the classified employees are still performing their duties for compensation that is clearly less than a living wage. Several years ago longevity raises were removed and merit increases were put into place. Since that time, there has been little movement of wages, and in fact many long term (ten plus years) employees remain well below the mid-point wage for their classification. This is unacceptable. Other state classified employees, in particular those not employed in the area of higher education, find no similar difficulties in movement through pay scales and are often offered higher starting wages. This inconsistency needs to be addressed.
As my representative and voice in the [senate/legislature], I urge you to take this information into consideration when allocating funding for merit raises for myself and my colleagues. We deserve to be heard and compensated for the loyalty and high-quality of work we have continued to perform on behalf of the State of Idaho and the University year after year. We deserve your attention to our cause and we deserve real monetary recognition for a job well done. One time increases or bonuses are not adequate in this regard. Therefore, as my representative, I am urging you to work to ensure that not only are adequate funds allocated to provide compensation increases to those classified employees working in the areas of higher education this year; but that a plan is made to bring those wages up into line with other state agencies and similar organizations nationwide.
Thank you for your time and assistance in this matter.
CEC Employee Name
CEC Employee Address
City, State & Zipcode
Commerce & Human Resources Committee Members:
mailto:infocntr@lso.state.id.us
SENATE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Sen. Gorden Crow, Chair
Sen. Bart Davis, Vice Chair
Sen. John Andreason
Sen. Grant Ipsen
Sen. Joe Stegner
Sen. Robbi King-Barrutia
Sen. Marguerite McLaughlin
Sen. Ric Branch
Sen. Stanley Williams
HOUSE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Rep. Robert Schaefer, Chair
Rep. Max Mortenson, Vice Chair
Rep. Tim Ridinger
Rep. Christian Zimmermann
Rep. Steven Hadley
Rep. Dolores Crow
Rep. Dennis Lake
Rep. Shirley McKague
Rep. Bert Marley
Rep. Tom Trail
Rep. Shirley Ringo