Benefits: Government Relations
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Protecting Our Members from Onerous Legislation
One of the responsibilities MCA Chicago takes most seriously is the protection of our members against costly legislative changes. In late 2002, it became clear that the 1995 repeal of the Structural Work Act had a high probability of being overturned. If that happens, our members, and companies throughout the industry, will have thousands of dollars in added general liability expenses. MCA moved quickly, initiating a grass-roots effort to combat those who are steering this attempt. Out efforts helped to create a coalition of close to 30 construction related organizations from all across Illinois that led the effort to prevent reinstatement of the SWA in the 2003 legislative session and continue to guard against a future instatement.
Over $120,000 was raised, enabling the coalition to hire lobbyist Steve Morrill and contract with public affairs firm Res Publica. Their coordinated plan of action included brochures, media strategy, actual meetings with media groups such as the editorial board of the Sun Times, legislative databases, and sample letters to legislators for concerned citizens to personalize.
The MCA Chicago Website was used as a key point of information that allowed sample letters to be downloaded, and maintained a legislative data base for easy access to physical and email addresses.
Working for Our Members’ Rights in Springfield
However, the Structural Work Act is just one of the many legislative issues, such as worker compensation reform, that could affect MCA members, so we became determined to become more politically active overall. As an organization, we felt it important to speak to the concerns of management and labor by creating a system to inform members of significant political issues and encourage communications with the appropriate elected official.
MIPAC, the Mechanical Industry Political Action Committee has the specific purpose of supporting candidates with the views and positions that support the union mechanical contracting industry. MCA is proud of the fact that 2003’s PAC contributions were up 30% over 2002 - helping to insure a stronger voice for our members.
Keeping Members Informed of Governmental Developments
The Government Affairs Newsletter was also unveiled in 2003. The newsletter keeps the membership abreast of legislative issues on a monthly basis. At the end of the legislative sessions each May, the newsletter focuses on an overview of the accomplishments and challenges from the recently completed session.
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