Sampling of SWA Issues letters

ISSUE-SPECIFIC Sample Letter Topics to Legislators: A Selection

[YOUR FIRM OR ASSOCIATION LETTERHEAD]

Keep those cards and letters flowing; the more correspondence you fax to your legislators, the better. Here are five short ideas for letters on specific issues, which you can consider using for additional letters, maybe one a week.

Use the format of the sample letters. Use your letterhead, and include a subject line that makes it clear that you are writing to oppose the SWA.

Introduce (or re-introduce) yourself. Offer a brief description of your business or association, and your position in that firm or organization. Give important facts such as the numbers of employees, the areas of the State in which you work and the business climate of your industry. Whenever possible, personalize your letter based upon your business or experience and your relationship with the legislator. If you have already sent a letter to or had a phone or personal meeting with the legislator on this topic, remind the legislator of that conversation or contact.

1. Fundamentally unfair.
The Structural Work Act (SWA) is just fundamentally unfair. If my company is liable for an accident, then I expect to held accountable, but under the SWA I could be sued even if I have no connection to the incident.

Under the SWA, any company involved in a job could be on the hook for damages, no matter how ridiculous their connection to the event. That means that I would have to hire a lawyer and spend time and money getting out of the lawsuit, and it certainly means that my insurance company would increase my rates. I’ve hear that my rates could increase by 30%, and that’s enough to swamp my margins.

Please oppose this bill. It’s just wrong.

(Don’t try too hard to sound formal and legislative. Politicians receive factsheets written in formal language all day long from lobbyists. What makes your letter important is that it comes from a “real person.”)

2. Safety and my workers.
I’ve heard people talking about the Structural Work Act (SWA) as if it’s needed to keep workers safe. That’s just not true. Most of the guys who work for my company have been with us for over ten years: they are like family to me. I know their wives and kids, and they know mine.

To suggest that I don’t care deeply about their safety, or that profits are more important than their safety is just insulting. We have an extensive safety program, and I have a full-time safety officer. In fact, since the SWA was repealed in 1995, worksites have become safer in Illinois.

Please oppose this bill.

(Use a real example of friendship with a worker if at all possible. Legislators will remember a story long after they forget statistics.)

3. Economy.
This is a tough time in the construction industry. With the recession and the downturn in the housing market, there is simply not much work.

Reinstating the Structural Work Act (SWA) at a time like this would be devastating for my company. I’ve estimates that my [my members’] insurance costs could increase by 30% or more, and if an accident occurs -- even if my company isn’t [my members’ companies aren’t] involved -- I [they] would need to pay thousands of dollars in legal fees to get themselves out of a case in which they should never have been involved.

These unnecessary costs are significant and will make the difference between staying in business through the bad times and going under and laying off workers.

Please oppose this bill. Too many jobs and businesses are at risk.

(Don’t be afraid to be specific: give your legislator some idea about how big your insurance costs are compared with your profit margin. Chances are your legislator has no idea.)

4. This is a big deal.
The Structural Work Act (SWA) is currently the subject of much debate in the legislature, where discussion addresses issues involving litigation and worker safety.

I’d like to offer my perspective, as a business that will be directly affected by this legislation. This is not a small matter, but a very major one. This is the sort of legislation that could make or break my business: between the increased insurance costs and the increased legal costs, and the general tough times in the economy, this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Please oppose this legislation. This is an absolutely crucial issue for my industry.

(Again, provide a specific story. If the increased costs would mean lay-offs, or would cost you business, then say so.)

5. Costs and benefits, insurance.
I think that looking at the Structural Work Act (SWA) from a cost-benefit perspective would make it very clear that it is a bad idea.

On the cost side are higher insurance premiums and increased legal fees, and the added strain that those costs will put on an already struggling construction industry. And on the benefit side? Worker safety has actually improved since the SWA was repealed.

This bill is a very bad idea, and I urge you to oppose it.

(Don’t worry about your letter being too short. The shorter it is, the more likely that the legislator will read the whole thing!)

Download the samples in Word format