Advocacy Appeal
Online Advocacy Form
Download Donation Form (pdf)
Dear MCAA Member,
The Messenger Courier Association of the Americas (MCAA) needs your help to keep our government affairs initiatives operational. Many of our traditional industry practices are under heated attack at the federal and state levels. The MCAA has an aggressive 2008 agenda with the goal of alleviating some of the pressure that all of our businesses are currently experiencing. We cannot achieve our goals without your financial help!
The MCAA Congressional Grassroots Program was launched this year with great success. The strategy of this program is to conduct ongoing meetings between MCAA members and their federal representatives to educate Congress on the courier industry. The forming of these relationships is a long term and challenging goal but is essential to the future of the industry. This grassroots program is the only realistic way to place the MCAA on the political map.
We are continuous looking for ways to improve the quality and efficiency of this initiative so a recruitment process is currently underway for State Captains. These individuals will help better organize and coordinate our grassroots effort. Each State Captain will be responsible for encouraging others in their state to attend congressional meetings and report to the MCAA government affairs team on any local legislation or political developments affecting the industry. Everyone needs to get involved to make our industry’s voice heard!
In 2008, the MCAA intends to heighten awareness and protect our traditional employee and owner operator operating models, as well as strengthen our working relationships with the Transportation Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Transportation and the Department of Labor - we need your help to be successful!
It is very expensive to run an effective government affairs and lobbying campaign. We have made great progress but in order to keep the momentum going we need even more help for the future. Here is a list of our government affairs activities that would not have been possible without your generous contributions:
- Hired federal lobbyist, Art Sackler, to raise the profile of the MCAA before Members of Congress and to work with other pro-business organizations to build strong coalitions.
- Hired lobbyist, Herb Klein, to facilitate meetings with the New Jersey Commissioner of Labor in response to an increase in audit activity on the courier industry.
- Contracted with lobbyist, Chris Micheli, to fight against California Senate Bill 622, which would have provided penalties for the misclassification of independent contractors.
- Hired full time MCAA Government Affairs Director, John Ferraro, to handle the increase in government affairs activities being conducted by the Association.
- Drafted model independent contractor legislation and best practices documents that are used as templates in the states identified as priorities.
- Hired a public relations and advocacy firm to help craft our message to lawmakers and the press.
- Filed an amicus brief and fully funded the appeal of the JKH Enterprises court case in California.
- Contributed money to state courier associations for lobbying activities.
Money goes fast when fires flare up all around the country. This is why I am asking you, one of our most valued supporters, for financial contributions. The MCAA, as the clear voice of the industry, must have a strong government affairs program in order to protect the interests of our members.
As with all businesses, we need to plan ahead to budget our financial resources. Initially, we asked for single lump sum contribution and almost 100 members gave donations. In an effort to increase the number of members joining our grassroots effort, and to allow us to better budget the use of our finances, we are requesting monthly financial pledges from our membership. Our hope is that having a predicable revenue stream will allow us to be the most effective.
We cannot achieve these critical goals without your continued individual and financial support. The monies placed in the MCAA Advocacy Fund will only be used for legal, lobby and public relations expenses.
As mentioned above, to make this process more convenient and efficient, we would like you to consider making monthly pledges through automatic credit card installments. MCAA staff will charge your credit card for the amount you specify each month. Our membership contributions are the only resources we have and whether you can commit to $25 a month or $5000 a month we hope you will help the MCAA and join our grassroots campaign.
Please use the enclosed invoice to make your pledge. Unless you indicate otherwise, we will acknowledge your contribution in an upcoming issue of the MCAA magazine and at the annual convention. If you have any questions about this project please call MCAA at (202) 785-3298.
Sincerely,
Rob Slack, MCAA President
Download Donation Form (pdf)
|
