Thank you for joining us for Virtual Lobby Day 2021! Your voice is essential to our efforts of advancing equality and justice in the American workplace. If you have questions that are not answered in our Lobby Day toolkit documents on this page, please contact us!
NELA
Empowering Workers' Rights Attorneys
2021 Virtual Lobby Day
Laura M. Flegel
Legislative & Public Policy Director
lflegel@nelahq.org
Pedro A. Valverde
Digital Communications & Technology Manager
pvalverde@nelahq.org
Making Your Appointment
If possible, your appointments should be scheduled for Friday, October 22. Once you have confirmed your appointment, please share the details with us. We will try to coordinate other Virtual Lobby Day attendees to join you if possible.
Check out our Practical Tips for Lobbying Congress for help making Lobby Day appointments.
Offer to set up a video conference meeting for your appointment.
Preparing for Your Appointment
2021 Virtual Lobby Day Training
Thursday, October 21
6:00–7:30 p.m. Eastern
Join us on Thursday, October 21 for Virtual Lobby Day training. Our 90-minute virtual training session will provide updated information on our Lobby Day priorities as well as give you the opportunity to ask questions of NELA staff and our issue experts.
2021 Virtual Lobby Day Priority Issues
We have prioritized the following issues for Virtual Lobby Day, with a focus on the FAIR Act and fair courts. If your members of Congress are more likely to support the EMPOWER Act or PRO Act, feel free to lobby on those bills.
The FAIR Act—End Forced Arbitration
NELA has prioritized ending forced arbitration of employment claims for more than two decades. After years of inaction on this issue, passage of the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act in the House in the 116th Congress was a major victory. We need your help to educate Members of Congress and gain passage of the FAIR Act in the 117th Congress.
Advocate for Fair Courts
NELA advocates for judicial nominees who represent both demographic and professional diversity. We must ensure that when working people go to court, their cases will be decided by qualified, fair-minded judges who are committed to upholding the laws that were enacted to protect working people.
EMPOWER Act—Improve Workplace Harassment Protections
The Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace Harassment through Education and Reporting (EMPOWER) Act would be a big step forward in ending some of the prevalent employer practices that interfere with the enforcement of workplace harassment laws. The bill will also correct in the tax law to fix inequities in the treatment of workers’ and civil rights plaintiffs.
PRO Act—Workers’ Rights to Organize
The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO) Act would ensure much greater freedom for workers to organize, whether or not they are union members. The bill would override so-called “right-to-work” laws, and discourage misclassification of workers as independent contractors.
On the Day of Your Appointment
A typical constituent meeting will last 20–30 minutes. Plan your talking points with that time frame in mind. Find out in advance of the meeting whether your member of Congress has co-sponsored any of our Lobby Day priority bills.
Check out our Practical Tips for Lobbying Congress for more help.
“Leave Behind” Documents
In addition to our Talking Points documents, please consider sharing the following with your members of Congress. You can attach the documents to your follow-up email thanking them for their time.
NELA Legislative/Policy Priorities—117th Congress
About NELA and the National Institute for Workers’ Rights (the Institute)
Remember! Never Leave A Meeting Without Making An Ask
After Your Appointment
Send an email to your contact thanking them for their time. Encourage them to direct questions to Laura M. Flegel, NELA’s Legislative & Public Policy Director, at lflegel@nelahq.org. Be sure to attach or Priorities and About NELA documents (see “Leave Behind” Documents) for their reference.
We are here to help you make the most of Virtual Lobby Day. Please contact us with any questions!
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