Action Leader program empowers members to advocate for pensions and health care improvements
Last fall, Education Minnesota again conducted its Worksite Action Leader program, which used relational organizing at targeted worksites to increase voter turnout in the November 2024 elections. The program was incredibly effective, increasing voter turnout by double digits.
To build on the success of the WAL program, we are starting something similar for this legislative session. The Action Leader program will create a network of engaged advocates on two of our three our top legislative issues (pensions and health care) who will use relational organizing to mobilize members. The goal is to use this robust organizing network to successfully pass our proposed legislation by educating members about the issues, our proposed policies and ways they can take action.
For this legislative session, there are two Action Leader programs: one focused on pension advocacy, the other focused on health care advocacy. Action leaders have the option to choose one issue or work on both. There are currently 225 action leaders representing 162 locals.
Action leaders work with the Pension Advocacy Group, the Health Care Task Force and Education Minnesota staff to undergo training and learn best practices for relational organizing. Once they’ve completed training, action leaders begin working to mobilize members in their districts to contact their legislators and share their stories on pensions and health care.
Mark Domeier is an English teacher and health care action leader in New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva. After serving on his local’s health care team for many years, becoming an action leader on health care seemed like a logical fit for him, so when his local president asked if he would be interested, he accepted.
Domeier said the Action Leader program hopes to strengthen members’ voices by working collectively with other educators across the state. “The idea of the program is to bolster solidarity by getting our members involved and then working with people all across the state,” he said. “Instead of each of us fighting our little fires, we can work together to find solutions on a grander scale.”
This process begins with talking to members about legislative priorities and ensuring they understand what Education Minnesota’s proposals are and why members support those proposals.
Domeier said the personal relationship aspect makes it easier to talk about the issues. “The benefit is that, especially in a small district, you know everyone,” he said. “It’s much easier to reach out [to someone you know] and say ‘hey, can you explain this a little bit more?’” This approach also works in large districts, where action leaders’ focus may be their building, instead of the entire district.
Action Leaders have leeway to organize in ways that work best for their community. In NRHEG, Domeier said the first step is an email campaign to legislators. “We make the template and then as the action leader, I go around to everyone and ask them to send it to their elected officials,” said Domeier. He says the benefit to this approach is twofold: one, lawmakers pay closer attention when many constituents are discussing the same problem, and two, it provides an avenue for members to make their voices heard and take action beyond the negotiating table.
For Pension Action Leaders, early organizing efforts have included targeted communications to the TRA Board of Trustees. The TRA held a meeting on March 5 to determine their position on pension benefit improvements for this legislative session. Ahead of that meeting, PALs mobilized Education Minnesota members to contact TRA board members and ask them to support Education Minnesota’s 60/30 proposal.
To learn more about the Action Leader program and if your local union has any action leaders, talk to your field staff or local president.
