VP of Collections Matt Curewitz is also our Legislative Coordinator and he’s looking for your help:
“We are all exposed to talking heads yelling pre-scripted points on television telling us why we should blindly follow one side or the other. But I’ve learned that is not what the national debate has to be. I’ve been the chapter’s Legislative Coordinator for years. Usually, this means I read a lot of news… then swear a lot because of what I’m reading… then answer members’ questions about what’s going on in Washington while trying not to swear too much.
Once a year we Legislative Coordinators head down to D.C. and speak directly to members of Congress and their staff about the issues that affect us as federal employees. I have to admit, beyond helping to influence policy and working for our members, it is pretty cool to actually walk through the
halls of Congress along with Senators and Congresspeople. Plus, I get to post selfies of myself on social media that make me look like a big time Washington insider- that’ll show the girl who wouldn’t go out on a date with me in high school!
During the shutdown, I was busy meeting with members of Congress and their staff when I realized something- why should I have all the fun? So, I figured it’s about time the chapter expands its efforts to form a Legislative Committee. Here in New England, we have dozens of members of Congress who we can promote our issues locally. These are the people who say if we’ll get a raise, if we’ll get early retirement, and even if the government stays open so we all get paid. It is important to note that NTEU is non-partisan. We do not care what party a member of Congress is – only if they will support federal employees.
I’m looking to get a few interested people to meet once a quarter and hold local meetings with our representatives. To avoid Hatch Act violations, this would have to be done outside of work hours. So, reach out to me through Facebook (I’m the only Matt Curewitz on the planet so I’m easy to find), message the Chapter’s Facebook page under the name “NTEU Chapter 23”, email me at mattcurewitz@yahoo.com, or text at 508-826-6936. Doing this type of work does yield results, adds a cool extra dimension to life, and really makes your high school crush regret marrying some idiot from geometry class instead of you.