Help your employer help you vote

[Guest guest]

" Peter Schurman, MoveOn.org " <moveon-help

 

Help your employer help you vote

 

Dear Voter:

 

Four years ago, George W. Bush won the election by 537 votes. Nearly

4 million registered voters couldn't get to the polls because their

employers wouldn't give them the time off that they needed. In

California, companies that don't give their employees the chance to

vote are breaking the law.

 

This year, many companies -- like household products company Seventh

Generation -- are giving all of their employees the opportunity to

take paid time off to vote.

 

It's important that managers and HR departments know that companies

standing in the way of voting could be breaking a state law. If you

have questions about whether your company's policy is legal, call the

Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

 

Take a few minutes today to ask about your employer's Election Day

leave policy. If they don't have one, ask them to create one. Even

if you don't need Election Day leave, you can speak up for your

co-workers who do.

 

Sadly, we've seen some companies go to extremes to promote a political

agenda. Recently, an Alabama woman was fired from her job for

refusing to remove a " John Kerry for President " sticker from her car.

Businesses aggressively supporting a right-wing agenda this year could

try to suppress votes from those who might not toe the corporate

political line.

 

It's wrong for companies to take advantage of rigid work schedules,

long commutes and limited child care options to keep people from voting.

 

We've included some recommendations that you can pass along to your

company below. No one should have to choose between earning a living,

raising a family and exercising their right to vote. We need to plan

now to ensure that we can cast an important vote on November 2nd.

 

This action could make a real difference for all your co-workers.

 

Thanks for all you do.

 

Sincerely,

 

- Lee Bodner and Peter Schurman

MoveOn.org

September 28th, 2004

 

Ten Recommendations for Companies on Voting Policies

 

1. Ensure that your company has procedures in place to comply with

the laws in 30 states that give workers the right to take time off to

vote.

 

2. Educate line managers and supervisors about state voter leave laws

and the company's commitment to complying with them. Establish a

confidential hotline employees can call if supervisors are violating

their voter leave rights.

 

3. Conduct a robust communications campaign using e-mail, paycheck

inserts, staff meetings and other methods to educate employees about

their right to take time off to vote.

 

4. Create a company-wide voter leave policy giving workers the

opportunity to take a limited amount of time off at the beginning or

end of the work day to vote.

 

5. Adjust the company's paid time off (PTO) policy to explicitly

include voting. Add an additional one to three hours to all

employees' PTO accounts or let employees know that the company will

extend additional PTO equal to the amount of leave taken for voting if

they exhaust their PTO on Election Day and need time in the future for

a medical appointment or family emergency.

 

6. Encourage Election Day job sharing, allowing employees to cover

one another's work responsibilities so time-pressured employees can

vote. Ensure that any adjustments in work schedules comply with

collective bargaining agreements, state and federal law.

 

7. Create a " stay in line " policy that exempts employees who are late

to work on Election Day because they were unexpectedly delayed at the

polls from penalties or loss of wages.

 

8. Encourage managers to avoid planning meetings on Election Day that

start earlier than 11:00 a.m. or end later than 3:00 p.m.

 

9. Remind employees about early voting and absentee voting.

 

10. Ensure that election-related activities in the workplace

mobilizing employees likely to vote for a particular agenda are

balanced by an equally robust time off to vote policy available to all

workers regardless of their political beliefs.

 

For more information on the time challenge facing voters and what you

can do to fix it please go to Time to Vote's Web site:

http://www.timetovote.net