Advocacy matters to me because progress is important to promote better health, engagement, productivity, and quality of life for our employees and for our society. If we had only ever relied on the status quo and the standards to which we have become accustomed, we would not have child labor protections, equal opportunitiy, minimum wage, safety standards, or any of the other protections that we have begun to take for granted.

It is important for our elected officials to hear from their constituents, and advocacy efforts help us have our voices heard on issues that are important to us. Most of the best ideas for legislation comes from constituent ideas and bringing these ideas to those in elected office often result in positive changes for all.

Nonpartisan advocacy and education of elected officials, staff members, and regulators is the most effective way to influence public policy relating to workplace issues. I regularly communicate with and visit elected officials, testify before state legislative committees, and write comment letters.