Office Closure Letter

EMPLOYEE DO’S AND DON’T’S CONCERNING OFFICE CLOSURES

The most important piece of advice for employees wanting to prevent an office closure is take action only as a private citizen and not in official capacity.  If someone outside the office wants workload information please have this person make a written request as a FOIA request and then provide it.  County committee members can more readily take some leadership role if they do it as a producer and not acting as a committee member.  If an organizational meeting is occurring in the community to work against office closures you can attend as a private citizen.  I advise you not to take a leadership role in any meetings.  You can answer questions that are addressed to you.  Be sure to express opinions with clarity that you are not acting as an employee but a private citizen.

Of course you cannot take any action on official time.   Keep the FSA clothing in the closet.  I am confident there are producers that can take the lead on taking action.  Private Citizens can ask to meet with their Congressman to express concerns.  Farm Bureau can write letters of support.  As a private citizen you can forward information from your employee association to farm groups and Congress.  It would be best if a producer takes all leadership in these activities.

Your state association president can send a letters to concerned groups, activists, and Congressional contacts on their own time.

Take some time to build your local case.  Find a county in another Congressional district that is staying open that is comparable to your county and use that as a pressure point.  Use local civic leaders to push your case with those who can stop closures.  Talk about how state offices and Washington stays open and an office where the local taxpayer gets service is being closed.  Use national versus local service.  Why does NRCS stay open and FSA does not.  Does it make sense that you had a retirement that dropped you down to two employees and that is why you close???  Pull out the local reasons that USDA should be focusing on a national plan instead of their tired approach of hitting the county offices first.

December 2010 Report