CAPWIZ

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Don’t get Complacent

 2008 is well underway and we have many things to be grateful for; our families, our friends, our health, and our jobs just to name a few.    Most of us have plenty to do at work and we never have enough time to do everything we want to in our private lives. Sometimes when things are going good we get stuck in a routine and take things for granted.  It doesn’t take much to through a monkey wrench in the works and turn things upside down.  That is why we have NASCOE and need to support it anyway we can. 

If events in the last couple years don’t convince you that your employee association works for you and the cost of your dues is a small price to pay I don’t know what will. The current budget has forced agencies such as FSA to cut budgets and look at ways to cut expenses.  Management has tried different things and NASCOE is there to try to protect the County office employees.

It was NASCOE who encouraged and organized members to contact their Representatives and Senators through Cap Wiz that lead to the stoppage of FSA Tomorrow. Your association contacted legislators and farm organizations to make sure they were aware of the role County offices play in rural communities as office closure plans we being developed.  In the recent past NASCOE obtained such benefits as the Maxi-flex and compressed work schedule for CO employees.  Every year NASCOE works with management and Congress to maintain a staffing level that will allow us to complete the work that has been mandated to the agency. These are benefits that all FSA employees have benefited from not just NASCOE or WASCOE members. 

NASCOE meets with management twice a year to discuss issues that are important to the membership that will make their jobs better or provide benefits that are deserved. These negotiated items again benefit all FSA employees.  The NASCOE Programs committee has a direct line to department heads and has helped initiate change in several software applications and programs that have allowed us to do our jobs better.

NASCOE has also purchased the services of Cap Wiz. The service provides subscribers with a way to contact their Representative and Senators in Washington that is quick and easy.  NASCOE will prepare messages for subscribers for them to send when there is important legislation being considered. Right now there is an alert on Cap Wiz regarding FSA’s role in the Farm Bill. That should be important to ALL FSA employees. What will happen to staff numbers if the role of FSA is diminished in the Farm Bill?

Cap Wiz can be used by subscribers to send their own messages or to track how your people in Washington vote on issues, or what bills they are sponsoring as well. Wisconsin currently has 113 subscribers to Cap Wiz.  There are issues that need to be brought to the fore front and Cap Wiz is a simple and effective way of doing that. You can not sign up for Cap Wiz using your government computer or your government email address. It must be done on your own time and from a non-government computer. I can help you with this or there is a link on the NASCOE Website, www.nascoe.org or the WASCOE Website, www.wiwascoe.org .  

I know people are busy at work and home but we can’t be blind to what could happen if we take things for granted.  If you don’t pay attention someone could make decisions that could have a major impact on your life.  By being a member of your employee association or subscribing to Cap Wiz you can help prevent that from happening.

Take Care,

Jon Williams

WASCOE Cap Wiz Coordinator, MWA Executive