1. Find your local chamber
Search for your local chamber using the map on the right. Once you’ve found them, get their contact information and find out if they’re a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. If the map isn’t working for you, try looking through our table of local chambers.
Script for U.S. Chamber members
Hello, may I please speak with [CEO, Board Chair or Director name]?
If unavailable:
My name is _________. Can you please leave a message with [him/her] that I’m a resident with some questions about our local chamber’s affiliation with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce? Please have [him/her] call me back at [your phone number], or I can be reached by e-mail at [your e-mail].
If available:
Hi, my name is _________. I live here in [town] and am a big supporter of small business and localizing our economy. The reason I’m calling is because I’m concerned about the lobbying against clean air and clean energy that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is doing in the name of our local chamber and local businesses.
I read online that [name of local chamber] is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Is this correct? (Note: If local chamber is NOT a member of the U.S. Chamber, refer to other phone script.) If local chamber IS a member of the U.S. Chamber: That’s very disappointing. The U.S. Chamber’s partisan politicking in D.C. is harming small businesses and local chambers across the country, including ours—it is spending millions of corporate dollars every year on our elections and lobbying on a variety of controversial political issues like climate change and clean energy that are dividing our business community, not uniting it.
If [name of local chamber] wants to be known as a non-partisan, non-candidate endorsing organization that is committed to protecting the community’s clean air and water, it will need to publicly distance itself from the U.S. Chamber. For exactly this reason, thousands of small businesses, many large corporations and local chambers are publicly declaring “The U.S. Chamber Doesn’t Speak for Me.”
Can [name of local chamber] do the same by canceling it’s membership and making a public statement in opposition to the U.S. Chamber’s partisan lobbying? If local chamber agrees to make declaration and/or quit the U.S. Chamber: Thank you for your leadership and for helping to restore our democracy! I will look forward to reading the statement once it’s been published. If local chamber does not agree to make declaration and/or quit the U.S. Chamber: May I ask why? (Take notes on this response).
A growing number of businesses throughout this community are declaring “The U.S. Chamber Doesn’t Speak for Me” and they would like you, our local chamber, to do the same. I’m helping to collect their statements, and I hope that when I come back with proof that our business leaders don’t want to be associated with the U.S. Chamber, that you’ll consider canceling your membership. We need [name of local chamber] to take a stand for protecting our democracy, our economy and our community.
2. Talk to your chamber
Ask your chamber to make a public statement disassociating from the U.S. Chamber—they can use this template to draft a letter to the editor. If they’re a member of the U.S. Chamber, ask them to cancel their membership, too. If you want, you can use one of our pre-written scripts on the right to guide your conversation.
Did they say yes? Skip step 3 and go to the end!
They said no? Not to worry, just continue to step 3.
3. Recruit Businesses
Call, email, or go door-to-door to get local businesses to declare “The U.S. Chamber Doesn’t Speak For Me.” With enough local businesses on board, you can easily leverage your local chamber to renounce the U.S. Chamber.
Success!
All done! Report your call by using the box on the right. The team at 350.org will share the news with our network and compile a database of how different local Chambers of Commerce around the country are responding.