Membership Meeting 12/9 at 5pm
Our next membership meeting will be Thursday 12/9 from 5-6pm, and will be conducted via Zoom. To receive information about how you can join the Zoom meeting, please RSVP here.
A large portion of this month’s meeting will be dedicated to a 2022 Organizing Strategy Discussion. Coming out of last year’s contract campaigns, the ASE and Postdoc Organizing Committees are working to develop union-wide plans for building our organizing power and capacity — both in the lead-up to the next contract campaigns, but also to win on key issues now (e.g., housing justice, department-level issues, international scholars’ issues, peer equity teams, mentorship, etc). Thursday’s discussion will help shape our overall work as a union over the coming year. In order to ensure the discussion reflects priorities and experiences across UW, it’s important for as many members as possible to attend!
The proposed agenda for the meeting is as follows:
- Approve Agenda
- Approve Minutes
- Housing Justice Campaign
- EPIC Annual Report and 2021 Equity Survey Results
- 2022 Organizing Strategy Discussion
- UAW Referendum (1 Member, 1 Vote) Results
- Adjourn
Kshama Solidarity: Vote NO by Tues 12/7
There are only a few days left to turn out as many votes as possible to keep Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant in office! Kshama has continuously fought alongside UAW 4121 members during her entire time in elected office, but now, a billionaire-led campaign is trying to recall her.
In the coming days, there are a few important ways you can help defeat the recall attempt, whether you’re a District 3 voter or not:
- VOTE NO: Check if you live in District 3, and if you do, VOTE NO ASAP! Ballots are due 12/7 at 8pm (via mail or drop-box). If you can’t find your ballot you can request a new one here. If you’re not registered to vote you can register here.
- CONNECT WITH 4121 MEMBERS ON 12/6: Help connect with fellow UAW 4121 members who live in District 3 and encourage them to vote by signing up for 1-2 hours of phone/textbanking on 12/6 at 4pm.
- JOIN THE MEGA CANVASS ON 12/4: Join fellow 4121 members Saturday 11/4 at 10am at Chop Suey for the biggest canvass yet on the final weekend before ballots are due. There will be a rally with speakers (including Kshama!) and training if you’re new to canvassing.
Historic: 1 Member 1 Vote Crosses Threshold to Win
Over the past week, ballot counting has been underway on the UAW-wide Referendum to determine whether top UAW leaders are elected directly by all members (1 Member, 1 Vote) or through the current delegate system. As of this afternoon, all returned ballots have been counted, and results show that UAW members across all regions and sectors of the UAW have voted to adopt direct elections (pending final certification), by a margin of 63.6% (with Local 4121 members voting 77% in favor of direct elections).
This is a historic moment in our union and in the labor movement more broadly. It is also the direct result of UAW 4121 members joining with fellow UAW members across the country to turn out the vote. This includes not just higher education workers, but also workers in auto, aerospace, agriculture, gaming, legal services, and much more, across every region of the country.
Be on the lookout soon for more opportunities to get involved in next steps! As we wrote last December, there is still much to be done to improve democracy and membership engagement across the UAW. To continue building a fighting, democratic union, we must take a comprehensive approach that includes investing in deep organizing, as well as additional structural practices that enhance membership decision-making. We continue to call for and organize for measures we have long worked towards, including: establishing transparent and member-driven budgeting and approvals, establishing smaller regions within the UAW, making concerted investments in organizing new workers, better organizing existing bargaining units, and prioritizing majority-based actions and decisions.
Building a Labor Movement Internship
Calling all undergrads! This Winter Quarter, our Local is partnering with the UW Bridges Labor Center for their Building a Movement (BAM) Labor Internship. BAM is a paid internship program for UW undergrads who are interested in labor and social justice. It provides firsthand experience working with local labor organizations, and is a great opportunity to contribute to social justice and organizing work, as well as to develop leadership and career skills.Particularly if you’re an already active UAW 4121 member, this is a great opportunity to get paid time to dedicate to organizing work and developing your skills. The UAW 4121 intern position for Winter Quarter will be focused on supporting and participating in our Housing Justice campaign, which will include working with other UAW members to organize around issues of housing affordability and security, along with guided mentorship throughout the quarter. The intern will be able to work between 5-15 hours per week depending on interest, and will be paid $18/hour. The internship is also accompanied by a weekly 2 hour meeting with fellow BAM interns and mentors.
Applications are due December 8 at 11:59pm, and you can apply here. For more information about the program — including application requirements, other host organizations, and what to expect — check out the BAM Website.
In Solidarity,
Douglas Avella-Castro
Julia Ball
Nicholas Bolten
Tucker Burgin
Amanda Clouser
Kate Conroy
Max Friedfeld
Vern Harner
Colleen Hoffman
Levin Kim
Brianne King
Avi Matarasso
Erin Morgan
Emily Myers
Amal Nanavati
Anzela Niraula
Nayon Park
Marissa Parker
Anastasia Schaadhardt
Solmaz Shakerifard
Sam Sumpter
Samantha Thompson
Braeden Van Deynze
Yuying Xie
Momona Yamagami
Christian Zimmermann