ASEs: Nominations Open for Steward, Head Steward, Defense Committee, and Executive Board ASE Positions!

(all nomination and voting/runoff periods close at  5:00 PM PST)

Questions? Email us at elections@uaw4121.org.

Stewards are responsible for serving as organizers and points of contact for their department. They help encourage people to join the union, spread information about upcoming events, direct department members to union resources, and help organize the ASEs in the department for collective actions that protect and expand our workplace rights. With the guidance of the contract enforcement committee, they can also represent and support colleagues through the grievance procedure if issues arise. Stewards receive training and support for both of these roles, so there’s no prior experience needed.

Eligibility: To be eligible for the position of Steward, you must have been a union member in good standing for at least ninety (90) days. You may not hold the position of Steward simultaneously with any other elected office (including Head Steward), with the exception of chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee. If you wish, you may resign your current position to run as a steward. Simply indicate this in your email to the Elections Committee.

If you have questions about the position or your eligibility, please feel free to contact us at elections@uaw.org, and we can help put you in contact with a current steward to chat with. All Steward positions will last until September 2022.

Head Stewards represent the entire ASE unit and meet quarterly (at minimum) as members of the Joint Council, alongside Postdoc Head Stewards and the Executive Committee. Head Stewards are also members of the bargaining team which bargains with the UW over our contract. There are currently 12 total Head Steward positions that represent the ASEs (along with four others for the Postdocs).

Eligibility: To be eligible for the position of Head Steward, you must have been a union member in continuous good standing for at least ninety (90) days. You may not hold the position of Head Steward simultaneously with any other elected office (including Steward), with the exception of chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee. If you wish, you may resign your current position to run as a steward. Simply indicate this in your email to the Elections Committee.

If you have questions about the position or your eligibility, please feel free to contact us at elections@uaw.org, and we can help put you in contact with a current Head Steward to chat with. The term of this Head Stewardship will last until May 2022.

The primary goals of the Defense Committee are participating in and recruiting for solidarity actions with other unions, conducting direct action campaigns in order to strengthen our position as a local, and building links between UAW 4121 and on- and off-campus organizations dedicated to advancing equity and fairness. 

Eligibility: To be eligible for the position on the Defense Committee, you must have been a union member in continuous good standing for at least ninety (90) days. You may not hold a position on the Defense Committee simultaneously with any other elected office, with the exception of Steward and chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee.

If you have questions about the position or your eligibility, please feel free to contact us at elections@uaw.org, and we can help put you in contact with a current committee member to chat with.
The term of these positions will last until May 2022.

The Recording Secretary position on the Executive Board is available. The Executive Board meets at least once a month to coordinate Local strategies and campaigns and to carry out Local functions between membership meetings. Executive Board members are also responsible for contributing to the development and implementation of Local organizing. The terms of all Executive Board members will last until May 2022. 

Eligibility: To be eligible for the position of Recording Secretary, you must have been a member in continuous good standing for one (1) year. You may not hold the position of Recording Secretary simultaneously with any other elected office (including Steward), with the exception of chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee. If you wish, you may resign your current position to run as a steward. Simply indicate this in your email to the Elections Committee.

If you have questions about the position or your eligibility, please feel free to contact us at elections@uaw.org, and we can help put you in contact with a current board member to chat with. The term of these positions will last until May 2022.

To accept nomination for one of the above positions, you must send your acceptance in an email to the Election Committee at elections@uaw4121.org, or by mail to Elections Committee c/o UAW Local 4121, 2633 Eastlake Ave E, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98102.

Acceptance must be received by mail or email no later than November 23rd at 5:00pm PST. The written statement of acceptance should state how the nominee wishes their name to appear on the ballot and the region in which they are accepting the nomination, if applicable.

Members accepting nomination may also submit a candidate statement (up to 500 words) to the Election Committee that must be received by the nomination deadline of November 23rd at 5:00 pm PST. Candidates may also submit a photo, which must have a square aspect ratio and be at least 200×200 pixels in resolution. In the case of contested positions, statements will be posted on the Local Union website no later than November 25th.

Candidates and those campaigning for them are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the rules governing elections and campaigns as laid out in the UAW 4121 Bylaws and the Constitution of the UAW International.

Online voting by secret ballot will take place from December 7th to the 9th. Instructions for online voting will be emailed to all members before the voting and will be posted on www.uaw4121.org/elections.

If you have graduated or left the University of Washington and are receiving this email in error, please email us at elections@uaw4121.org.

In solidarity,

UAW Local 4121 Election Committee 2020-2021

David Carlson
Victor Hu
Sage Scheiwiller
Kirill Tchernyshyov