Reminder: Nominations Open for Steward, Head Steward, Defense Committee, and Executive Board Positions
As announced last week, nominations for vacant Steward, Head Steward, Defense Committee, and Executive Board positions in UAW 4121 are open Friday, November 13th and will close on Monday, November 23rd, at 5:00 p.m. PST. This is an opportunity to take a leadership position in your department and in our union. Note that the term for ALL current Stewards is concluding, and ALL Steward positions are up for election!
All members who are in good standing are automatically nominated for open positions in their department. This means that you do not have to be nominated by someone else–to run for the position, you simply have to accept your automatic nomination! Please reply to us at elections@uaw4121.org to accept nomination for one position only.
The timeline for the elections is as follows:
- Nomination Period: Friday, 11/13 – Monday 11/23 (November 23rd at 5:00 p.m. PST is the deadline to submit optional candidate statements and photos)
- Candidate Statements Posted: Wednesday 11/25 (for contested positions)
- Voting: Monday, 12/07 – Wednesday 12/09 (for contested positions)
- Runoff (If needed): Monday 12/14 – Wednesday 12/16
(all nomination and voting/runoff periods close at 5:00 PM PST)
Questions? Email us at elections@uaw4121.org. Please see the announcement for all open ASE positions on our website here.
Reminder: Participate in the Bargaining Survey
Academic Student Employees: Please take five minutes now to complete the bargaining survey!
This year we will begin bargaining a new contract with the University of Washington, to replace our current collective bargaining agreement. This means that everything in our current contract will be up for re-negotiation — including wages, fee waivers, health insurance, childcare, anti-discrimination, and more. Your participation helps ensure that our collective bargaining agenda is representative of the needs of all UAW 4121 members. Further, your participation in the survey — alongside thousands of fellow members — sends a strong message to UW administration that our voices must be heard. Given the COVID context, negotiations are likely to be difficult this year, and our collective ability to make needed improvements will be a direct result of every member coming together to take unified action. Take five minutes to add your priorities today!
TOMORROW! Third Thursday Anti-Discrimination Workshops
What: Anti-Discrimination Working Group workshops “Handling Microaggressions as a TA” at 5:30pm and “Departmental Organizing” at 6:30pm PST
When: Thurs 11/19 (and every third Thursday!)
How to join: RSVP at www.tiny.cc/antidiscrim
UAW 4121’s Anti-Discrimination Working Group is offering a series of workshops that hope to go beyond the basics of anti-discrimination 101 trainings. These modules are intended to empower Academic Student Employees (ASEs) and Postdocs with the tools to reflect on, grow, and develop their anti-discrimination practice in order to influence change within themselves and promote a more inclusive, equitable and just place for us to learn and work. Workshops will be offered monthly via Zoom on the third Thursday of each month to all ASEs and Postdocs. UW students who aren’t ASEs are also warmly welcome.
International Solidarity Working Group
The UW International Student Services is requesting feedback from international scholars in this survey by November 29th. If you have had trouble getting support from ISS or having your concerns addressed in a timely manner, the International Solidarity Working Group encourages you to let them know what has and has not been working, and how they can better serve international scholars at UW.
Keeping our eyes on democracy and the GA Senate
The Election Response Workgroup is continuing to work in coalition with community groups and unions to monitor post election activity. It is still possible that the Trump Administration will try to subvert the will of the voters by interfering with electors from key states with Republican-controlled state legislatures where Biden won a majority. Currently, we have seen several Republican electeds support this strategy from the Trump campaign, however, state officials have rejected these plans thus far. This, in combination with several personnel changes high up in the Trump Administration, suggests several possible strategies at play.
One way to take action and bolster our democracy is getting involved in the Georgia Senate races. Working people desperately need relief and support as we face yet another spike in COVID cases, but so far proposals to help everyday people are stalled in the Senate. Join UAW members from across our region to turn out voters in GA. Sign up here for information and opportunities to get involved!
Jobs using data & analytic skills to build worker power
Are you interested in full or part-time paid data work building the labor movement? Fellow organizers are looking for applicants for data and analytic work! An ability to do research, pay attention to detail, and parse complex information can provide valuable support to workers fighting for better jobs and lives. Experience with databases and/or spreadsheets is also important. If you are interested, please click here. Also, if you know someone who may be interested, please pass this on.
In Solidarity,
Leandro Casiraghi
Amanda Clouser
Monica Cortés Viharo
Max Friedfeld
Vern Harner
Dan Hart
Amzi Jeffs
Sam Kastner
Kyle Kubler
Kristin McCowan
Emily Myers
Anzela Niraula
Jacob O’Connor
Elena Pandres
Nayon Park
Marissa Parker
David Parsons
Shua Sanchez
Paige Sechrest
Solmaz Shakerifard
Sam Sumpter
Judy Twedt