Canvass with Nikkita / EPIC Hiring / No to Compassion Seattle / Union Merch

Time to canvass for Nikkita for Nine!

There’s not one but TWO opportunities to canvass this weekend alongside fellow UAW 4121 and sibling union members for Nikkita Oliver for Seattle City Council Pos 9! With so much at stake in this election, whether it’s affordable housing, a Seattle Green New Deal, re-imagining public safety, worker’s rights, or COVID relief, now is the time to put on your walking shoes and talk to voters. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/BCan45mrBatvEJqe7

Saturday, July 10th @ 10am – Hutchinson Playground – 59th Ave S and S Norfolk St
Sunday July 11 @ 12 PM – MLK Memorial Park – 2200 Martin Luther King Jr Way S

And don’t forget to register to vote or update your address. When more union members register to vote, the values of workers have a stronger voice in political decisions. This helps defend important workplace protections and push for new legislation. The last day to update your ballot information or register for the August 3rd Primary Election is July 26! King County residents can follow this link to register to vote or to verify/update your registration online.

EPIC is Hiring – Postdoc Positions Available!

Empowering Prevention and Inclusive Communities (EPIC) is hiring for TWO Postdoc Training Specialist Positions!

Postdocs (2 positions available): The Postdoctoral Scholar focuses on working with the UW Postdoctoral Scholar community and will build on the EPIC program that was originally developed in 2018-2019. The Training Specialist is a 20% FTE position. The Training Specialist will facilitate trainings and support the wellbeing and safety of the University of Washington community. You can apply on UW Hires (UW Requisition #189319).

The EPIC program is an innovative peer-to-peer harassment prevention training program jointly run between our union and the university, and is a major win from recent ASE and Postdoc contract campaigns. Training Specialists will have the opportunity to work with a team to develop, implement, and evaluate the EPIC program, which includes information regarding sexual harassment, discrimination, intersectional power dynamics, bystander intervention strategies, response options, UW policies and procedures, and union rights. If you have questions, reach out to any of the current training specialists at epicprogram@uw.edu.

Just say NO to Compassion Seattle

Compassion Seattle is an extremely misleading city charter amendment (Amendment 29) which will likely appear on the November ballot. Signature gatherers have been making their way around parks, farmers markets, and other outdoor venues and last week Compassion Seattle announced they have enough signatures to bring it to the November ballot. While the people behind Compassion Seattle, like Tim Burgess and the Chamber of Commerce, claim to help people living unhoused, the reality of the charter amendment is far more grim. There are many reasons to oppose this new amendment, including the ones outlined by the ACLU, Transit Riders Union, and Councilmember Sawant in the Stranger.

• The amendment proposes 2,000 new “permanent or temporary” shelters, but no additional funding. Without an extra funding source, this requirement would very likely force the city to only invest in temporary shelters like pop-up tents that are proven to have little to no effect on the number of unhoused individuals.
• The amendment states that parks must be kept clear, which essentially requires the city to run homeless sweeps that displace individuals and force them to choose between keeping their belongings or going to a temporary homeless shelter.
• Other trusted community groups and advocates also oppose this amendment, including Real Change, Nickelsville and Be:Seattle. You can read more about the House our Neighbors Coalition here, which is committed to ending the homelessness crisis in Seattle.

Union Merch

Summer Workshops to Build Power

Please RSVP for this summer’s Workshops to Build Power! Join fellow 4121 members across UW for a series of organizing trainings to learn more about what we can each do to help build our collective power, both in preparing for our next contract campaigns and to win on important issues outside of bargaining. These trainings cover critical skills and information for department stewards, and are particularly helpful for new stewards and activists. However, they’re also open to anyone interested in honing their organizing skills and getting more involved. For more information about each session, check out the RSVP form!