Dear UAW Members,
Nominations for all vacant positions in UAW 4121 are open as of 9am PST Monday, October 21st and will close on 5pm PST Friday, October 25th. This is an opportunity to take a leadership position in your department and in our union.
You do not have to be nominated by someone else—to run for the position, you simply have to accept your automatic nomination! Please fill out this google form to accept nominations for one position only. Read below for more information about eligibility requirements for each position.
The timeline for the elections is as follows (all times in PST):
- Nomination Period: 9am Monday, October 21 – 5pm Friday, October 25
- Candidate Statements Collection (for contested positions): 9am Monday, October 28 – 5pm Friday, November 1
- Voting (for contested positions): 9am Monday, November 4 – 5pm Wednesday, November 6
- Runoff (if needed): 9am Friday, November 8 – 5pm Wednesday, November 13
All nomination and voting/runoff periods close at 5:00 PM PST.
Questions? Email the Election Committee at elections@uaw4121.org.
Steward Position and Eligibility Description
Vacant Steward positions are open and ready for new members! Stewards are responsible for serving as organizers and points of contact for their department. They:
- help encourage people to join our union
- spread information about upcoming events
- direct department members to union resources
- help organize the ASEs in their department for collective actions that protect and expand our workplace rights.
With the guidance of the contract enforcement committee, stewards 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.
For additional details on being a steward, check out the Steward Roles and Responsibilities One Pager.
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), except for chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee. If you wish, you may resign from 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@uaw4121.org, and we can help put you in contact with a current steward to chat with. All Steward positions will last until September 2025.
See all Open Steward Positions here
If you do not see your department listed but believe there to be a vacancy, please contact the Elections Committee via email at elections@uaw4121.org.
Head Steward Position and Eligibility Description
Head Stewards represent their entire unit and meet quarterly (at minimum) as members of the Joint Council, alongside Head Stewards from other units and the Executive Board. Head Stewards also make up the bargaining team which bargains with the UW over our contract.
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), except chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee. You may resign from your current position to run as a Head Steward if you wish. 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@uaw4121.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 2025.
Executive Board Positions and Eligibility Description
There are nine Executive Board positions currently vacant:
- Postdoc trustee
- RSE Trustee
- Four ASE Head Stewards
- One Postdoc Head Steward
- One RSE Unit Recording Secretary
- One RSE Head Steward
The Executive Board meets at least once a month to coordinate local strategies and campaigns and carry out local functions during 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 2025. More detailed descriptions of these positions can be found in the UAW Constitution.
Eligibility: All candidates for the Executive Board of the Local Union must be members and have been in continuous good standing for one (1) year before accepting nomination (RSEs are excluded from this requirement given this unit has not yet existed for one year). No member may run for or hold more than one elected office simultaneously, with the exception of chairs of standing committees other than the Election Committee.
Accepting Nomination
To accept nomination for one of the above positions, you must fill out this acceptance form OR send your acceptance by mail to Elections Committee c/o UAW Local 4121, 2633 Eastlake Ave E, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98102.
Fill out this form to accept your nomination for an open position!
Acceptance must be received by mail or email no later than 5pm Friday, October 25. The written statement of acceptance should state how the nominee wishes their name to appear on the ballot and the department in which they are accepting the nomination, if applicable.
Candidate Statements and Campaign Rules
Members accepting nomination have the option to submit a candidate statement (up to 500 words) to the Election Committee via email to elections@uaw4121.org that must be received by the candidate statement deadline of 5pm Friday, November 1. Candidates also have the option to 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 9am Monday, November 4.
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.
Election Procedure
If only one candidate accepts the nomination for a position, that position will be uncontested and will be automatically filled. For contested positions, a candidate must receive a majority of votes to win.
If no candidate receives a majority of the votes for a position, a runoff election will be held 9am Friday, November 8 – 5pm Wednesday, November 13. Voting will take place online. Instructions for online voting will be emailed to all members before the voting and will be posted on www.uaw4121.org/elections.
In solidarity,
UAW Local 4121 Election Committee 2024-2025
Tracy Chin
Rob Gillespie
Judy Machuka
Lucas O’Bryan