Membership Meeting

Our monthly membership meeting will be on Thursday 3/14 from 5:30-7pm in location TBD. The proposed agenda for the meeting is as follows:

• Approve Agenda and Minutes
• Workgroup and Committee Reports and Action Items
• Equity & Harassment Prevention
• Organizing and Fighting Anti-Union Attacks
• Adjourn

Any member who would like to propose additional agenda items or submit materials for the meeting is welcome to email uaw4121@uaw4121.org by 5pm on Wednesday, March 13. All members in good standing are encouraged to attend, and new members may sign up to join the union at the meeting. As always children are welcome: please email uaw4121@uaw4121.org by 12:00 noon on Wednesday (3/13) if you need childcare and we will ensure it is provided.

Seattle City Council Candidate Forum

The candidate forum to determine UAW 4121’s endorsement in the Seattle City Council District 4 race will tentatively be rescheduled for March 18, March 19, or March 20, based on the largest candidate availability. The finalized date and time is forthcoming and will be distributed to members via email as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can access the questionnaires candidates have returned at the following links: Ethan Hunter, Emily Myers, Joshua Newman, and Shaun Scott.

As a reminder, at our last membership meeting, the following timeline and process was developed and approved.

Candidate Forum:

WHEN: March 18, 19, or 20, time to be determined
WHERE: To be determined
CO- MODERATORS: Sarah Romano (Epidemiology) & Amzi Jeffs (Math)
PROCESS: The forum will be “interview” format, with only one candidate in the room at a time, each given equal time. Each candidate will have 3 minutes to give an opening statement about why they want to run and why they best will represent UAW members, and 1 minute for a closing statement. At the beginning of the meeting, before the candidate interviews begin, audience members can submit questions on notecards. Moderators will pick a set of questions, and will ask the same questions of each candidate. After candidates answer each question, audience members will be able to ask follow-ups as needed.

Voting:
WHEN: 1 week following the candidate forum
WHERE: Online
PROCESS: Candidate with highest vote total will be recommended by UAW 4121 for a sole endorsement.  If two candidates are in the lead with less than 1% of total vote separating, UAW 4121 will recommend a dual endorsement.  If 3 or more candidates tie within 1% of the vote, no endorsement recommendation will be made.

Climate Justice Bills & Calls to Action

Clean Buildings for Washington Act – SB 5293 / HB 1257: SB 5293 passed out of the Senate fiscal committee and waiting for a full Senate vote. While both the Senate and House versions have been amended to remove the provision for residential stretch codes, these are still strong bills that could change the landscape for efficiency in buildings Washington.

100% Clean Electricity Act – SB 5116: The bill passed out of the Senate this past Friday and had a hearing this Monday morning in the House Energy and Environment Committee. A vote out of the committee is expected as early as next Tuesday. Here are two articles about the progress.

Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act – SB 5489: The HEAL Act passed out of the Senate Ways & Means Committee! There is momentum, but it’s critical to get the HEAL Act voted off the Senate floor by March 13th.

Calls to action: Please email, call, or tweet your legislators this week emphasizing your support for these bills!

In solidarity,
Douglas Avella-Castro
Dianne Baumann
Andrea Canini
Monica Cortes Viharo
Meg Drouhard
Dan Hart
Katya Kolesova
Dylan Mayer
Mandy McCourt
Kristin McCowan
Emily Myers
Maria Nelson
Jacob O’Connor
David Parsons
Shua Sanchez
Maddie Smith
Sam Sumpter
Judy Twedt
Jon Witt