Dear UAW Member,
We’re at an exciting moment in our Union’s history, as with the ratification of the Postdocs’ contract, our Local Union now includes two units of workers: a Unit of 900 Postdocs in addition to a Unit of 5,000 Academic Student Employees (ASEs). At the June 27th membership meeting, members approved revised bylaws amending the leadership structures of the Union to ensure all Postdocs and ASEs have democratic representation and opportunities to help build our collective power. Elections for the following new positions, as well as vacancies for existing e-board positions, will be held July 29th-30th, and nominations are open July 3 through Saturday, July 13th. All open positions are described in more detail below.
Executive Board
- At Large Members (2)
- Guide
Unit Leadership
- ASE Unit Chair (1)
- ASE Unit Recording Secretary (1)
- Postdoc Unit Chair (1)
- Postdoc Recording Secretary (1)
Stewards
- Postdoc Stewards (by department, see below)
All Postdocs who have signed up for Local Union membership are automatically nominated to all open positions. ASEs who wish to run for Unit Chair or Unit Recording Secretary positions must have been Local Union members in good standing for 90 days, and those wishing to run for executive board positions must have been members in good standing for one (1) year. This means that you do not have to be nominated by someone else, you simply have to accept your automatic nomination. Please note that a person can only run for one of these positions at a time. The timeline for the elections is as follows:
- Nomination Period: Wednesday 7/3 – Saturday 7/13 (July 13th at 5:00 p.m. PDT is the deadline to submit optional candidate statements and photos)
- Candidate Statements Sent Out: Monday 7/15 – Sunday 7/28 (for contested positions)
- Voting: Monday 7/29 – Tuesday 7/30 (for contested positions)
- Runoff (If needed): Thursday, August 1
(all nomination and voting/runoff periods close at 5:00 PM PDT)
Questions? Email us at elections@uaw4121.org.
Executive Board
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.
Per our union’s bylaws, one At-Large position is to be filled by a member from the ASE unit, and one is to be filled by a member from the Postdoc unit. Longer descriptions of Executive Board positions are available in the UAW International Constitution, Article 40.
Open Positions:
- Guide (1)
- At Large Members (2)
Unit Leadership
Under our new bylaws, both ASEs and Postdocs have leadership positions specific to their unit, called Head Stewards. The Unit Chair is a Head Steward who chairs unit meetings (including bargaining team meetings), and the Unit Recording Secretary is a Head Steward who is responsible for keeping records for the unit. Both participate with other Head Stewards on the bargaining team for their unit as well as ongoing organizing work for the unit between contract negotiations.
There is one Head Steward position for every 250 ASE members and for every 100 Postdoc members. As Postdoc membership increases in the coming months, more positions will become available, and we will hold additional vacancy elections to fill them. Current members of the ASE Bargaining Committee will serve as ASE Head Stewards until they complete their terms or resign. The terms of all Head Stewards will last until May 2022.
Open Positions:
- ASE Unit Chair (1)
- ASE Unit Recording Secretary (1)
- Postdoc Unit Chair (1)
- Postdoc Recording Secretary (1)
Stewards
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.
If you have questions about the position, 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. The terms of all Stewards will last until September 2020.
Open Postdoc Steward Positions
- Aero & Astro (1)
- Applied Math (1)
- Applied Physics Lab (1)
- Aquatic and Fishery Sci (1)
- Astronomy (1)
- Atmospheric Sciences (1)
- Biochemistry (3)
- Bioengineering (1)
- Biological Structure (1)
- Biology (1)
- Chemical Engineering (1)
- Chemistry (2)
- Civil & Enviro Eng (1)
- Comparative Medicine (1)
- Computer Science (1)
- Dentistry (1)
- Earth & Space Sciences (1)
- Education (1)
- Electrical Engineering (1)
- Forestry (1)
- Genome Science (2)
- Global Health (1)
- Immunology (1)
- Lab Medicine (1)
- Marine and Envir Affairs (1)
- Materials Science & Eng (1)
- Math (1)
- Mechanical Engineering (1)
- Medical Genetics (1)
- Medicinal Chemistry (1)
- Microbiology (1)
- Neurology (1)
- Nursing (1)
- Oceanography (1)
- Pathology (1)
- Pediatrics (1)
- Pharmaceutics (1)
- Pharmacology (1)
- Pharmacy (1)
- Physics (1)
- Physiology & Biophysics (1)
- Psychiatry (1)
- Psychology (1)
- Public Health (1)
- Radiation Oncology (1)
- Radiology (1)
- Rehab Medicine (1)
- Social Sciences/Humanities (Including but not limited to Political Science; Evans School; Anthropology; Linguistics; DX Arts; Philosophy; Sociology; Social Work) (1)
Accepting Nomination
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 July 13 at 5:00 pm PDT. 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.
Candidate Statements and Campaign Rules
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 July 13 at 5:00 pm PDT. 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 July 15th. 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 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 on August 1. Voting will take place online.
Online Voting
Online voting by secret ballot will take place July 29 and 30. 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.
Solidarity,
UAW Local 4121 Election Committee 2018-2019
Katie Brennan
Jorge Bustamante
Krzysztof Drewniak
Elliot Lee
Elena Pandres
Sam Pennypacker
Katie Reichard