Dear UAW Member,
Nominations for all vacant positions in UAW 4121 are open Monday, April 24th and will close on Thursday, May 4th, at 5:00 p.m. PDT. 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 nomination for one position only. Read below for more information about eligibility requirements for each position.
The timeline for the elections is as follows:
- Nomination Period: Monday 4/24 – Thursday 5/4 (May 4th at 5:00 p.m. PDT is also the deadline to submit optional candidate statements and photos)
- Candidate Statements Posted: Tuesday 5/9 (for contested positions)
- Voting: Monday 5/15 – Friday 5/19 (for contested positions)
- Runoff (If needed): Monday 5/22 – Friday 5/26
(all nomination and voting/runoff periods close at 5:00 PM PDT/PST)
Questions? Email us 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 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.
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), with the exception of chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee. If you wish, you may resign 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 2024.
Open Steward Positions
For a full list, please see 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. There are currently 14 total ASE Head Steward positions and 5 total Postdoc Head Steward positions.
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), with the exception of chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee. If you wish, you may resign your current position to run as a Head 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 Head Steward to chat with. The term of this Head Stewardship will last until May 2025.
Open Head Steward positions include:
- one (1) ASE Head Steward
- one (1) ASE Unit Chair
- one (1) Postdoc Unit Chair
Executive Board Positions and Eligibility Description
There is one Executive Board positions currently vacant:
- At-Large Postdoc (PD)
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 2025. More detailed descriptions of these positions can be found in the UAW Constitution.
Eligibility: All candidates for Executive Board of the Local Union must be members and have been in continuous good standing for one (1) year prior to accepting nomination. 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.
International Convention Delegate Positions and Eligibility Description
There are three International Convention Delegate positions currently vacant.
The UAW Constitutional Convention is held every four years, with the next Convention scheduled to take place in 2026. There may also be special conventions that are called which the delegates will represent our local at. Delegates will decide on constitutional changes at the Convention, as well as vote on resolutions that set the union’s position on important workplace and societal issues.
Eligibility: You are eligible to serve as a International Convention Delegate if you have been in continuous good standing in the International Union since July 1st, 2022 AND a member of the Local Union since April 1st, 2023.
If you have questions about the position or your eligibility, please feel free to contact us at elections@uaw4121.org. All Delegate positions are for 4-year terms.
Accepting Nomination
To accept nomination for one of the above positions, you must fill out this Google form or send your acceptance 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 Friday, May 5th at 5:00pm PDT. 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 nomination deadline of Thursday, May 4th at 5:00 pm PDT. 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 Tuesday, May 9th.
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 Monday, May 22nd – Friday, May 26th. Voting will take place online.
Online Voting
Online voting by secret ballot will take place from Monday, May 15th – Friday, May 19th. 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.
In solidarity,
UAW Local 4121 Election Committee 2022-2023
Eva Maxfield Brown
Al Snow
Lidia Morris
Ben Link