Reminder: Nominations Open for Steward, Head Steward, Defense Committee, and Executive Board Positions
As announced last week, nominations for vacant Steward, Head Steward, Defense Committee, and Executive Board positions in UAW 4121 are open Friday, November 13th and will close on Monday, November 23rd, at 5:00 p.m. PST. There is one additional position, an At-Large board position, that is also open for nominations until November 23rd at 5:00 PM.
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.
To be eligible for the position of At-Large Board Member, you must have been a member in continuous good standing for one (1) year. You may not hold the position of Recording Secretary simultaneously with any other elected office (including Steward), with the exception of chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee.
Please reply to us at elections@uaw4121.org to accept nomination for one position only.
The timeline for the elections is as follows:
- Nomination Period: Friday, 11/13 – Monday 11/23 (November 23rd at 5:00 p.m. PST is the deadline to submit optional candidate statements and photos)
- Candidate Statements Posted: Wednesday 11/25 (for contested positions)
- Voting: Monday, 12/07 – Wednesday 12/09 (for contested positions)
- Runoff (If needed): Monday 12/14 – Wednesday 12/16
(all nomination and voting/runoff periods close at 5:00 PM PST)
Questions? Email us at elections@uaw4121.org. Please see the announcement for all open Postdoc positions on our website here.
11/18 Bargaining Summary
This morning we met with the UW administration for our second bargaining meeting. We made proposals on the following articles:
- Increasing the Postdoc minimum pay scale to match the National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award (NRSA) payscale plus two additional years of Postdoctoral experience;
- Automatic updates to the payscale when the NIH NRSA payscale is updated;
- 4% salary increase every year on the anniversary of the Postdoc appointment for Postdocs paid above the minimum payscale.
- Continuing the fully subsidized U-PASS benefit to Postdocs
Article 9 Health Care Benefits Amounts:
- Including Paid-Direct Postdocs as eligible employees for PEBB healthcare
We also agreed to maintain the following Collective Bargaining Agreement Articles during the bargaining process: Articles 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, in addition to MOU Immigration Status and Visas and MOU Time Reporting. [EDIT: the email as sent mistakenly listed Article 27 and did not include the MOUs]
A majority of the session focused on healthcare access for Paid-Direct Postdocs. We argued that all Postdocs should be eligible for employer sponsored insurance and not be discriminated against based on their paid-direct status. This policy disproportionately impacts International Scholars who bring in external funding to the University. For more on today’s bargaining session, check out this post on the website.
The next bargaining session is Wednesday, Dec 16th, starting at 8am. All members are welcome and encouraged to join in bargaining. To learn more about the bargaining process and get involved, please email uaw4121@uaw4121.org. Please also mark your calendars for a zoom meeting Monday Dec 14 at 4:30 pm (PT) to discuss bargaining proposals and strategies for winning a strong contract — RSVP here!
TOMORROW! Third Thursday Anti-Discrimination Workshops
What: Anti-Discrimination Working Group workshops “Handling Microaggressions as a TA” at 5:30pm and “Departmental Organizing” at 6:30pm PST
When: Thurs 11/19 (and every third Thursday!)
How to join: RSVP at www.tiny.cc/antidiscrim
UAW 4121’s Anti-Discrimination Working Group is offering a series of workshops that hope to go beyond the basics of anti-discrimination 101 trainings. These modules are intended to empower Academic Student Employees (ASEs) and Postdocs with the tools to reflect on, grow, and develop their anti-discrimination practice in order to influence change within themselves and promote a more inclusive, equitable and just place for us to learn and work. Workshops will be offered monthly via Zoom on the third Thursday of each month to all ASEs and Postdocs. UW students who aren’t ASEs are also warmly welcome.
International Solidarity Working Group
The UW International Student Services is requesting feedback from international scholars in this survey by November 29th. If you have had trouble getting support from ISS or having your concerns addressed in a timely manner, the International Solidarity Working Group encourages you to let them know what has and has not been working, and how they can better serve international scholars at UW.
Keeping our eyes on democracy and the GA Senate
The Election Response Workgroup is continuing to work in coalition with community groups and unions to monitor post election activity. It is still possible that the Trump Administration will try to subvert the will of the voters by interfering with electors from key states with Republican-controlled state legislatures where Biden won a majority. Currently, we have seen several Republican electeds support this strategy from the Trump campaign, however, state officials have rejected these plans thus far. This, in combination with several personnel changes high up in the Trump Administration, suggests several possible strategies at play.
One way to take action and bolster our democracy is getting involved in the Georgia Senate races. Working people desperately need relief and support as we face yet another spike in COVID cases, but so far proposals to help everyday people are stalled in the Senate. Join UAW members from across our region to turn out voters in GA. Sign up here for information and opportunities to get involved!
Jobs using data & analytic skills to build worker power
Are you interested in full or part-time paid data work building the labor movement? Fellow organizers are looking for applicants for data and analytic work! An ability to do research, pay attention to detail, and parse complex information can provide valuable support to workers fighting for better jobs and lives. Experience with databases and/or spreadsheets is also important. If you are interested, please click here. Also, if you know someone who may be interested, please pass this on.
In Solidarity,
Leandro Casiraghi
Amanda Clouser
Monica Cortés Viharo
Max Friedfeld
Vern Harner
Dan Hart
Amzi Jeffs
Sam Kastner
Kyle Kubler
Kristin McCowan
Emily Myers
Anzela Niraula
Jacob O’Connor
Elena Pandres
Nayon Park
Marissa Parker
David Parsons
Shua Sanchez
Paige Sechrest
Solmaz Shakerifard
Sam Sumpter
Judy Twedt