Update 11/28/1017: Due to a withdrawal, we now have no contested leadership positions and have results for all positions. The new bargaining committee, region 2 member is Meg Drouhard, from Human Centered Design and Engineering.
Now that nomination acceptance period has closed, it is our honor to announce the candidates for our vacant UAW 4121 leadership positions.
The candidates for contested positions are:
Bargaining Committee, Region 2
- Meg Drouhard, Human Centered Design and Engineering
Hi, my name is Meg Drouhard, and I’m interested in serving on the Bargaining Committee for Region 2. Before starting graduate school, I worked as an advocate, which I think would translate well to union bargaining work. I have seen firsthand the difference solid research and passionate advocacy can make in challenging decisions. I really value all of the work our union representatives put into protecting and meeting the needs of academic student employees, and I want to work with the bargaining committee in order to contribute to that work more actively. Thanks for your consideration!
- Himanshu Zade, Human Centered Design and Engineering
I have been an active member during my undergraduate for negotiating the interests of the student committee with the administrative council of the University. I have been a member with the elections committee @UW in the past year, and will be happy to be a part of the bargaining committee this year onwards. I am willing to learn more about the functioning of the committee, and contribute thereafter.
The following positions are uncontested; these candidates are automatically elected:
Executive Board, Vice President:
- Andrea Canini, Anthropology
I am running for vice president of our union! As a first-generation college student, I see our union as a means to push for equity in higher education through deep, systemic change – through directly engaging members across campus & building strong networks, collective action, advocating for policy changes at the city and state level, and through our collective bargaining agreement with UW. I was elected to the bargaining committee for Region 4 in Spring 2016. Since then, I was very involved with our travel ban bargaining last spring, handled grievances in my department, worked in coalition with faith and immigrant rights groups around issues of biased policing against our Muslim neighbors, worked with numerous working groups (racial justice, housing justice, international solidarity, political), worked in coalition with other UW unions, student groups, staff, and faculty towards a making UW a sanctuary campus, as well as currently working with UW Postdocs in their unionization campaign.
I’m very active in Seattle’s labor movement – I’m one of our delegates to the King County Labor Council and have previous worked at a couple different unions in Seattle. My research involves working alongside refugee workers to support them in unionizing their shop. My commitments to the labor movement do not begin and end with my research – they are deeply embedded in my convictions for racial justice, gender equity, and community-driven policies.
As your vice president, I am committed to us having strong majority participation in our union and continuing to work with the broader community in our collective struggle.
Executive Board, Trustee:
- Kristin J McCowan, School of Social Work
Bargaining Committee, Region 3:
- Amanda “Mandy” M McCourt, English
My name is Mandy McCourt and I am running for a position representing Region 3 on the Bargaining Committee. I am in the English department and am eager to advocate for the interests of graduate students in my department, in my region, and in the Union at large. I am able and willing to wade through the nuances and formalities of collective contract bargaining, a process that will help me become more aware of nation-wide Union politics, as well as more equipped to deal with local issues on our UW campus. I have served as Steward in Region 3 for over a year, but am now looking to increase my involvement through participating in this year’s contract negotiation, as well as through outreach, campaigning, recruiting, organizing, and management. I look forward to volunteering my time again for a righteous and necessary cause, in this case, the bargaining of a fair, equitable, and progressive contract agreement, which ensures that graduate education at UW remains accessible, viable, and sustainable for all current and prospective Academic Student Employees. Thank you!
Bargaining Committee, Region 4:
- Dianne Baumann, Anthropology
Bargaining Committee, Region 5:
- Maddie Smith, Civil & Environmental Engineering
I am a 4th year PhD student in the Civil & Environmental Engineering department and the Applied Physics Lab. I study changes in surface waves in Polar oceans to understand the effects on future sea ice. As a scientist working in a field where diversity is lacking and discrimination is common, it is important to me to emphasize keeping the university a safe place for everyone to work and study free from discrimination. A big part of this is ensuring strong benefits packages, such as low-cost, high-quality health insurance, in bargaining for our new agreement with the university.
Steward, Region 2:
- Bradley Horst, History
I am a graduate student in the History Department and am would like to serve as a UAW Steward, Region 2. Since the start of my graduate career at UW, I’ve been an active member of UAW, participating in actions, sit-ins, and advocacy work to demand better wages, better conditions, and better recognition from the administration. Within my own Department, I’ve been involved in graduate advocacy work, have been the complainant in a labor dispute concerning compensation for summer teaching, and continue to support graduate efforts to reform and improve Department culture. Beyond UW, I am committed to real and measurable change for working people and communities of color in Seattle. I am an organizer with Seattle Transit Riders Union and the Seattle Peoples Party. I am keen to become more involved in UAW’s work on campus and in Seattle, and would enjoy this opportunity to serve my fellow colleagues across the university.
Steward, Region 3:
- Molly Stambaugh, English
My name is Molly Stambaugh and I am writing to accept nomination for a Region 3 Steward position. I am deeply invested in the ideology and practice of organized politics, both in my role as a UAW represented student employee and in my present and future research and teaching practices. I would like to be considered for this position because I feel I have the skills and experience necessary to support those in my department– to encourage increased participation and mobilization on union issues and to flexibly assume increased responsibilities as necessary. Now more than I ever, I believe that the union is our best change at protecting student employees from exploitation and other unfair conditions, and I would like to be on the front lines to ensure that this resistance is maintained. I am also especially invested in the union’s efforts with other local groups in protest of unfair housing conditions in the city at large, and I believe that a position as Steward would help me to contribute more to this cause, through outreach, infrastructural development, and increased long-term connectivity. Thank you for your consideration.
- Kyle Kubler, Communications
- Molly FitzMorris, Linguistics
Steward, Region 4:
- Vern Harner, School of Social Work
- Viral Shah, Atmospheric Sciences
Steward, Region 5:
- Sam Kastner, Civil & Environmental Engineering
- David Peeler, Bioengineering
Congratulations to all and good luck to our Region 2 Bargaining Committee candidates!