Hi Colleague,

Nominations for all vacant positions in UAW 4121 will open 9 am PDT Friday, Jan 23, and will close at 11:59pm PDT Friday, Jan 30. This is an opportunity to take a leadership position in your department and 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!

 

Read below for more information about eligibility requirements for each position.

The timeline for the elections is as follows (all times in PDT):

• Nomination Period: 9am Friday, Jan 23 – 11:59pm Friday, Jan 30
• Candidate Statements Collection (for contested positions): 9am Friday, Jan 23 – 11:59pm Wednesday, Feb 4
• Voting (for contested positions): 9am Monday, Feb 16 – 11:59pm Thursday, Feb 19
• Runoff (if needed): 9am Monday, Feb 23 – 11:59pm Friday, Feb 26

All nomination and voting/runoff periods close at 11:59PM PDT.

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 our union, spread information about upcoming events, direct department members to union resources, and help organize the ASEs/RS/PDs 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), except for chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee. If you wish, you may resign from 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 2026.

Open Steward Positions

There are currently 101 vacant ASE Steward positions, 93 vacant Postdoc Steward positions, and 90 vacant RS Steward positions.

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

There are two RS Head Steward positions currently vacant. 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.

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), except chairs of standing committees other than the Elections Committee. You may resign from your current position to run as a Head Steward if you wish. 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 2028.

Joint Council Positions and Eligibility Description

There are three Executive Board positions currently vacant:

• Postdoc Trustee
• Guide
• Postdoc At-Large

The Executive Board meets at least once a month to coordinate local strategies and campaigns and carry out local functions during 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 2028. More detailed descriptions of these positions can be found in the UAW Constitution.

Eligibility: All candidates for the Executive Board of the Local Union must be members and have been in continuous good standing for one (1) year before accepting nomination (CoCos are exempt from this requirement due to the recency of their unionization). 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.

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 11:59pm Friday, Jan 30. 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 candidate statement deadline of 11:59pm Wednesday, Feb 4. 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 11:59pm Monday, Feb 9.

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 the 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 9am Monday, Feb 23 – 11:59pm Thursday, Feb 26. Voting will take place online. 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 received this email in error, please email us at elections@uaw4121.org.

In solidarity,

UAW Local 4121 Election Committee 2025-2026
Tracy Chin
Norma Garfias
Sam Jahn
Lena Johnson
Fiona McLary
Jake Moran
Emmi Russo