As members of UAW 2478’s elections committee, we’re writing with the exciting news that our union’s first ever leadership election has been scheduled for later this month! Our election will be run via a secure online platform on May 27th and 28th; your private, individual ballot will be sent to your inbox on May 27th, and you will have until 7:00pm on May 28th to submit your vote. To learn more, including how you can run to advocate for your colleagues and build a strong union, read on.
What are we running for?
Every graduate student worker (GSW) and postdoc who is a member of our union will be entitled to vote for our 11 executive board positions. Our executive board constitutes our leadership as a union; because these positions serve three-year terms, the workers that we elect to fill these positions will help guide our union through the duration of our current contract, as well as bargaining for the next contract. As a basic explainer, we’ve outlined the the various roles and duties of executive board positions at the bottom of this email.
Just as importantly, every union member will be able to vote for stewards in their division. Stewards are union members who can help colleagues facing contract violations by walking them through the contract, filing grievances with the administration, and helping organize around those grievances. Trainings will be provided for steward candidates who are interested in learning about interpreting the contract to protect their, and their coworkers’, contractual rights.
Each division is allotted a certain number of stewards (based on division size) in addition to a divisional lead steward, who will help coordinate grievance handling across the division. As workers on the frontlines of contract enforcement, committed and compassionate stewards are essential to maintaining the functioning of our union and building our capacity to advocate for ourselves. If you’re interested in running for a stewardship but have questions about the role, we highly encourage you to reach out to elections@cgpu.org.
How can I run?
The nomination period for elected positions begins today, May 6th, and will run through May 13th. If you’ve been a member of UAW 2478 since April 13th or earlier, you have been automatically nominated for all positions. If you’re interested in accepting the nomination to run for a given position, email your acceptance to us at elections@cgpu.org before the nomination period closes at 11:59pm on May 13th; please include how you would like your name to appear on the ballot. Your acceptance can also include a candidate statement of up to 500 words that will be made available to all 2478 members.
After the close of the nomination period on May 13, candidate statements will be made available to all 2478 members. We encourage all of our members to be active participants in our growing democracy, so please consider your choices carefully and remember to vote on May 27th and 28th!
Please reach out to us at elections@cgpu.org with any questions about the voting or nomination process.
UAW 2478 Elections Committee
Sam Ponnada, GSW in Astrophysics
Michael Greklek-McKeon, GSW in Planetary Science
Jack Wilding, GSW in Geophysics
Guide to Executive Board Positions
This guide is intended to serve as a non-exhaustive list of the responsibilities of each role on the Executive Board, written based on Article 40 of the UAW Constitution: “Duties of Local Union Officers”. These roles will evolve to fit the needs of our local as we continue to establish it. All positions assume an advisory role over the local.
President
- Presides over all meetings.
- Enforces the Constitution and local bylaws.
Vice President
- Assists the President in all duties.
- Performs the President’s duties in their absence.
Recording Secretary
- Keeps records of all proceedings of local.
- Conducts general correspondence of the local and brings correspondence relevant to the membership to the attention of the membership.
- Keeps relevant documents about the local on file with the UAW international.
Financial Secretary
- Receives and keeps record of all income to the local.
- Writes and keeps record of all checks drawn on the local.
- Keeps record of all members.
- Keeps inventory of all records and property of the local to be handed over for audit when requested.
Sergeant-at-Arms
- Assists President in preserving order.
- Takes charge of all property not otherwise accounted for.
Trustee (three positions)
- Maintains supervision over funds and property of the local.
- Ensures audit occurs every 6 months.
- Ensures that all funds are handled appropriately and in conformity with the UAW Constitution.
Guide
- Maintains order.
- Ensures that all members and officers are in good standing to perform duties.
Head Steward (two positions: one GSW and one postdoc)
- Handles grievances.
- Oversees training of stewards and advises on grievance handling.
- Ex officio member of all committees.