Bargaining Committee Elections Announcement
Nominations for the WAWU Bargaining Committee are now open. Accept your nomination before the deadline on Monday, December 11th!
Accept your nomination using THIS FORM!
The Bargaining Committee (BC) is the elected group of union members that leads our union in negotiations for a contract with Western’s central administration. In WAWU, bargaining is not a process that occurs between two lawyers behind closed doors, it’s a participatory process with hundreds of members weighing in on priorities, attending negotiations, and having democratic conversations about our demands and strategies.
Come to one of the following interested candidate information sessions to learn more about being on the BC:
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- Monday, December 4th at 5pm in Miller Hall 156
- Thursday, December 7th at 4pm in the Interdisciplinary Science Building 244
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BC members will get training and support from experienced union negotiators, and will constantly be backed up by the membership of the union. During the height of bargaining, it’s a serious time commitment, and requires an on-campus presence.
Nominations will remain open until 11:59 PM on Monday, December 11th.
Bargaining Committee Position Description
The Bargaining Committee as a whole meets with Western’s admin at least once a week to negotiate the terms of our contract as employees of the university. As a BC member, you will be expected to attend these bargaining sessions, as they fit into your schedule. NEW THIS QUARTER: Bargaining Committee members can now apply for paid relief for the hours they spend bargaining. Student workers who are paid via stipend may be able to apply for a work-time reduction based on this.
Outside of bargaining sessions, BC duties can include:
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- Reading through information supplied by WWU admin
- Sending out updates to general membership about how bargaining is going
- Gathering testimony from general membership about specific issues
- Researching legal and workers rights topics
- Doing outreach to make bargaining accessible to general membership
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Members of the Bargaining Committee area team who work to make our first contract strong. We all have our own strengths that come together to create a cohesive, formidable unit! If you’re interested in joining the BC, there will be a unique niche that your particular skill set will fill – regardless of your previous experience.
Open Positions
Over the course of the Fall Quarter, the current Bargaining Committee voted to expand the BC from 12 to 20 seats. In preparation for bargaining sessions that will take place in the Winter Quarter, the BC is holding elections to fill 14 vacancies.
Election Timeline
Nominations & Eligibility to Run:
Nomination Period: Tuesday, Nov 28th – Monday, Dec 11th at 11:59 PM
During the nomination period, every member who meets the eligibility criteria will be automatically nominated, and needs to just accept their nomination through this form. Eligibility criteria is as follows: the member has signed an authorization card at the time of accepting nomination, is a current student at Western, has worked in an ESE position within the past 2 years, and is able to have an on campus presence. Once a nomination has been accepted, the elections committee will verify eligibility and candidates will be notified and be publicly listed on the website, updated each day. Accepted Nominations will be posted at wawu-union.org/elections and elections for contested positions will be held on Thursday and Friday, December 14-15.
Campaign Rules:
Campaign Period: Tuesday, Dec 12th – Wednesday, Dec 13th
If more than 14 candidates accept their nominations there will be time for candidates to campaign to receive one of the Bargaining Committee seats. Candidates may start campaigning at any time, and will have until Monday, Dec 11th at 11:59 PM to submit a candidate statement and photo. Afterwards, an email will be sent out to all members with everyones’ candidate statements, bios, and photos attached, so everyone has equal access to communicate with the membership. Candidates during this time may table, post flyers, talk to people, text and phone their friends but may not campaign during official union meetings or use union resources including numbers and emails sourced from union lists. Campaigning is a great way to spread awareness about the causes and directions you want to champion as a leader; we believe it’s possible to delineate clear differences with other candidates while also maintaining a comradely spirit as we all work toward the same goal.
Balloting
Election Dates: Thursday, Dec 14th – Friday, Dec 15th
If more than 14 ESEs accept their nomination, runoff voting will be done via email, sent out to all general members on Thursday December 14th, and through OpaVote, a secure digital voting platform. Bargaining Committee members will be elected in order of votes received. Anyone who has signed an authorization card, is a current student at Western, and has worked in an ESE position within the past 2 years are eligible to vote, and may cast votes for up to 14 nominated BC candidates.
(all nomination and voting/runoff periods close at 5:00 PM PDT/PST)