Election Center

 

Open Positions:

Vice President (Executive Board)

Trustee (1) (Executive Board)

Bargaining Committee Members

Executive Board positions filled uncontested. Click here to view bargaining committee candidates.

All members in good standing are automatically nominated for all open positions (meaning that you’ve signed up for membership! Link Here if you haven’t already!).

To accept your nomination, email UAW4591elections@gmail.com before the end of the nomination period:

    • Your name (as you wish to appear on the ballot)
    • School, department, and campus
    • Your email
    • Your phone number
    • Position you are accepting a nomination for
    • (Optional) Candidate statement for up to 500 words
      • Candidate statement can be included at the time of aceptance, or in a separate correspondance before the close of the nominations period.

Key Dates

    • Nomination period: Monday 2/2/26 at 8:00 AM PT – Monday 2/9/26 5:00 PM PT
    • Candidate Statements Available: Monday 2/17/26
    • Voting period: Tuesday 2/24/26 8 AM PT – Wednesday 2/25/25 5 PM PT (for contested positions).
    • Runoff election(if applicable): Monday 3/2/26
    • Election results: to be announced at Monthly Membership Meeting proceeding the election or the runoff election.

Quick Navigation

 

Eligibility & Duties

All candidates must be members of our union. 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.

The Vice-President is primarily responsible for assisting the President. In addition, they must attend all executive board meetings, which occur monthly. In case of removal or resignation of the President, the Vice-President will succeed to the presidency and assume all the duties of that position. The Vice-President is also responsible for organizing.

Trustees are primarily responsible for financial audits and assisting the financial secretary in accordance with the bylaws of UAW 4591.

All Executive Board positions are for 3-year terms. Executive board members will meet monthly to discuss Local strategies, and carry out the local functions of our union. Executive Board members are also responsible for contributing to the development and implementation of Local organizing.

The Bargaining Committee is responsible for negotiating our new contract with WSU management. This includes drafting and amending articles, as well as attending scheduled bargaining sessions.

Become A Member, Run for Office

Members in good standing may vote and run for office, and help lead and shape our local union!

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Bargaining Committee Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of the committee is to re-negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the WSU administration’s team. Election to the committee obligates each member to represent and fight for the best possible contract for all members of the bargaining unit.

Do you know? From our last bargaining, we won the right for up to seven (7) ASEs designated to bargaining to receive paid release time from their regular work to cover bargaining time. We can win more together.

The committee will be trained and assisted by experienced negotiators from the UAW who will also participate in the negotiations with the institute. See below for specific responsibilities.

    • Develop initial bargaining goals for ratification by unit supporters across campus, using surveys, other relevant contracts, membership feedback from other sources, etc.
    • After ratification of initial bargaining goals, develop and present contract language proposals to the institute bargaining team for negotiation.
    • Attend negotiating sessions with the institute and internal caucuses or meetings in order to advance our bargaining agenda.
    • Assess, analyze and respond to the institute’s bargaining proposals and develop union counter proposals.
    • Keep the unit membership and allies informed and educated about the negotiations and the process.
    • Coordinate with the organizing committee, working groups, and other activists on a strategic campaign to win a strong contract that can be recommended for ratification.
    • Make a recommendation to the unit membership on whether to approve a contract or take other actions (e.g. a vote to authorize the committee to call for strike action if necessary).

Committee members should assume that the time commitment will be significant and their work is vital to winning a fair and strong contract for all of our bargaining unit members. Note that the schedule of bargaining itself is subject to negotiation with the institute.

 

Bargaining Committee Candidates

 

Alexa Christie

College of Arts & Sciences
School of Politics, Philosophy, & Public Affairs
Pullman Campus

Sarah Daisy Amador

History
Pullman Campus

Elaine Larsen

College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resources
Department of Plant Pathology
Pullman Campus

Chloe Leach

College of Vet Med
Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Pullman Campus

Josh Stanz

Department of Psychology
Vancouver Campus 

Chelsea Kopp

English
Vancouver Campus 

Frances Woodward

English
Pullman Campus

Giorgio Casini

School of Biological Sciences
Vancouver Campus 

Maya Kallookulangara

College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Chemistry
Pullman Campus

Candidate Statement

I don’t have any experience when it comes to bargaining as part of a union, but I am willing to learn and work with others to try to get better healthcare, a salary that accounts for inflation, and other important issues.

Madeline Fodor

Prevention Science
Pullman Campus 

Siena Glenn

College of Vet Med
Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Pullman Campus

Cameron Coyle

College of Vet Med
Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Pullman Campus

Sowmith Kunapaneni

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Pullman Campus

Candidate Statement

I was fortunate to attend the UAW summer school last year and have learned a lot about bargaining and contract negotiations. Would love to use that experience and my skills from research to work on article/s for our upcoming bargaining. I am particularly interested in making sure graduate students have a contingency plan if they lose funding due to issues with lab or PI. Other schools have implemented this in the form of multi-year contracts or bridge funding. I would love to see something similar for our contract as well. And am  open to working any of the articles/s that need hours.

Ashlynn Main

School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs
Pullman Campus

Micah Evalt

NWREC
Horticulture
Mount Vernon

Candidate Statement & Campaign Rules

Members accepting nomination may also optionally submit a candidate statement (up to 500 words) to the Election Committee by February 16 at 6:00 PM PDT. For contested positions, statements will be posted on this page by February 17th.

Candidates and those campaigning for them are responsible for reviewing the rules governing elections and campaigns as described in the UAW 4591 Bylaws and the UAW International Constitution. 

    Elections and Voting Procedures

    If only one candidate accepts the nomination for a position, that position will be uncontested and automatically filled. For contested positions, a candidate must receive a majority of votes to win, as according to the UAW 4591 Bylaws and the UAW International Constitution.

    Online voting by secret ballot will take place from February 24th to February 25th. Instructions for online voting will be emailed to all members before the voting period starts and will be posted on the Local Union Website. 

    If no candidate receives a majority of the votes for a contested position, a runoff election will be held online on Monday March 2nd.

    Questions? Email uaw4591elections@gmail.com