Spring 2025

Vacancy Election

UAW 4811 will hold an election this April to fill vacant positions on the Executive Board and Joint Council. Please read on for information about open positions, rules for the election, and instructions on how to accept nomination if you are interested in running for one of these positions. Reach out to elections@uaw4811.org with any questions.

Table of Contents

OPEN POSITIONS

STATEWIDE EXECUTIVE BOARD POSITIONS

Statewide Executive Board: Postdoc/AR Statewide Chair

Statewide Executive Board: Trustee

CAMPUS POSITIONS

UC Berkeley

Academic Researcher Unit Chair

Academic Researcher Recording Secretary

Academic Researcher Head Steward (2 vacancies)

Academic Student Employee Recording Secretary

Academic Student Employee Head Steward (6 vacancies)

Postdoc Head Steward

UC Davis

Academic Student Employee Head Steward (2 vacancies)

Postdoc Head Steward

UC Irvine

Academic Researcher Head Steward

Academic Student Employee Head Steward (3 vacancies)

Postdoc Unit Chair

Postdoc Recording Secretary

Lawrence Berkeley Lab

Academic Researcher Unit Chair

Academic Researcher Recording Secretary

UCLA

Academic Researcher Head Steward

Academic Student Employee Head Steward (4 vacancies)

UC Merced

Academic Student Employee Head Steward

Postdoc Unit Chair*

Postdoc Recording Secretary

UC Riverside

Academic Researcher Unit Chair

Academic Researcher Recording Secretary

Academic Student Employee Unit Chair

Academic Student Employee Head Steward (2 vacancies)

Postdoc Unit Chair

Postdoc Recording Secretary

UC San Diego

Academic Student Employee Recording Secretary

Academic Student Employee Head Steward (5 vacancies*)

Postdoc Recording Secretary

Postdoc Head Steward

UC San Francisco

Postdoc Unit Chair

Postdoc Recording Secretary

Postdoc Head Steward (3 vacancies)

UC Santa Barbara

Academic Researcher Unit Chair

Academic Researcher Recording Secretary

Academic Student Employee Head Steward

UC Santa Cruz

Academic Researcher Recording Secretary

Academic Student Employee Head Steward

Postdoc Unit Chair

ELECTION TIMELINE

(Deadlines are strict.)

  1. Call for officer nominations: Monday, March 17 (no later than 5pm PT) to Monday, March 24 (7:59pm PT)

  2. Election notice: no later than Monday, April 7

  3. Election Dates: Tuesday, April 22 (12:01am PT) to Wednesday, April 23 (4:59pm PT)

  4. Runoff (if necessary): Tuesday, May 6 (12:01am PT) to Tuesday, May 7 (4:59pm PT)

DESCRIPTION OF POSITIONS

All campus-level leadership positions and Executive Board positions are members of the Joint Council, and all officers receive one vote each at the quarterly Joint Council meetings. All Joint Council decisions are subject to review by the Statewide membership.

  • Executive Board

    The Executive Board consists of 11 officers who are charged with carrying out the program of the Local in between the quarterly meetings of the Joint Council. The Board meets at least once a month, and each Board member receives one vote. The Executive Board decides whether to appeal grievances to arbitration. All decisions of the Executive Board are subject to approval of the Joint Council. In addition to these shared responsibilities, the following positions carry these additional responsibilities:

    • President: in between Board meetings, carries out the program of the Local, in consultation with appropriate officers and staff, and subject to Board approval. The President serves on the Personnel Committee (along with two other Board members) to oversee staff hired by the Local. The President serves ex officio on all committees of the Local, and serves as a member of the bargaining teams for all units.

    • Vice President: steps in as President, either temporarily in the event of prolonged absence, or permanently in the result of vacancy.

    • Recording Secretary: ensures minutes are taken at campus membership meetings, and serves on the bargaining team for the ASE unit..

    • Financial Secretary: oversees the finances of the union and signs checks for expenses approved by the Local.

    • Trustee: audits the books of the Local twice per year to prevent misuse of member dues.

    • Guide: maintains order and checks for valid membership at statewide membership and JC meetings.

    • Sergeant-at-Arms: assists in maintaining order, and takes charge of all property of the Local.

    • Academic Student Employee Statewide Chair: is elected by members of the ASE bargaining unit, and serves as a member of the ASE bargaining team.

    • Postdoc / Academic Researcher Statewide Chair: is elected by members of PD and AR bargaining units, and serves as a member of the PD and AR bargaining teams.

  • All campus-level Joint Council members are considered Head Stewards. Head Stewards are charged with carrying out the program of the Local at the campus level, working with members at their campus to do so. Such duties include attending membership meetings, running an orientation program, and enforcing the contract. In addition to the duties of Head Stewards:

    • Unit Chair: serves on the bargaining team for their unit, and chairs membership meetings.

    • Recording Secretary: ensures minutes are taken at campus membership meetings, and serves on the bargaining team for the ASE unit.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY

who is eligible to run in which elections?

Statewide (Executive Board) Positions

All members who have been in continuous good standing for at least one year prior to nominations opening are automatically nominated for every Executive Board seat that they are eligible to vote for (see above).

For example, a TA who has been a member for at least 1 year could accept nomination for (among other positions) President or ASE Chair, but not for PD/AR Chair.

Campus Officer & Bargaining Committee Positions

All members who have been in continuous good standing for at least 45 days prior to nominations opening are automatically nominated for every campus-level position that they are eligible to vote for (see above).

VOTER ELIGIBILITY

who is eligible to vote in which elections?

Statewide (Executive Board) Positions

All members in good standing are eligible to vote for the following positions:

  • President

  • Vice President

  • Recording Secretary

  • Financial Secretary

  • Trustee

  • Sergeant-at-Arms

  • Guide

All members in good standing in the ASE bargaining unit are eligible to vote for the ASE Statewide Chair

All members in good standing in the PD or AR bargaining units are eligible to vote for the PD/AR Statewide Chair

Campus Officer & Bargaining Committee Positions

All members in good standing are eligible to vote for the campus positions at their campus and for their bargaining unit only. 

For example, a Postdoc at UC San Diego can vote for the UCSD PD Unit Chair, but not for the UCSD AR Unit Chair nor for the UC Irvine PD Unit Chair.

No Concurrently Held Positions 

No union member may concurrently hold multiple elected positions on the Joint Council of UAW 4811. Due to this, acceptance of nomination is limited to a single position on the Joint Council.

Accepting Nominations

All members who wish to accept a nomination must do so by the deadlines above via an electronic nomination acceptance form. 

Any member who wishes to accept a nomination must indicate this intention by completing the relevant form below. Please only accept the nomination if you intend to run for the position, as nomination acceptances cannot be withdrawn once the nominating period has closed. Please note that all newly elected workers should be prepared to attend the upcoming joint council meeting at UC Santa Cruz on April 26th.

RULES FOR CAMPAIGNING

Prohibition on Use of Union Resources

Local union bylaws and the International Constitution prohibit the use of union resources to campaign for or on behalf of any candidate for local union office. This includes but is not limited to membership lists, and materials purchased with union resources. No one may use time at membership or committee meetings to campaign on behalf of any candidate, with the exception of time specifically allotted for all candidates to speak equally, such as a candidate forum at a membership meeting.

Distribution of Campaign Literature

The Elections Committee will distribute candidate statements that were submitted by the deadline by posting them on the union website and making the links available in emails to the membership. Although the Local is not required by any provisions in the Constitution, bylaws, or the law to distribute campaign literature on behalf of candidates, the Local has chosen to do so in the past in order to foster open and democratic debate. 

Campaign literature will be distributed via email to the membership on three separate occasions. Below are the suggested dates for distribution:

  1. Wednesday, April 7: Election Notice (including candidate statements)

  2. Monday, April 21: Election reminder (including campaign lit)

  3. Tuesday, April 22: Election reminder (including campaign lit)

  4. Wednesday, April 23: Final election reminder (including campaign lit)

All campaign literature must comport with the UAW Constitution and Ethical Practices Code, and be submitted by Thursday, April 17 at 11:59pm.

Slates

All candidates for officer positions will have the opportunity to appear on the ballot as part of a slate, which will appear on the ballot next to each slate member’s name. Inclusion on a slate shall require the mutual consent of all members of the slate. After the nomination period has closed, the Elections Committee shall notify the candidates of the process to declare a slate. Slate declarations must be finalized by the election notice deadline of April 7. Members are free to vote for any candidates they choose and are not obligated to vote for a single slate.

Conduct

Candidates shall not violate the UAW 4811 Code of Conduct in their campaign activities.

 FAQs

  • The purpose of this election is to fill vacant positions on the Executive Board and Joint Council.

  • All campuses will be holding elections for contested vacant positions on the Joint Council and/or Bargaining Committee.

  • The election will be held entirely online via a secure voting platform.

  • The election will open on Tuesday, April 22 at 12:01am PT.

  • The election will close on Wednesday, April 23 at 4:59pm PT. 

  • You will receive an email from vote@simplyvoting.com under the name UAW 4811. The email will contain a link to the voting website and a log-in specific to your email. Do not forward or show this email to anyone else.

  • The results will be made ready instantly to our Elections Committee, which will write up the results to be distributed to membership as soon as possible. When the Elections Committee publishes the results of the election on Simply Voting, the vote totals will be made available to all voters.

  • Per the Local bylaws, any UAW 4811 member in good standing is eligible to vote. To be a member in good standing, one must have signed a membership card, and must be an undergraduate student who is currently working as an ASE, a graduate student, or a dues-paying member. Adding an elector to the database requires a name and an email address. 

    However, if you have unsubscribed or someone has unsubscribed you when you forwarded an email, you need to opt back in to Local’s communications to receive a ballot. You cannot be automatically resubscribed due to service agreements and federal and state anti-spam laws.

  • A member in good standing is a member who is up-to-date on their dues. Because our dues are automatically deducted by UC, this should include you if you have signed a membership card and have not revoked your membership.

    For graduate students, you can be a member in good standing even if you are not currently working in-unit.

  • Fill out this form to resubscribe to union emails. If you are subscribed to union emails but did not receive a ballot, fill out this (https://go.uaw4811.org/vote) to request a ballot. The Elections Committee and Data Team will verify your membership and ensure that you are added to the list of ballot recipients. You may fill this form out before or during the election (if during the election, do so before 2pm PT on April 23rd).

  • There are three bargaining units in UAW 4811:

    • Academic Student Employee (ASE) : This includes all graduate and undergraduate student-workers, such as TAs, GSIs, Readers, Tutors, GSRs, Fellows, and Trainees. You may also vote in ASE elections if you are a member but are not currently working in-unit.

    • Postdoctoral Scholars (PD): This includes all postdoctoral researchers and fellows, including paid-direct fellows.

    • Academic Researchers (AR): This includes Specialists and Junior Specialists, Project Scientists, Professional Researchers, and Coordinators of Public Programs.

  • The 11 campus units are: Davis, Berkeley, Berkeley Lab (LBL), San Francisco, Merced, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Riverside, Irvine, and San Diego. You are in a campus unit if you are employed at that campus and/or you perform your work at that campus. You may be a member of two campus units, e.g. if you have a split Berkeley/SF appointment or are an affiliate at Berkeley Lab but also work on Berkeley campus. If you do not receive the correct ballot, you will be able to request a new one with the proper campus unit(s).

  • You can see an example ballot here.

  • The deadline to request a ballot is April 23rd at 2:00pm, PT.

  • You must be a member of UAW 4811 (either a UC graduate student; a current undergrad who is working as a GSI/TA, reader, or tutor; or working in one of the represented titles) to vote. Sign up to become a member here!

  • Every member of the Elections Committee is to be given access to a member list, similar to the one they would have available during a physical vote. This allows them to double-check voter eligibility.

  • You can view Simply Voting’s security and reliability measures here.

  • Access is limited to members of our Elections Committee and members of the UAW 4811 Data Team. Administrators do not have any access to any election results during the election. Administrators can never see an individual elector’s choices unless the elector shares their receipt code with the administrator (see the verification section below). The administrative side of the elections interface contains a log of all administrative activity in the election, along with the corresponding IP address used.

  • After voting, Simply Voting will give you a voting receipt that contains the time of your vote, your IP address, and your voting choices. This receipt is only accessible by you. In addition, your vote comes with a code that can be matched to a ledger that shows you your voting choices. Your code is only made available to you. No one can match your identity to your voting choices with the ledger alone.

    This is an example voting receipt (created using a test election).

    This is an example voting ledger (created using a test election).

  • Yes. The administrative side of the election interface shows who is voting but does not reveal the vote count as the election is happening. After the election closes, the administrative side has access to the ledger of the votes but not the identity of individual votes.

  • Email the Elections Committee at elections@uaw4811.org.

    The Elections Committee is not permitted to provide any advice on who to vote for and will only assist in the logistics of ensuring members’ access to vote.