I want to represent the interests of desk attendants and make sure our needs are addressed with the historic first contract OSE’s at Western have ever had. I believe desk attendants are threatened by the pressures of budget cuts and we cannot afford any future layoffs or consolidations. We need a seat at the table. I have good connections with many desk attendants, some who have worked the job longer than me and know how our role has shifted, so I am confident I can speak up for our interests.

Hi! I’m Kaitlyn, and I’m a desk attendant for the ENVS/UEPP department office in Arntzen. While I am very new to WAWU and organizing in general, the recent state of our country and world has motivated me to take action. Western would absolutely never function without the work of OSE’s and we deserve a platform on which to fight for our rights as both workers and humans. I’m so excited to represent the values, interests, and priorities of student workers across campus this year! 🙂

I love my job so much and want respect and better conditions for my coworkers. The university has not taken care of us and our working conditions. I would like to represent myself and my coworkers to get better protection.

I would like be be on the bargaining committee because Western is one of the first places I could be my full, queer self safely, and I want that to be true for future students. As a college student, I did my best to work and be a full time student, but as a student worker I could not afford food, especially not food near campus. I hope that as a member of the bargaining committee I can help bargain for more food comfortable and safer work environments for student workers.

Hey, I’m Carson! I’ve supported Western and the College of the Environment for the last four years, starting as Program Support Staff, then as a Computer Assistant, and sporadically as a TA. Every day it becomes increasingly evident that the threats to our ways of life only grow bolder when we stay quiet. Students and workers alike at WWU saw the real change that happened last year with our collective refusal to back down against an administration that fought us at every turn. Fighting on the picket lines for our contract felt empowering but bittersweet, while ESE got their contract not every student-employee at WWU is protected by a union contract. I want to be on the bargaining committee so I can fight for the support that every student-employee on Western’s campus rightly deserves.

I’m so excited for the ESE’s and their contract, and now it’s time for us to get our contract! I’m hoping to join bargaining committee to make a difference in my community and help OSEs get the rights we deserve 🙂

I am Ethan Martez, a dedicated advocate for student workers at Western, running to be part of the WAWU OSE Bargaining Committee. With experience as an Operational Student Employee and a strong background in student leadership, I have consistently fought for the rights and well-being of my peers. As a former chair of the Fairhaven Residential Planning Board and a Green Coat, I have demonstrated my commitment to student worker advocacy. My platform as an AS President candidate focused on funding, food security, and unionization, aligning perfectly with the goals of WAWU. I am passionate about securing the same protections for OSEs that Educational Student Employees (ESEs) have recently won. By electing me, you will have a determined and experienced representative ready to start bargaining for our first contract with Western. Let’s work together for a fairer and safer campus.

Hello my name is Clover, I would like to be on the bargaining committee because undergraduate concerns and ideas are important for this conversation. As an OSE I want our concerns about OSE workplaces to be heard and respected. I hope my contribution will help us reach a fair contract quickly.

Hello! My name is Kai Russell, and I am a RA! I seek to improve life for Western students by fighting for equity and the rights that we deserve as student workers!

My name is Niko and I am a 3rd yead music major. In my time as a student worker, I have worked both ESE and OSE positions at WWU, and was involved with some organizing with the ESEs last year. Fighting for (and winning!) our first contract was one of the most empowering experiences of my life–the community that was built, and seeing everyone rally together was incredible. It’s time for the OSEs to win too–ALL student workers deserve the same, protected rights.