I first joined our fight during our strike last year. And since then, I’ve kept busy. I’ve spent all summer learning from our organizers what it takes to keep our cause going, both behind the scenes and in front of our members. I’m excited to keep growing as an organizer as we lead together!

It’s been special to meet so many people since I joined – to listen to real stories and to work alongside all of the people that make our union special. I look up to the organizers of the 1960s who fought for the right of working people to live safely and with respect. I’m part of a new generation of WAWU members who will continue that mission through our current decade.

As a researcher in STEM education, I understand both that it is a joy to learn, and that it’s up to us to defend the necessary rights and resources open higher education to everybody. As president, I will build our capacity to continue changing our community for the better, and see to it that our union continues into the far future.

Hi, I’m Gabe Wong, I’ve been involved with WAWU-UAW since December 2022.. I’ve been organizing, advocating, canvassing, bargaining, and showing up ever since. I’m running for Local Union President because my union friends think I should. But also because I believe that I am highly qualified for the role and I feel that what I represent (queer, rank-and-file, militant undergraduate labor organizing) is what WAWU should be about. In terms of the mechanics of the role, the kind of work I was doing in my last ESE job is very similar. I served as Senate President and Senator (a Peer Advisor in Student Government) over the past two years, trying to get student voices heard and doing lots of what some, but not me, might call–boring–administrative, strategic, and organizational work. Gabe’s Vision for WAWU-UAW Local 4929: Baseline Organizing – At the core of our union, our key priority should ALWAYS be the maintenance of highly organized workplaces for a highly organized unit. That means, at a strategic level, putting organizing–building community with our coworkers–first. Education and Mentorship (Internal) – Our ‘careers’ at Western are short, sometimes only 1 year, usually 2-3. That means that every year we’re losing like a third of our unit, a third of our workplace leaders, a third of our organizers. So, we need new workplace leaders, new organizers, and a lot of them. To me, this means we need to continue building a robust general membership education program (i.e., orientations, training) and improve and expand our mentorship efforts. Undergraduate Focus & Unit Equity – We are mostly Undergraduate workers–how our union operates should reflect that. We exist in a higher ed labor context that has long prioritized the needs of white-collar academics (Tenured Faculty, Faculty, Adjuncts, Graduate Assistants). These workers make more money have more secure job prospects and generate more dues revenue. I want us to focus our efforts on Undergraduate workers–that means the OSE campaign, that means tutors, peer advisors, library assistants: the workers who don’t do direct instruction or research and are likewise undervalued by the university and, historically, by the higher ed labor movement. Community Organizing – WAWU is a powerhouse. We can make change on campus. We can make change in Bellingham. We can make change in Washington. The work that our union has been doing has already made change (WWU divestment MOU, helping keep 22N funded, increasing city minimum wage, etc.). As our Local matures, I want to see a CAP that effectively engages politics across a range of methods both tied to and separate from formal civic processes. Education, Leadership, and Mentorship (External) – WAWU is iconic. We have made history with our union, with our contract, with our organizing. Other undergraduate unions are looking to us, other community organizations are looking to us. We should continue to collaborate with these unions and organizations and continue to share our insights. To the OSEs watching this election: “The company can do what they want with their recognition. We already have our union.” -Alma Gomez García

Hi! My name is Olive, my pronouns are they/them, and I’m in my third year of my undergrad degree here at WWU. I have had such an incredible time getting to work on several WAWU committees, including ACE, the ESE OC, and orientations, to name a few. Spending my time advocating for student workers, organizing to create change in the WWU community, and sharing and educating about our union has been one of the most fufilling things I have done in my time at Western. Reaching out to student employees to spread awareness about our causes, protesting and picketing, and getting to advocate for student employees directly to HR, supervisors, and admin has definitely been a highlight of the past year. I hope to see our union continue to thrive as it has been, and I hope to be there every step of the way, doing as much as I can to help support and uplift my fellow student employees. Our impact thus far has been great, both on and off campus, and I know that as WAWU continues to grow, so will that impact. Every student worker deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, be paid a livable wage, and work under fair and safe conditions. In the future, I will continue to fight for the rights and fair treatment of all student employees. I will support, uplift, and advocate for my fellow students, and I will continue to spread awareness about our union and the causes that are important to us. I would be honored to serve my fellow student employees, to fight for the changes we want to see in WWU and Bellingham as a whole, and support our union President with their duties as your WAWU Vice President. Thank you.

Find Candidate Statement here 10/17

I am running for Financial Secretary because I want to leave WAWU better than I found it. By making sure we are set up for financial success, I can help ensure our longevity and make it easier for generations of student workers yet to come.

Being involved in WAWU this last year has been one of the most rewarding experience of my life. This work has given me real community, improved my labor mindset, and fundamentally changed my life for the better. I have loved meeting people from other disciplines and connecting with WFSE and other local unions and groups in solidarity action. I could not be more grateful to be connected to students organizers who share aspirations of a just, safe, accessible and affordable path to higher education.

My first year at WWU I spent more than 100 cumulative hours in the tutoring center, those student employees made me feel confident in my skills in a way that no professor ever had. Now, as a student of the college of the environment, I can’t imagine where I would be without that support. I believe our jobs can change the trajectory of students on campus, and that we collectively have the power to impact people on a much broader scale.

I work in the library as a Hacherl Research and Writing studio assistant, I’m in my second year at this position and I love being there. I have the unique opportunity to directly hear students at their most stressed. My department like many others, are spending so much time supporting student’s learning and often hearing first hand what students are struggling with.

I believe all our labor is valuable, and irreplaceable and I am dedicated to listening, and connecting with student employees. I believe there’s no reason that all student labor on campus can’t be recognized and that WAWU can’t continue making history as a unit.

I would be honored to serve as WAWU’s Sergeant of Arms.
I believe that our fight has just begun, and as a collective we are strong.

Hi! I’m Elliott, a senior here at Western; I work at the Institute for Critical Disability Studies.
I’m running for Guide because I’m passionate about creating real, lasting changes with my coworkers in our workplaces.
Being involved in union work is one of the best parts of my day. This summer I’ve worked closely with Advocacy and Contract Enforcement to resolve problems and look deeply at our contract’s language. I’ve been involved with many committees: Orientations, ESE Organizing, Community Action and Partnerships, and more.
I’m so grateful for all of these opportunities to serve my community. Each event I’ve attended has connected me to incredible people who deserve to have their voices heard. If elected, I commit to working hard, connecting fellow workers to resources, and to listening and standing up for the needs of my fellow workers. I will work to ensure our board is accessible and responsive.
I strongly believe in the fight to make our workplaces more accessible, fair, transparent, and above all, safe to work in. We deserve respect and recognition as workers who keep WWU running.
If you see me on campus, please don’t hesitate to say hello! I will always make time for you.

Find Candidate Statement here 10/17

I would love to get more involved with WAWU. I feel like the union is very inspiring and filled with wonderful folks! Having the privilege to meet more members and advocate for them would be a joy!!

I knew even before my first day of graduate school here at WWU that I wanted to be apart of the team that actively protects student workers, and advocates for worker interests. On orientation day, without hesitation I signed a membership card and very quickly realized I felt a draw to do more.

Self-admittedly, my background isn’t in a politics-focused, community organizing adjacent field, but instead in environmental science and philosophy. After earning my bachelors, I was thrown into the working world, and only then did I fully understand the necessity for worker organization. Having worked in professional settings where union membership were made (1) intentionally inaccessible and (2) organizing was treated as insubordination, it’s evident to me that our rights are not ensured.

The poor working conditions I’ve experienced sent me on an escapade to learn as much as I could about what is required to give us, the working body that makes our world work, a voice. In order safeguard workers, it’s essential to be tenacious, willful, and insistent. These are all traits I want to bring to the table.

The formation of WAWU is incredibly new and, in that, is an opportunity for us to embody self-determinism. My personal hero, Eugene V. Debs, puts it best, “Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization. Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or stagnation.” If I’m elected a Head Steward, I will act as your advocate, reinforce the system that protects us, and ensure your right to express intelligent discontent.

There is so much to do with the Union in its infancy, and I’m excited to represent your interests in it! My biggest priority would be to make sure we’re getting word out about membership. The power of the Union comes through us and the dues we pay, so making sure we’re advertising and getting as many people into orientations as possible is of the upmost importance. In terms of long term plans, I think making sure we’re ready to bargain for our next contract is a priority. The ASEs at UW fought and won a massive contract largely due to deliberate contract negotiation training, and this demonstrates that even 3 years out we need to make sure that we’re ready to win even more meaningful pay raises. While what we won through our collective action made a meaningful difference, it’s still not enough. Let’s make sure we tell admin at our next contract that we deserve a fair and livable wage.

Being part of a union gives me hope that we can shape the future we are building every day. I am proud to be part of this movement to build democracy in our workplace, to fight for workers’ rights everywhere. I helped win our contract last year, and I will fight to enforce it and strengthen it, as we continue the struggle for social equity, justice, livable wages and safe working conditions, to fully fund our school and schools everywhere.
WWU works because we do!