Final Report of the UAW, Local 2865 Election Committee Fall 2012 Joint Council and Executive Board Election
The following is our final report for the fall 2012 Joint Council and Executive Board vacancy election.
The following report documents the (1) purpose of the election, (2) the vacancies noticed for each campus, (3) the officers elected by acclamation, and (4) the next election.
Download the 2012 Fall Vacancy Final Report here.
You can see the full roster of Elected Officers here.
(1) Purpose of the Election
Following the resignation of several Joint Council and Executive Board members, and in accordance with our Bylaws (Article 14, Sections 11-12), the Election Committee with the assistance of the Executive Board, commenced an election scheduled for the month of October (Article 14, Section 12).
(2) Vacancies Noticed
In consequence, notices requesting nominations went out to all nine University of California campuses announcing the vacancies. Notices were sent via e-mail to the membership on October 4, 2012. The nomination period closed October 13, 2012 at 5:00pm for all positions except Los Angeles Recording Secretary, which was extended to October 14, at 5:00pm [1]. An election, if necessary, was scheduled for October 29-30, 2012.
The following is a list by campus of the vacancies:
Berkeley
Campus Chair
Recording Secretary
9 Head Stewards
Davis
Recording Secretary
3 Head Stewards [2]
Irvine
Recording Secretary
4 Head Stewards
Los Angeles
Recording Secretary
4 Head Stewards
Riverside
Recording Secretary
3 Head Stewards
San Diego
4 Head Stewards
Santa Cruz
Campus Chair
Head Steward
Executive Board
Northern Vice-President
Southern Vice-President
2 Trustees
Guide
[1] Shortly after receiving the vacancy nomination notice for Los Angeles, Zachary Williams offered his resignation as Recording Secretary to accept nomination for Southern Vice-President. The Election Committee and Executive Board determined it was in the Unit’s best interest to send an amended vacancy notice to the members of Los Angeles that included the Recording Secretary. The revised nomination was sent via e-mail on October 6, 2012. The period to accept nomination was extended to October 14, 2012.
[2] The first notice to the Davis membership mistakenly listed four Head Steward vacancies. A corrected notice was sent the same evening.
(3) Officers Elected by Acclamation
No position open to nomination received more than one acceptance. Therefore, all officers were elected by acclamation.
The following is a list by campus of the members elected by acclamation:
Berkeley
Campus Chair – Katy Fox-Hodess
Recording Secretary – Mike Holmes
Head Stewards – Rachel Lesser, Munira Lokhandwala, Blanca Missé, Lindsey Newbold, Akasemi Newsome, Gustavo Oliveira, Rebecca Tarlau
Davis
Recording Secretary – Jordan Scavo
Head Steward – Caroline McKusick
Irvine
Recording Secretary – Jessica Conte
Head Stewards – Monroe Eskew, Erin Evans, Meredith Goldsmith, Tyson Patros
Los Angeles
Recording Secretary – Cody Trojan
Riverside
Recording Secretary – Jason Young Struna
Head Stewards – Jermaine Hekili Cathcart, Edwin Elias, Justin Nelson
San Diego
Head Stewards – Alborz Ghandehari [3], Troy Andreas Kokinis, Megan Turner, Chad Valasek
Santa Cruz
Campus Chair – K. Michelle Glowa
Executive Board
Southern Vice-President – Zachary Williams
Trustee – Henry Maar
Guide – Anne Kelly
[3] Two members from San Diego, Alborz Ghandehari and Malathi Iyengar, accepted nomination for Head Steward (both on 10/12). However, the statewide office did not have any record of their membership. The Election Committee reached out to both members in an attempt to clarify their status as the acceptance of both would trigger an election at San Diego. Iyengar subsequently withdrew her acceptance and Ghandehari was thus elected by acclamation. The Election Committee accepted as proof of his membership a written statement from the Recording Secretary Leslie Manjarrez and Head Steward Nikolai Smith that he was a member.
(4) The Next Election
Although most positions were filled, a number of vacancies remain. A total of 35 Joint Council vacancies were noticed, 9 remain open. Of the 5 Executive Board positions noticed, 2 remain unfilled. The Election Committee also received 2 resignations during the nomination period.
The following is a list by campus of the vacancies that remain:
Berkeley
2 Head Stewards
Davis
2 Head Stewards
Los Angeles
5 Head Stewards
Riverside
1 Head Steward
Santa Cruz
1 Head Steward
Executive Board
Northern Vice-President
Trustee
Due to the time-consuming nature of organizing an election and the need to avoid scheduling an election between the fall and winter quarters, the Election Committee is currently looking toward February, 2013 for our next election. In the interim, we have 3 important goals: (1) filling all of the Election Committee vacancies. Presently, there are only 3 campuses represented on the Election Committee: Berkeley, Davis, and Santa Barbara. Because the Committee is responsible for conducting all elections and determining or interpreting election policies not specified by our Constitution or Bylaws, the importance of having a representative from each campus should be self evident. The Chair of the EC will actively seek out interested members from unrepresented campuses. (2) Organizing an election-worker training. We are tentatively planning on organizing an election/poll-worker training session during the January Joint Council meeting. (3) Addressing membership confirmation issues. In an effort to avoid problems with interested members seeking to accept nomination but missing paperwork with the statewide office, the EC will work with the Executive Board to recommend or implement policies to avoid such problems.
In Solidarity,
Local 2865 Election Committee
Erik Anciaux, UC Santa Barbara
Philippe Marchand, UC Berkeley
Tom O’Donnell, UC Davis
