Summer 2026

Staff Joint Council Election

UAW 4811 will hold a special election this Summer to fill newly-created positions on the Joint Council for the SSAP/RPSP Unit (note that as of July 13, the SSAP and RPSP Units were merged into a single unit by agreement with UC, triggering consolidation of officer positions according to Article 26, Section 2 of the Local Union Bylaws).

Please read on for information about the election and instructions on how to accept the nomination if you are interested in running for one of these positions. You may reach out to elections@uaw4811.org with any further questions.

Table of Contents

Open Positions

Election Timeline

Description of Positions

Rules and Requirements

Rules for Campaigning

FAQ

Relevant Resources

OPEN POSITIONS

Joint Council and Bargaining Committee Election

The Joint Council consists of the Executive Board and over 100 representatives elected proportionally from every campus charged with democratically setting the direction of our union.

The term for Joint Council offices and Bargaining Committee Member-At-Large positions lasts until the Local’s next Triennial election, which is scheduled for May 2027.

EXECUTIVE BOARD POSITIONS

SSAP/RPSP Statewide Unit Chair: 1

CAMPUS-LEVEL POSITIONS

CampusSSAP/RPSP Unit ChairSSAP/RPSP Recording SecretarySSAP/RPSP Head Stewards
UCD/ANR112

UCB/UCOP

114
UCSF112

UCM

110
UCSC111
UCSB110
UCLA114
UCR110
UCI111
UCSD113

BARGAINING COMMITTEE MEMBER-AT-LARGE POSITIONS: 5

ELECTION TIMELINE

(Note: deadlines are strict.)

  1. Nominations open: Wednesday, July 29 at 9 AM

  2. Deadline to accept a nomination: Wednesday, August 5 at 11:59 PM

  3. Candidate statement submission deadline: Wednesday, August 5 at 11:59 PM

  4. Election notice: Friday, August 7

  5. Election dates: Thursday, August 20 at 12:01 AM through Friday, August 21 at 5 PM

  6. Runoff (if necessary): Thursday, September 4-Friday, September 5

DESCRIPTION OF

OFFICER 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.

  • 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 committee 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: maintains the records of the Local and takes notes at Board meetings and Joint Council meetings.

    • 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 / UC Law Student Worker Statewide Unit Chair: is elected by members of the ASE and UC Law Student Worker bargaining units, and serves as a member of the ASE and UC Law Student Worker bargaining committees.

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

    • SSAP / RPSP Statewide Unit Chair: is elected by members of the SSAP/RPSP bargaining unit, and serves as a member of the SSAP/RPSP bargaining committee.

  • All campus-level Joint Council members are considered Head Stewards.

    • 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 committee for their unit, and chairs membership meetings.

    • Recording Secretary: serves on the bargaining committees for ASE and UC Law Student Worker units only, and takes notes at campus membership meetings.

  • Some Bargaining Committees have member-at-large positions, who serve as members of that bargaining committee but who are not Joint Council members unless they separately are elected as a Joint Council officer. These positions are not campus-specific.

RULES AND 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 initial officer elections for new units, this requirement is waived for the Statewide Unit Chair position.

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 or bargaining committee member-at-large position that they are eligible to vote for (see above).

For initial officer elections for new units, this requirement is waived for the campus-level and bargaining committee member-at-large positions.

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 Unit Chair

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

All members in good standing in the SSAP/RPSP bargaining unit are eligible to vote for the SSAP/RPSP Statewide Unit 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 or for the UC Irvine PD Unit Chair.

Bargaining Committee Member-At-Large

All members in good standing are eligible to vote for the bargaining committee member-at-large positions for their bargaining unit only.

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. A Joint Council position may be held alongside a Bargaining Committee Member-At-Large position, provided corresponding campus/unit eligibility is maintained and the Joint Council position does not also serve on the Bargaining Committee.

Accepting Nomination

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.

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 Election Committee will distribute candidate statements that were submitted by the deadline by posting them on theunion website and making the links available in emails to the membership.

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

  1. Monday, August 17

  2. Tuesday, August 18

  3. Wednesday, August 19

All campaign literature must comply with the UAW Constitution and Ethical Practices Code, and be submitted by Wednesday, August 12 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 Wednesday, August 12 at 11:59pm. 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 newly-created positions on the Joint Council for the SSAP/RPSP Unit and the SSAP/RPSP Bargaining Committee.

  • All campuses will be holding elections for newly-created positions on the Joint Council for the SSAP/RPSP Unit and the SSAP/RPSP Bargaining Committee.

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

  • The election will open on Thursday, August 20 at 12:01am PT.

  • The election will close on Friday, August 21 at 5pm 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 be a dues-paying member or a graduate student who has signed a membership card. Adding an elector to the database requires a name and an email address. 

    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.

    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 re-subscribe 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 August 21st).

  • There are five 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 and math fellows.

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

    • UC Law Student Workers: This includes student worker titles working at UC Law SF.

    • Student Services and Advising Professionals/Research and Public Service Professionals (SSAP/RPSP): This includes workers in a variety of titles in student support, research and service roles at the University of California.

  • 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 August 21 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.

RELEVANT RESOURCES