More important elections are on-going
Congratulations are due to our newly elected Board of Directors. Ballot counting was finished on Saturday, March 6th, 2010. Bart Lewis, President of the Retirees Local 001 and chair of the elections committee, called the candidates personally to let them know the election results. If you would like to see the entire list of Directors, go to the SEIU 503 web site. It's posted prominently on the front page.
Electing the Board of Directors is just the first step. Ballots will be going out shortly to elect your Local Officers, General Council Delegates, and Bargaining Delegates. These elections are just as important as the Board of Directors, or the upcoming Statewide Officer elections.
You probably already know your current Local Officers. They are, after all, local. These are the people who are supposed to represent you and your co-workers. They, along with your stewards, are your first point of contact. (We know there are variations on how this works as SEIU Local 503 represents a diverse membership with many different organizational structures.)
Your Bargaining Delegates are the brave folks who will be sitting down across from the bargaining table with management representatives. This isn't an easy position, and certainly not one where you want someone who is looking for personal glory. (This applies to the biggest groups in 503 who will be bargaining for the 2011-13 biennium; other groups bargain at other times, but this still applies to their selection process as well.)
Finally there is the General Council. In some ways this is even more important than the Board of Directors. The General Council helps determine the direction that SEIU Local 503 will take for the next 2 years. It is then the responsibility of the Board of Directors to fulfill those directions.
Voting recommendations:
- Read each candidate statement carefully. Did the candidate really provide any useful information, or did they just give you a bullet list of their "accomplishments?"
- Don't vote for a candidate just because their name is familiar. Knowing a candidate's name doesn't mean they will be a good leader, or that you know their name because of something positive you've heard about them. Do you know the name Adolf Hitler? Would you vote for him if he was running?
- Choose for yourself, not based on what someone tells you to choose.
- Beware of SEIU 503 staff who appear to be shilling for any candidates. While they are entitled to their opinion, it's not their job and should not be done on union time. Since it is hard to differentiate when they are working vs. not working, it is our position that they should not attempt to influence member voting.
- Don't return a blank ballot. If you don't like any of the candidates, write yourself in. This way they know you didn't forget to vote and you get to show your dissatisfaction with the candidates. Be aware that you could win with a single vote, however it is highly unlikely with 58 candidates for the 23 seats on the Board of Directors. Phony names or fictional characters don't count, so avoid the temptation.
As with the nominees for the Board, anyone running for a Local Officer, Bargaining Delegate, or General Council position is more than welcome to campaign here at Eye On The 503. The forums are open whether you wish to register on the site or not.
Good luck to everyone running for these important positions.