SEIU 503 Elections
By Linda Burgin, SEIU 503 President
This is an official notice of elections and an invitation!
2012 Board of Directors, Statewide and Local Officer Elections/General Council Calendar
2012 Sublocal Elections Calendars and nomination forms
2012 Election and General Council Guide (pdf)
Nomination Form: Board of Directors (pdf)
Nomination Form: Statewide Officers (pdf)
Nomination Form: Local Officers (pdf)
Please consider running for office as a bargaining delegate, General Council delegate, board director, or as a local or statewide officer.
My own decision to run for President of Local 581 at the Department of Education was a difficult choice for me at the time. I was busy in a job I loved and, besides, I had never viewed myself as a union leader. But I stepped up because I felt I could have a positive impact on my local, and together with the leadership team I recruited, we did have a positive impact! That decision to run for office changed my life.
Eventually I was drawn to issues well beyond our local, and the more involved I became the more I realized both how essential our work was and how much we could accomplish using the power of our growing union. That is truer today than ever before.
Local 503 is now the largest, most politically active union in Oregon and one of the most admired and influential locals in all of SEIU. We are known for making astute decisions and seeing them through to successful conclusions. But given the tough road our national and state economy has set before us, even such wisdom and resolve is challenging us every day and has been for some time.
That’s where you come in.
In 2012, we are preparing for a legislative session that will challenge us as almost never before and a general election that is expected to be a turning point for our nation and state and thus for our families and communities. At the same time, we are planning for the SEIU 503 2012 General Council, setting the agenda and scheduling speakers and writing resolutions. You can be a part of the supreme governing body of our union and more.
It still amazes me that some frontline workers voluntarily forfeit having a voice by not joining the union. It costs nothing to join and only members vote to elect officers, set agendas, endorse candidates, and ratify contracts. If you are not yet a member, what is stopping you? Become a member and have a say! You can get an application from a local union officer or steward or by calling 800-452-2146 or you can download one here (download links in box at top right).
Our union is a vibrant member-run democracy. Elected members make decisions at every level and work to make sure co-workers know what they can do to make a difference. When members step up and get involved, we all make progress in our worksites, in contract negotiations, at the legislature, and in our communities.
Are you ready to step up and make a difference in the important days ahead? If it is not you, then who will do the work of your local or your sector or your region or the statewide union?
We are the union – 54,000 members strong,
but we are only as good as the volunteers who step forward to represent and lead our membership can make us. Two years ago, paraphrasing, John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, I said, “Ask not what your Union can do for you – ask what you can do for your Union, and for all workers everywhere!”
This time I will go farther back and quote Will Rogers, who said, “Even though you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.”
2012 Board of Directors, Statewide and Local Officer Elections/General Council Calendar
2012 Sublocal Elections Calendars and nomination forms
2012 Election and General Council Guide (pdf)
Nomination Form: Board of Directors (pdf)
Nomination Form: Statewide Officers (pdf)
Nomination Form: Local Officers (pdf)