To whom it may concern,

I am writing this statement regarding my nomination to the position of president for UAW local 4591. My name is Andre Diehl and I am currently a third year PhD candidate in American Studies and an instructor in Comparative Ethnic Studies at WSU in Pullman. I started working with our organization (then known as WSU-CASE) when I came to WSU in the fall of 2021. As I became more involved in the machinations of the organization, I enjoyed the work of organizing because it relies on the active decentering of oneself and one’s ego in service of developing connections with other ASEs; hearing their concerns; and mobilizing them to deal practically with those concerns as part of a larger unit. I believe my experience with the organization’s bargaining unit and direct-action committee, which includes participating in the planning and execution of the escalatory actions we took, leading to the strike in January, as well as my ideas for the present and future of the organization, make me a strong candidate for the position of president.

Our organization is going to face many challenges in the short term. We worked very hard to get the contract that we now have, but that contract will only reap its stated benefits if we stand together to make sure the university upholds the commitments it made at the bargaining table. I believe that making sure this happens will rely on two intertwined projects. First, we need to continue to develop our membership base through one-to-one organizing. This method of organizing has proven successful in building our membership numbers and in empowering our membership to develop their own role in our union. Second, we need to teach WSU what it means for their ASEs to have a union. As a new entity at our campuses and extension centers, the first cohort of UAW 4591 executive board members need to set the tone regarding how we will engage the university. When we return to the bargaining table soon to discuss healthcare (or in a few years when we need to renegotiate the contract) the tone we set now will reverberate.

The work ahead of us will be a prolonged struggle, but through struggle we find individual and collective meaning. I hope you will consider voting for me to be the first president of UAW 4591.

My name is Gavin Doyle (he/him), I’m a 3rd year PhD candidate in the English – Rhetoric and Composition program on the Pullman campus, and I’m running to be our union’s first president. The honor of this position doesn’t rest in its title, but rather within its function to serve all ASEs, completely and selflessly. I envision this position as a tool to drive organizing efforts with the motivation of fostering a member driven and worker led union for all ASEs. A community-centric framework, informed by one-to-one organizing, conscious of member needs across campus locations, is how we show WSU that our union means business. In my time at WSU, by working and fighting alongside you, you have taught me one of many things: that we don’t just survive the academy by struggling together – we thrive.

We are at the beginning of a new chapter, and I envision the pages to be filled with a culture of collectivity, of community, and of that same spirit I had the privilege of witnessing on our picket line. Through my years as an organizer during certification, through our time in bargaining, and through the biting cold of our strike in January, I’ve made it a priority to understand what we’re fighting for. By connecting with members one-to-one, I’ve heard one too many stories about harassment complaints that departments don’t take seriously, of new parents being pushed out of grad school, and of folks struggling with food and housing insecurity due to low wages. Member-specific needs like these will remain central to my organizing convictions and to how we hold departments accountable. I refuse to accept a workplace that allows injustices to continue, and that’s not only why I’m running for this position, but why I’ve dedicated myself to organizing for our union regardless of position.
For too long WSU has treated the workplace challenges of ASEs with negligence and disregard, but no longer can this institution ignore us when we have a CBA – that they agreed to – to hold them accountable to. However, contract enforcement is only as strong as the fierce will of the collective, as well as our knowledge of the contract. To further strengthen and develop our culture and community as a union, we must make contract enforcement and education our top priorities. Via one-to-one conversations, area meetings, departmental outreach, and more, we can grow our union culture through member education.

There’s a lot of work before us and our fight to better the lives of our fellow ASEs has only begun. If elected, I promise to continue devoting myself to our unit as we strive to foster and develop a true worker led movement. Having witnessed what we can achieve as a collective, I’m inspired by all of you in what our union’s future can look like. By continuing to work with and alongside each other, across campus locations, I know that we can strengthen our unit to keep fighting for what we deserve as we enforce our contract.

My name is Beatrice Caffé, and I’m running to be our union’s first president! I’m a PhD student in Anthropology, and I have been actively engaged in our union efforts since April 2023. I was an active part of our Bargaining team and participated in many of our workgroups, writing proposals such as Immigration, Child and Dependent Care, and negotiating our historic CBA. I have also participated in our Collective Action Team, and am a member of our Communications and Bylaws Committees. This work, including organizing at the Vancouver campus, allowed me to connect with and learn from ASEs across our campuses and RECS, instilling in me a commitment to organizing and mass collective action.

I see our union as part of a larger movement for equity and better working conditions in higher education. I believe that we can make systemic change by building strong networks, taking collective action, advocating for policy changes at the city and state levels, and leveraging our collective bargaining agreement with WSU. I am confident that we will continue to make wins on issues that matter to our unit through building power with an active supermajority of our union. If elected, I’m committed to spending my term working with members to:

• • Organize new members and reach a membership supermajority
  • Develop leaders in every department
  • Hold WSU accountable for enforcing our contract and build a strong ASE contract enforcement team
  • Develop campaigns built on majority membership action to tackle issues of inequity and discrimination
  • Bargaining a better, more accessible healthcare plan with a larger provider network and mental health coverage for 2025-2026 and beyond

I am deeply committed to our union and building power to advance our rights. I would value the opportunity to serve as your president and would appreciate your vote!

As a member of UAW 4591, I look forward to seeing us get established and continue to grow. It would be an honor to serve as Vice-President during this process. If elected, in addition to assisting the President, my main focus will be prioritizing our members. I have participated in WSU-CASE (UAW 4591) since I came to WSU in 2022. I served on our bargaining committee and as an organizer during my tenure. Through this process, I have come to believe that effective leadership acknowledges that the power of our union is in our membership. Acknowledging that our membership is in the driver’s seat, we must continue to maintain what we have won in our first collective bargaining agreement through contract enforcement. Contract enforcement means that members are aware of their rights and have someone to turn to when the contract has been violated. A key component of maintaining the rights that we have won is trust. If elected, I will maintain my role as an organizer so that members are informed of their rights and know where to seek out support. 

Fists Up!

I started organizing with CASE before we won union recognition, and I’m incredibly excited to continue this important work now that we’ve won our first contract. I’m running for Recording Secretary to maintain records of our exciting accomplishments and to keep track of the work that still needs to be done. I was a member of the bargaining committee and have helped draft proposals and counterproposals as well as internal guidelines and bylaws. These tasks required organization and attention to detail that have helped prepare me for the Recording Secretary role. I’ve also been involved in direct actions and community engagement including our rally, sit- and work-ins, departmental town halls, meetings with WSU leadership, sign-on letters, and media coverage. Working with this supportive and powerful community has been so rewarding, and the change we’ve created for current and future ASEs is what I’m most proud of from my time at WSU. Though we still have obstacles to overcome, I look forward to continuing the fight with you all!

My name is Summer Lockhart, and I am running for the position of Financial Secretary of UAW 4591 because I believe that my combination of personal experience, professional experience, and temperament are ideal for the position.

I am a first-generation college student from a family of union pipefitters and postal workers from eastern Washington State. I have two B.S. degrees, in Zoology and Environmental Science, an M.S. degree in Environmental Science, and I am currently pursuing a PhD in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences. My current program is extremely interdisciplinary; in the course of my research, I regularly interact with farmers and members of the public as well as with researchers in a variety of fields including the physical, biological, and social sciences. Prior to returning to WSU to pursue graduate studies, I spent 10 years in the workforce, 7 years as a union postal worker, and 3 years as an operations manager of a large international retailer. My personal and industrial experience has made me fiercely pro-union; I have seen the benefits of a strong union, and I have seen the consequences of a weak or non-existent one.

I have been an active member of the UAW 4591/WSU Case bargaining and organizing teams since December of 2023. I am the current chair of the UAW 4591 (WSU-CASE) Constitution and Bylaws committee; I am extremely conversant with the bylaws of our local as well as with the constitution of the international UAW union. That knowledge will help me to ensure that our union maintains compliance with UAW financial regulations. Further, due to my experience as an operations manager, I have ample experience managing business finances and maintaining financial records.

It is important that the financial secretary of the union not only keeps a careful accounting of the local’s finances, and files required reports and taxes in a timely fashion, but that they also maintain careful and secure membership records. I take that responsibility very seriously, and I am extremely detail oriented and organized, which I believe will allow me to excel in the position. I hope that you will allow me to serve UAW 4591 voting for me as your inaugural financial secretary.   

I’m excited for our local union to have come a long way! As someone who’s been a part of the organizing and bargaining, I would like to continue contributing my part to ensure we keep the benefit we negotiated. And be a part of the movement to further advance working conditions for all ASEs and beyond. My union work up to this point has included all kinds of things, and the duties of sergeant-at-arm seems to be the best executive position for me to continue being a leader in the most effective way possible. I’m looking forward to working with my fellow ASEs for the good of all of us as a proud due-paying member!

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My name is Ray (he/him) and I’m a PhD student in the department of psychology on the Pullman campus. Over the last year, I served on the bargaining committee to help us win our historic first contract. I only missed two bargaining sessions over the entire eleven months of negotiating our contract and primarily focused on articles related to equity including accommodations, antidiscrimination, respectful work environment, and others. Though these were the articles I worked on the most, I also participated in the development of almost every other article in our contract to some extent. From helping to plan our rallies, strategize about our approach to bargaining, and to trying to include more fellow ASEs in our direct actions, I was involved in strategizing and organizing throughout our contract campaign. If elected, as a trustee, I plan to continue helping to make our unit strong and organized to enforce our existing contract and set us up to win more in our next one. I’m so proud of our accomplishments thus far and I’m sure we can achieve even more together as a community. I’d appreciate your vote so that I can continue to help improve our working conditions across all our campuses and help guide our unit to more success in the future.

No candidate statement.

No candidate statement.