Accountable union & International student representation

This letter was written by a group of international students, including Rao, Sina (the only international student in the initial bargaining team), and many others. Key points:

• International students are 50-52% of our union.
• However, there were only 1~2 international students in the bargaining team of 15.
• Lack of representation leads to bad decisions.
• Asking for formal reflections on Bargaining, especially on wage and immigration.
• We encourage International students to run for this union election and get involved.
• We should increase inclusiveness in our union for more international students to get involved.

You are welcome to sign and contribute to this open letter (Full version). Update: We got 81 signatures from this google form!

Also, here is an interview with Sina, who shared reflection about bargaining and international student representation.

Rao’s statement & email

Union election: For a transparent and directly accountable union

I believe in change.

Other candidate mentioned people are “unsure about how our union functions” and we should “provide clear information”, “reports”, and “open channels for feedback”. We already have information on website, monthly financial report, and Slack channels. I think those are good. But I believe in changing how things currently function, which is more fundamental.

Here are the changes I pushed/wish to push:

• Last year, We have open bargaining but it was only in person, which is inaccessible. For people in ISI/HSC, it takes about an hour to commute to the bargaining. Other unions have Zoom options: 1, 2, 3, 4.
  • I pushed for Zoom bargaining and discussions. Our bargaining team didn’t want to do so and came up with the Slack live update channel as a solution.
• Currently, we only have a verbal monthly financial report: Since February, I’ve been pushing for a written financial report, which shall be accessible online to members. (Proposal 1,2, details at end of this email)
• Currently, people don’t know how Eboard functions. Instead of explaining it to people, I believe:
  • We should have “open-door” Eboard meeting sessions. People can observe the open-door sessions and give feedback.
  • If I get elected, I will propose the change and encourage people to join.
  • If the proposal fails, I will host a meeting open to everyone to report my work as a trustee, answer questions, and create a space for discussion.
• We may collect over 1 million dollars annually for the due & agency fee. The money should be used for the benefit of our members, and only our members know their needs.
  • I believe our finances shall be understood and overseen by all members, instead of only 4 people: 1 financial secretary and 3 trustees.

If I get elected, I will encourage members to:

* Dig into our financial data and study union finance, as only 27% percent of the money we collect can be used by our local;
* Write proposals about how to spend the money;
* Encourage them to organize and implement their proposals. Based on our bylaw, those proposals need to be approved by either Eboard or membership meeting. * I proposed a [candidate forum](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iUxBlkavF2JWD-y_Z7WPteqx7cZr2ge67olta9ksW70/edit), which allows people to ask candidates questions. But we didn’t have time to vote in April meeting. I encourage you to ask questions to all candidates and compare our answers. You can find our emails in the USC directory. If you are busy, you can reply to this email, and I will send it to you. Online voting starts next Monday. The ballots will be sent to all members, here is the membership signup. For trustee candidates, you can ask about improving financial transparency. For head stewards and stewards, you can ask about organizing experiences, especially about marginalized communities. Head stewards can also vote on Eboard. 

I believe in critical thinking, not asking people to vote Yes

I joined our union organizing in early 2022 when GSWOC was underground without a website or social media account. Since then, when people have questions, I tell them every pros and cons and discuss it with them. .e.g.: At the last union election for bargaining team, people shared concerns like:

• They made fancy promises, but after the vote, will they be in charge of everything?
• If they make decisions I don’t like, how to hold them accountable?

So I told them how things happened at other unions (中文). And we did what we could last year 1. Whether I get elected or not, I encourage people to think about this:

• Besides membership meetings or votes, the Executive Board is the highest authority of the Local Union.
• How to make sure this won’t be totalitarianism and members can have a say in the decision making?

My answer is “open-door” Eboard meeting. People can observe the open-door sessions, give feedback, and then vote at membership meetings.

I believe in the process, not any individual

From 2019 to 2022, 12 UAW officials, including 2 UAW presidents and 2 vice presidents, were convicted of embezzling millions of union funds for luxury travel and other lavish personal expenses. (New York Time: 1 , 2, US Dept. of Justice: 1)

Trustee is a trusted person in charge of our union assets and is responsible for auditing our finances. I trust all candidates. I’ve known most of them for 1-2 years. No one likes being watched and I believe they are good candidates. However, we should believe in a transparent process, not in any person, including me. I’ve been pushing for financial transparency in a collaborative way:

(Please read the full version here)