Elections for UE’s three top officer positions were held this afternoon at the 79th UE Convention. Scott Slawson, the president of UE Local 506 in Erie, PA, was elected General President of the National Union. Secretary-Treasurer Andrew Dinkelaker was re-elected as Secretary-Treasurer, and UE Staff Coordinator Kim Lawson was elected as Director of Organization. Lawson will be the first woman to serve as Director of Organization, and the second woman to serve UE as a national officer.
In a powerful morning session, over 40 delegates, alternates, and guests rose to speak on the resolutions “Fight Racism” and “Advance Women’s Rights.” Several speakers shared deeply personal stories, and many received standing ovations. UE members spoke passionately about the evils of racism, the barriers faced by women and gender non-conforming people both in society and in the union, and the importance of healing in order to forge working-class unity. Both resolutions were adopted unanimously.
At the end of the morning, leaders of the Northwestern University Postdocs Union announced that they had won their NLRB election to join UE by a margin of 515-13. They were greeted with a standing ovation.
Delegates also attended to organizational matters, adopting several constitutional amendments and considering a resolution recommended by the Constitution Committee outlining steps for the union to review and improve the process for national officer elections. Secretary-Treasurer Dinkelaker gave a thorough financial report, and delegates took action on recommendations from the Publicity and Education and Policy Action Committees.
At the close of the day’s session, delegates adopted resolutions honoring General President Carl Rosen, who will be retiring at the end of his term, and Director of Organization Mark Meinster, who chose not to run for re-election. UE members lined up at the mics to express their appreciation for the service of the two UE officers, thanking them for their willingness to make themselves available to members and to engage with differing opinions, their commitment to UE and to rank-and-file unionism, and the hard work they put in for decades to make UE what it is today.