ACE Membership
It takes active participation and commitment from all the members of a union to effectively protect and serve the membership as a whole. ACE officer elections are just around the corner and you should run for office. Have you thought about it? Have you spent time thinking over the issues that affect you at work and how you would fix them?
Let me ask you this: do you have good ideas about how to make our association better? Do you say to yourself, “why doesn’t ACE do something about ______? Do you want to make a difference?
Too often people wait for someone else to create the change they want. Stop waiting. Running for office is scary. You’re not sure what to do, how you’re going to add one more responsibility to your plate, and you’re worried you will make mistakes. It is understandable but holding an elected position can be one of the strongest ways to inspire others and create change within our organization.
As a member of the executive board, you’re not alone. Decisions are made collectively and approved by the membership. Training, release time, and elective stipends are offered to officers to support the work they do for ACE. As an independent labor association, ACE decides what issues are important to us, how we spend our money, and, most importantly, how we represent our members. We might not always get it right and the path to change can, at times, be excruciatingly slow but the work we do always comes from a desire to help others. I’m not sure how that desire is ever a mistake, even when outcomes don’t match expectations.
Elective stipends are provided to officers for their work on behalf of ACE. A member is eligible to be a candidate if they are a non-probationary, permanent, classified employee in the District and is a member of ACE for one (1) full year. The following positions are up for election.
- Treasurer
- Recorder
- Vice President – Foothill
- Chief Steward – De Anza and Central Services (one at each location)
- Board Members – Central Services and De Anza Seat 2 (one at each location)
A description of each officer’s role and responsibilities is attached.
Terms are two years in length and run from January 1, 2021, through December 30, 2022. All executive board members are required to:
- Attend ACE board meetings held the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 1-2:30 p.m. Typically, they rotate between the two campuses but during the shelter in place, they are held online via Zoom.
- Attend the site meeting for the campus they represent. At De Anza, these are held the 1st Tuesday of the month; At Foothill, these are held the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Both meetings are from noon – 1 p.m.
All positions require subordination of personal interests to those that represent the highest good of the members. No officer shall have greater rights than any other member of ACE.
More information and nomination will be discussed at today’s general membership meeting at noon. A separate zoom invite was sent to you last week by our recorder.
Nominations Accepted October 13 – 15
Elections held online October 27 – October 30
So, what office are you running for in the upcoming election?
In solidarity, Chris