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SCLWU ELECTION INFO
This is it! This election determines whether or not SCLWU is officially recognized by Smith College!
Who is eligible to vote in the election?
All non-management staff submitted by SCLWU to Smith on March 8 are allowed to vote in the election, even if their eligibility is contested by the college. An agreement has been reached between SCLWU and Smith wherein contested members may vote now, and have their positions be subject to negotiation after the election. Contact SCLWU if you are not sure if you are on the eligible voter list.
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Where will eligible members vote?
A union election must have a designated location where eligible staff will need to go and vote in person. There are no absentee ballots for this election — April 9 from 11-2 is the ONLY time staff may vote!
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This election will take place at the Smith College Conference Center, located at 49 College Lane. The building looks like this:
Once you arrive at the election location, there will be two observers available to check you in — one will be a member of the SCLWU organizing team, and the other will be a person appointed by Smith. An observer will check your name off the eligible voter list and hand you a paper ballot to fill out. Your vote will remain anonymous to SCLWU and Smith.
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What will the ballot look like?
Smith has determined that SCLWU will require a sonotone election. This means the unit must be broken up into two groups — who the college deems "professional" (Group A) and "paraprofessional" (Group B). Your ballot information will differ depending on your designated group.
Group A — "Professionals"
Those in this group will receive a ballot that asks them to vote, yes or no, to joining SCLWU AND vote, yes or no, on including paraprofessionals in the bargaining unit.
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Group B — "Paraprofessionals"
Those in this group will receive a ballot that only asks them to vote, yes or no, to joining SCLWU.
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SCLWU completely and unequivocally urges every professional member to vote YES to include our paraprofessional colleagues!
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What happens after I vote?
Once you complete your ballot, you will hand the ballot to one of the observers present at the election location and they will place the ballot in a ballot box. Your job is done!
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Directly after 2:00 p.m., an official counting of the ballots will take place at the election location. All are welcome to attend and observe the ballot counting!
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How are the results determined?
A majority (50% +1) of the total number of votes by those who showed up to vote, NOT the total number of eligible members, is required to win the election. For example, if 10 eligible voters showed up to the election, SCLWU would need 6 "yes" votes to win.
Your attendance and "yes" vote is crucial to ensure a landslide victory!
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Can I take time off from work to vote?
YES! Your supervisor must allow you to take time to vote. If you are told you may not take time to vote, let SCLWU know immediately.
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This is our chance to let Smith know SCL workers stand together and are ready for a union!