The vacancy election of UAW Local 2322 will end on September 23rd at 5pm EST. This will be a hybrid election. All members eligible to vote in the election with a valid email on file will receive an email with a set of login credentials for the voting portal to access their ballots. All other members will receive their ballot by mail.
We are grateful to the following members who have agreed to stand for election. Their candidate statements follow below. Please support the candidates’ dedication and help define the future of your local by participating when the election begins.
Presidential Candidates
Patrick Burke
My name is Patrick Burke and I am running for President of UAW Local 2322. I have been working in the labor movement in Western Mass, Vermont, and New Hampshire for over 10 years representing workers, bargaining contracts, and organizing workers. I have been a UAW member for the past 4 years and for almost 2 years now worked as a union representative with Local 2322 working with shops covering over half our membership including GEO, ServiceNet, and RAPMU.
I was asked to run as part of a slate for the local Executive Board, the Solidarity Slate, all of whom were elected by acclamation. We are running to increase participation, member control, and worker power for all 4000 plus members. I believe we can win better contracts, improve our workplaces, and have a bigger impact on issues that affect us in our community by developing leaders in each workplace, providing more training and education for members, and creating more transparency and democracy in our local union. I see my role as listening to, facilitating with, and supporting our members as a working president in the shops and with member leaders together.
H. “Herukhuti” Sharif Williams
My name is Herukhuti. I’m running for president of Local 2322 to continue the work I started as president in June when the former president resigned. At that time, unknown to most members, the Local was in chaos. Personal relationships between the president and some staff had soured and affected working relationships. Certain staff members who were also on the executive board acted without clear lines delineating roles, responsibilities, and conflicts of interest. A small but vocal group of members from one shop were dominating the agenda of the entire Local thereby making it difficult for smaller shops to get the attention they needed. The relationship between the Local and Region 9A was strained. In the COVID-related shutdown of the Local office, there was no plan for how to work virtually and staff were relying on methods that only worked well before the shutdown. My goal is to address the things that contributed to the chaos and stabilize the Local by the end of my term so the executive board elected in the triennial election has a healthy, more functional organization to lead. I’ve started that work. We’re making progress. Let’s continue. Please vote for me for president. Thank you.
Ian Rhodewalt
I am Ian Rhodewalt. I have been an educator since 2010, predominantly in pre-K and early elementary settings, and worked in food service for four years prior to that. A member of UAW 2322 for three years, I received my M.Ed. in Social Justice Education in 2014 and am pursuing an M.S. in Labor Studies at UMass. I currently serve on GEO’s Bargaining Committee,
Organizing Committee, Stewards’ Assembly, and Abolition Committee.
Our local has the potential to be at the forefront of member-led unions pushing the labor movement to live up to its commitment of racial, social and economic justice for working people. My presidential platform is summed up with the acronym UPWARD:
Union Housing – Affordable housing for members, fighting evictions, no more employer-landlords.
Preschools & Childcare – Organizing more preschools into the local. Providing better childcare benefits.
Wages – Members deserve not just a living wage, but a thriving wage.
Abolitionist Unionism – Our local will lead the labor movement in fighting to abolish mass incarceration.
Respect Our Health & Safety – We will not work in unsafe conditions.
Demand Better Healthcare – Lower deductibles and co-pays, more affordable family plans.
Follow @upward_uaw2322 on Instagram and @upwarduaw2322 on