Get Involved
Become a Steward
“A good steward is many things: an organizer, a negotiator, a counselor, a peacemaker and a troublemaker.”
– our parent union, UE.
A strong steward network is critical to enforce our contract. As a steward, you will be trained to educate your friends and coworkers about their contract rights and assist graduate workers whose rights are violated. Stewards also lead issue campaigns (defending international workers’ rights, fighting R&DE’s mail fee). If you’re concerned about a specific issue affecting your community, become a steward and lead the fight to fix it.
Ask questions, find a steward, or nominate yourself or another grad worker to become a steward by email: chief-steward@sgwu.us.
Join The SGWU Slack
SGWU members are encouraged to join our Slack where you can ask questions, discuss issues you’re concerned about, or get support from an SGWU Steward.
Stay Updated
- Make sure you’re subscribed to sgwu-announce@lists.stanford.edu. We also post updates on our Member Updates page
- Follow us on social media! We have Instagram @stanfordgwu.ue and Twitter @StanfordGWU.
- Attend area meetings and General Membership meetings.
- If you’re interested in helping enforce and defend our contract, become a Union Steward
- If you’re interested in union organizing (or just want to watch organizers work), join our Slack and attend our Standing Committee meetings
- Send your questions, comments and concerns our way
Comments, Questions & Concerns
Share your thoughts or bring up issues at our General Membership Meeting by submitting an issue for our Local Executive Board here.
If you have a workplace issue or witness a potential contract violation, you can (1) talk to a union steward in your area (2) or email contact@sgwu.us to discuss starting a grievance.
Join a Committee
Join the Membership Building Committee
Membership Building plans union socials, general membership meetings, tabling, rallies, walkthroughs and other events to increase involvement with SGWU.
Meeting: Membership Building meets weekly in-person and on Zoom. Check the calendar for time/location.
Committee chair: Vice-President for Membership, Nick Snyder (organizing@sgwu.us) and Chief Campus Steward, Helene Koumans.
Join the Data & Tech Committee
Data & Tech is responsible for SGWU’s website, internal data and infrastructure. Committee members gather, analyze, and manage data to support organizing efforts. Undergraduate software engineers interested in SGWU are encouraged to volunteer on this committee.
Meeting: Data & Tech meets weekly in-person and on Zoom. Check the calendar for time/location.
Committee chair: Recording Secretary, Colin Unger (recording@sgwu.us).
Join the Communications Committee
Comms facilitates effective communication by email, social media, flyers, and our website. If you’re interested in writing clear and effective emails, designing attention-grabbing flyers or improving our social media presence, start here!
Meeting: Comms meets weekly in-person and on Zoom. Check the calendar for time/location.
Committee chair: Communications Secretary, Tori Varlack (contact@sgwu.us).
Join the Community Partnerships Committee
The Community Partnerships Committee builds SGWU’s ties with other campus and community organiziations. If you’re interested in external collaborations or community-led initiatives, start here. The CPC is currently working on food security initiatives.
Meeting: Community Partnerships meets weekly in-person. Check the calendar for time/location.
Committee chair: Chad Serrao (contact@sgwu.us).