TEA Times

The Nominating committee accepted nominations through November 11th. Since then, ballots have been prepared and will be distributed on November 30th.

You must return your completed ballot to the TEA secretary, Severne Johnson, or your work-group TEA Tree member by 11am on December 7th. The ballots will be opened and tabulated at the annual meeting.

The Nominating Committee has submitted the following candidates for office:

   President:           Wyatt Wood and Eric Davison
   1st Vice President:  Juan Pariso
   2nd Vice President:  Roger Scrafford
   Secretary:           Severne Johnson
   Treasurer:           Ken Madden

The Candidates for President have submitted the following statements.

Wyatt Wood:

We have preserved our seniority and salary structure. We have won important legal ground. We are still here, as an organization and as a force. Our members have demonstrated willingness to work with others on the "County Team" to improve working conditions and productivity; but the County has found that we quickly and effectively respond to thier proposals for unilateral changes to our work place.

I have had the pleasure of representing our group (as a Board member and acting President) for long enough to see us gain the respect of other labor organizations and the County. I think that our opponents' arguments and positions have been refuted so often and so well that their 'real' tactic has been exposed as "we'll just wear them down". As your acting President, I've worked to find a way to negotiate our recognition and end the legal battles. After four years, our opponents are beginning to realize that TEA hasn't gone away; and we aren't going to.

What we are doing right now is as important as anything we've done so far. By having an election, we're demonstrating that TEA is strong enough, and confident enough, to conduct our business as a democratic member-run professional association. As we begin to operate with an elected Board and under our By-laws, we will have increased opportunities for participation and communication, and the office holders will be empowered by knowing they are elected by the membership.

I have worked hard, not just for our associations survival, but to make it thrive. I hope that our members choose to send King County and the other unions a message that we aren't going to back off or change course by making me our first elected President.

thanks, Wyatt Wood

Eric Davison:

I want to help make T.E.A. a recognized bargaining unit, which will protect our rights in the work place, while advocating our issues and concerns to the King County executive and Council, non-T.E.A. King County employees, and other relevant groups. I believe that an effecive president will have three primary responsibilities. The first is to help make T.E.A. an inclusive, democratic Association of equally valued members. The second is to respectfully listen to all members' concerns and issues. The third is to honestly advocate T.E.A.'s issues and concerns to those outside its membership. As President, I can only be effective if I speak with the voice of the entire membership.