Bay Area Chapter Candidate Statements - Spring 2023 Executive Board Elections

Candidates for Collective Members (Serving One-Year Terms)

Joanna Reed, UCB Continuing Lecturer, Sociology. I am a Continuing Lecturer in the sociology department and have been involved in our chapter for the past 7 years, three years as a collective member, two years as Lecturer co-chair for our Bay Area chapter and the last two years as one of our state council representatives. Over that time, the board has worked to make our union more democratic, participatory and focused on member engagement, in addition to continuing to provide services to members. I am proud to have been part of these efforts and hope to continue this work into the coming year as a collective member as we fight to enforce the historic gains of the latest Unit 18, and support the Librarians’ contract campaign. 

Anna Sackmann, Data Services Librarian. My name is Anna Sackmann and I have been working at UC Berkeley as a librarian since January 2016. I became involved in the local UC Berkeley organizing committee in 2018, during the planning process for our contract negotiations. I felt energized and fulfilled by the bargaining momentum. Moreover, I have immense gratitude for the union successfully negotiating an improved baby bonding and parental leave clause, which has now positively impacted my life twice in the last four years. I realized that much of the union's success comes from the hard work of organizing across units, regardless of the contract cycle. I would be honored to be a collective member of the Bay Area Chapter to continue building community and driving the type of change that has real impact in each of our lives. 

Crystal Chang Cohen, UCB Continuing Lecturer, Interdisciplinary Social Science Program. My name is Crystal Chang Cohen and I am a Continuing Lecturer in the International and Area Studies Program. I became involved with the union two years ago. Through my work on the current contract campaign, I have come to appreciate the crucial role UC-AFT plays in protecting our rights and expanding our access to healthcare and pension benefits. Only through community building and collective action can we pressure the administration to appropriately compensate us for our contributions to the teaching mission of this University. I would be honored for the opportunity to continue building our union’s power in these challenging times. Thank you for your consideration.

Cathy Bordel, UCB Continuing Lecturer, Physics. After 11 years spent as an associate professor at the University of Rouen (France), I joined the UC Berkeley physics department in 2009. I have been a lecturer - and member of our union - since the Fall of 2011 and became a continuing lecturer in the Fall of 2017. I believe very strongly in the power of collective bargaining and I think that the contract that we won after 2 years of relentless negotiations in the middle of a pandemic is proof that our union gives us incredible strength. I would like to join our chapter board to be part of the local leadership team whose focus during this upcoming year will be toward contract enforcement and conflict resolution.

I-Wei Wang, UCB Librarian, Law. I have been a librarian at UC since January 2007 and became actively involved in UC-AFT during the Librarians’/Unit 17’s last round of contract negotiations, as a member of the librarian organizing committee, as a representative on the 2019 contract Table Team, and as a co-chair of the board during the lecturer contract campaign. I look forward to helping our chapter members pull together to make our collective voices heard - both at the bargaining table for librarians and in contract enforcement for lecturers.  

Candidates for State Council Delegates (Serving Two-Year Terms)

David Eifler, UCB Librarian, Environmental Design. I am a librarian who has been active in the bargaining collective, on the bargaining table team with I-Wei Wang and who served as librarian co-chair of the local executive collective for two years.  I look forward to the opportunity to represent Berkeley's interests at the UC-AFT Statewide Council in our collective endeavor to secure increased job security for lecturers and professional autonomy for librarians.

José Adrián Barragán-Álvarez, Curator of Latin Americana, The Bancroft Library. I am José Adrián Barragán-Álvarez, a librarian at The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, and I'm excited to run for UC-AFT Statewide Council delegate for the Bay Area chapter. I have been involved with our local organizing committee since 2018—mostly attending union meetings and supporting my colleagues—and I've experienced the power we can wield when we fight together for a common good. I believe in the collective mission and hard work of librarians and lecturers, and I look forward to representing us in the Council.

Matt Parker, Lecturer in College Writing. I'm a pre-six lecturer for College Writing and joined the union almost the moment I arrived in Berkeley during the summer of 2021. I benefited mightily from our hard-won contract and am therefore a staunch supporter of our local Unit 18. As such, I've lately been reviving the organizing committee for Unit 18, and am delighted I've been asked to be a part of the Executive Board of the Bay Area Chapter. I'm Further dedicated to expanding membership through participatory recruitment as well as encouraging more active participation from current members.