Bay Area Chapter Candidate Statements - Spring 2024 Executive Board Elections

Candidates for Board Members (Serving One-Year Terms)

Nicholas Dehler, Chemical & Physical Sciences Librarian, UC Berkeley
My name is Nicholas Dehler and I have been working as a librarian at UC Berkeley since January 2024. I became a member of the union as soon as I started in this role and soon after became involved in our librarian organizing committee. Having joined the union in the midst of our current contract campaign, I have quickly learned the importance of member engagement and participation in the bargaining process and the strength that comes from chapter- and union-wide organizing efforts. I would be honored to continue this critical work as a collective member of the Bay Area chapter.

Sarah Rosenkrantz, Politics & Social Policy Librarian, UC Berkeley
My name is Sarah Rosenkrantz and I am in my first year as a UC Berkeley Librarian, and just over 20 years as a member of a teachers union. The support of my union colleagues plays an important role in my sense of belonging on campus, and I value the hard work of our negotiators and members in maintaining and furthering a successful contract. As we strive to create a work environment that honors us as employees and people, I appreciate the myriad of ways our union represents the diverse voices of librarians. Coming together as community, colleagues and comrades keeps us strong and joyful, and I look forward to supporting the process.

Tehmina Khan, Lecturer in College Writing Programs, UC Berkeley
I am a pre-six lecturer who joined College Writing Programs (and AFT 1474) in Fall of 2022. I also teach at City College of San Francisco, where I have been a precinct rep, grievance officer, and executive board member of AFT 2121.  In the past four years, we have been fighting downsizing, campus closures, schedule cuts, and layoffs.  We worked hard to get new trustees elected, and with their help we just won a fair contract.  I believe that we scholars, librarians, and educators of the University of California are among the smartest people in the world.  Each of us has an intellectual superpower; when we bring these superpowers together, we can create a just and equitable education system for all.  Fight the Power!

Joseph Klett, Lecturer in Sociology, UC Berkeley
I am a pre-six lecturer in the department of sociology. I am now entering my third year at Berkeley, and have taught in the department of sociology at UC-Santa Cruz since 2014. While I have years of experience organizing my fellow PhD students in graduate school, I am excited to start anew as a collective member of Unit 18. I am proud to teach at the University of California, and to do my part to keep our union responsive, representative, and thriving well into the future.

Balthazar Beckett, Lecturer in English, UC Berkeley
I've been teaching for Berkeley's English Department since 2018 and continuously since 2021. I've supported the PSC at CUNY and the CFA at CSU, but have never held a position with either, and I have also unfortunately taught for institutions that had no faculty union. Recently lost my part-time job at SF State due to budget cuts. At Berkeley, I have benefitted from the agreement UC-AFT reached with the university in 2022, and I would like to support the union more.
 

Candidates for Chapter Co-Chairs (Serving Two-Year Terms)

David Skolnick, Continuing Lecturer, College Writing Programs, UC Berkeley
I have been teaching at the CWP in some capacity since 2005, but during that time I have also taught at other Bay Area institutions.  At each one, I experienced and fought against the inequities facing lecturers by joining with my colleagues to organize union drives and stand up for faculty rights during negotiations with administrators on bargaining teams and labor management committees. I have always believed that strong unions not only benefit workers and the students we serve, but also are critical to the survival of our democracy, and so I am passionate about supporting people power through collaborative and collective actions to create a better society. If I am elected to be co-chair of the Bay Area UC-AFT chapter, I will continue to bring that passion to bear as we work together to enforce our contract and continue strengthening it.

Tim Vollmer, Scholarly Communication & Copyright Librarian, UC Berkeley
I’m Tim Vollmer, librarian at UC Berkeley since August 2019. I’m committed to collaborative labor organizing to build power for librarians and lecturers at the Bay Area Chapter, and across our entire local. For the last two years I’ve been co-chair of our chapter. I’m on the table team for current U17 contract negotiations, contribute to the UC-AFT communications team, and am a longstanding member of our local organizing committee of librarians at Berkeley. Some goals I have if I’m elected as co-chair: growing membership, encouraging more members to get involved as activists and organizers in ways that are sustainable, working on leadership development, and building stronger relationships with sibling unions at Berkeley and across the UC.