Special Election: Candidate Statements
Candidates for Vice President:
Kess Ballentine
Ali Salamey
Kess Ballentine
I believe active union membership is a powerful mechanism to create and protect high quality jobs. I began union organizing in 2016 as an member of the Graduate Student Organizing Committee at the University of Pittsburgh. Under the guidance of United Steelworkers organizers, I received comprehensive training in organizing, meeting facilitation, and social action.
In this capacity, I spearheaded one-on-one interactions and organizing efforts for my department, representing School of Social Work student workers (~30 members, average of 5 new workers per year). I also played a key role in organizing initiatives within the Psychology and Education Departments. During the pandemic, I led a petition to expand job security for graduate student workers, accumulating over 700 signatures within our unit of around 1200 individuals.
Over the past eight years, I have collaborated with unions in Pittsburgh and Detroit, utilizing research to identify workers' needs and priorities to promote change. Along with my coresearchers, I discussed this process our recent article, "Using Research to Build Power: The Pittsburgh Wage Study." Since joining WAU and the WSU faculty August 2021, I have actively contributed as the Secretary for the WSU Coalition of Unions, a union representative for my School, and the designer and deliverer of the monthly Union Council Newsletter. Additionally, I participated in organizing an event addressing utility concerns in winter 2023. As the WAU Executive Board VP, I commit to promoting a transparent and active union that serves our membership and is responsive to the needs of our broader community.
Ali Salamey
I grew up in a Union home; my father was a member of the UAW during his career working on the assembly line at Ford Motor Company for 30 years. I have seen firsthand how critical unions are for securing, maintaining, and protecting workers' rights. During the last few years, I have been active in our Union at Wayne State University in several capacities. I was on the initial committee and the 2N Committee that worked on the Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) policy as a representative for academic staff in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. Currently, I am on the Contract Bargaining Team that will be negotiating a new contract for Wayne Academic Union (WAU) membership in summer 2024. My time on these committees has reaffirmed for me what I often heard growing up in a Union home: in greater numbers and with solidarity in a cause we can get more things done. This is a firm conviction that I have; I believe that we can do the most good with our shared goals and values. An additional personal goal I have in running for a position on the WAU Executive Board is to ensure that our Board is an inclusive and welcoming elected body that represents all its membership.
I joined Academic Staff at WSU in 2013 as an ASO III in the Honors College. I secured ESS in 2018 and I was promoted to an ASO IV in 2023. In the process of getting ESS and a promotion, I saw the dedicated work that WAU does for us. Also, during my time on the Contract Bargaining Team this year (2023-2024) I have heard from many of our members about the issues that are important to them and the level of professionalism they bring to work every day. I want to be an advocate for those priorities and to support new ways for our membership to achieve their professional and personal goals. In addition, I am a longtime member of the WSU academic community. I completed my BA in English as an undergraduate through the Honors Program at WSU. I have an MA in English from New York University and an MA in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan. Some highlights from my tenure at WSU: I have served on the Academic Senate for five years; I’ve been on two College Review committees; I have been on several University-wide committees; I have taught seminars in the Honors College since 2013; and I have been on the Academic Affairs, Curriculum and Instruction, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committees of the Senate.
Candidates for Secretary:
Nashat Imran
Jeremy Milloy
Nashat Imran
Throughout my professional journey and as the current President of the Senate at the School of Medicine, I have consistently witnessed how the lack of assertive and knowledgeable representation at the managerial table results in disappointments and avoidable suffering. As a former Fellowship Program Director and currently, as the internal medicine Associate Program director, I recognize transparency as the most valuable currency one can trust. Furthermore, as a current co-chair of an international professional organization subcommittee, the American Society of Onconephrology, I recognize the significance of continuously fostering collaborative relations with external stakeholders, whether negotiating contracts, innovating solutions, or engaging with the broader community.
I plan to represent all members by seeking their input, fostering consensus, and asserting our presence at our university. The role of the secretary on the executive board is the glue that holds the board together; thus, I plan to execute this role to perfection.
Together, we can aim for a stronger and more unified community.
Jeremy Milloy
Jeremy is new to WAU 6075 and Wayne State, having started as Associate Professor in History in fall 2023. He is a labor historian who studies the history of workers and workplaces in the USA and Canada. Before coming to Wayne, he worked for three years as a climate and environmental justice organizer for the Providence Centre for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation in Kingston, Ontario. As a WAU member, he is active in the Bargaining for the Common Good subcommittee.