Organizer - Political Action

Description

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is seeking a dynamic and experienced organizer to serve as Political Action Organizer. The position helps advance the work of our Government Affairs Team in their advocacy and political work by working directly with field teams and members to center workers’ voices, expertise, and action in our program. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW advocacy and political campaigns seek to advance worker, patient and client health and wellbeing, transform healthcare, build strong and sustainable worker-led unions including workers winning their union, and fight for racial, climate, and economic justice for all working people. The position will also work with our allies and community partners to support broader campaigns for social, racial, climate and economic justice.? 

This position is based out of the Seattle-area year-round with regular travel around the state, particularly Olympia during the Legislative Session, and limited out of state travel. 

As a union, we cannot win economic justice without racial justice. To build power for frontline workers we have committed to applying a racial justice lens throughout our union’s work, and this position will play an integral role in how we advance this work in the political and policy arenas.  

Reports to: Legislative Director 

Principal duties and responsibilities include:

• Work within the Government Affairs Team to support and execute political and advocacy strategies and campaigns that put union members in action. This will include working alongside peers in the SEIU WA State Council and established partner organizations within and aligned with labor.  
• Working closely with SEIU Healthcare 1199NW field teams to embed political action in their chapter, organizing and member leader development, tracking progress toward goals and other data and accountability work, and advancing staff & member skill development.  
• Supporting the union’s work on electoral campaigns including staff and member participation, members leading other members to take action, and facilitating political action.  
• Working within VAN and Unionware for data tracking. 
• Helping to coordinate and execute the union’s member-focused political actions including Lobby Day and other member direct advocacy, Member Political Organizer programs, candidate endorsement processes, and GOTV work. ? 
• Working with field teams to coordinate member engagement in candidate & ballot measure campaigns, legislative advocacy & lobby days, and bringing political support to organizing & bargaining campaigns. 
• Working with Government Affairs Team to make policy and political action accessible and intelligible for rank-and-file members to further their participation and ownership of the program, including updating political and legislative member website. 
• Supporting bargaining and organizing work of members across chapters under the direction of the Legislative Director.  
• Supporting member leaders who are being developed for potential elected and appointed political or community positions including boards and commissions.? 
• Supporting field teams and members in campaigns to grow participation in our SEIU Healthcare Leadership Fund (PAC). 
• Working to assist with applying a racial justice lens in our efforts to grow political power for workers.  
• May represent SEIU Healthcare 1199NW in allied community spaces at the direction of the Legislative Director. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills.
• Experience working with people from diverse backgrounds/cultures.
• Experience working independently as well as on a team.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Must have flexibility to work long, irregular hours, including evenings and weekends.
• Required to travel throughout WA and other locations, including overnight travel and assignments.
• Demonstrated computer literacy including learning new systems & tools?and training others in them to further our political action.  
• Strong personal planning, motivation, time management skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial and social justice. 
• An understanding of how workers in action builds power inside their chapters and communities and in non-union workplaces. ?
• Ability to lead members using organizing model. 
• Ability to motivate, inspire and support staff in meeting shared goals. 

Previous experience in policy advocacy and/or politics that includes: 

• Lobbying/advocacy or official staff work including knowledge of functions and processes of government at federal, state, or local levels and policy development; and/or 
• Successful experience on political campaigns and political communications that may include coordinating events & actions, lobby days, canvasses, phone banks, volunteer trainings and/or other in-person and online campaign actions. 
• Fluency in a language other than, and in addition to, English is a plus.