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Politics - Endorsement Process

SEIU Local 888 Committee on Political Action
The COPA Committee is made up of members who participate in the union’s political program. The committee meets at the union hall on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:00pm to consider candidates, plan for actions and discuss political matters of importance to the union. All binding endorsement decisions are made in the COPA committee in consultation with the union officers and the political director.  To win an endorsement from the COPA committee, a candidate must get a majority of votes plus one.

The COPA committee is open to all Local 888 members, including staff. However when voting on endorsements, only those who contribute to COPA may vote.

Election Forums:
SEIU Local 888 may choose to hold a forum to better educate and involve members in the endorsement
process.  For races like congress, mayor or city council at-large, SEIU Local 888’s COPA Committee may choose to hold a forum. The forums are open to all members in good standing to allow them to evaluate
 candidates based on their support for the issues most important to Local 888 members. Those ratings will be considered by the COPE Committee and voted on.

COPA Sub-Committees:
Because SEIU Local 888 is a statewide union, the COPA Committee may convene geographic sub-committees to consider candidates in specific districts.  The subcommittee’s role is to help plan for the endorsement process, and identify and recommend candidates for endorsement to the full COPA Committee.

COPA participation: To participate in the COPA program members need to sign up for a voluntary payroll deduction for the unions political program. There is no minimum.

The COPA Endorsement Process

OPEN SEATS: Candidates running for seats with no incumbents will be asked to complete the following steps to be eligible for Local 888’s endorsement:

  1. Send letter to the Political Director of SEIU Local 888 requesting consideration for endorsement.
  2. Complete the questionnaire and return it on time.
  3. Attend a COPA meeting for an endorsement interview.*
    After the process in completed, the SEIU Local 888 COPA will convene and and vote on whether or not to endorse a candidate.*COPA Committee may choose to endorse without an interview process, depending on timing and size of race.

Incumbents: Incumbents seeking election will be considered in two ways;
Incumbents who are running for re-election and have been endorsed within the last two election cycles only need to send a letter to the political director and the cope committee will vote on their endorsement. No interview is required although the committee may ask for one.

Incumbents seeking open seats will be treated like open seat candidates. They will be required to:

  1. Send letter to the Political Director to of SEIU Local 888 requesting our consideration for endorsement.
  2. Complete the questionnaire and turn it in on time.
  3. Attend a COPA meeting for an endorsement interview.
    
*After the process is completed, the SEIU Local 888 COPA will convene and and vote on whether to endorse a candidate in the race.*
COPA Committee may choose to endorse without an interview process, depending on timing and size of race.

Endorsement letters can be mailed to Rachel Wiggins, Political Organizer, 25 Braintree Hill Park, Suite 306, Braintree, MA 02184 or emailed to:rwiggins@seiu888.org