Elected Positions

The RFPU-NW Board is made up of both Executive Board and General Board members. The Board is elected annually, and all board members serve for 13 months, from June 1st to June 30th (of the following year) unless otherwise noted. June serves as an overlap between the outgoing and incoming board.

President-Elect/President (Executive Board)

Role: The President is responsible for overseeing the direction of the union during their term and building momentum for future years. The President is the most visible face of the union and rallies the membership to action. They also serve as the primary representative of RFPU/CIR members to UW Medicine Leadership and GME. 

Compensation: Twice the chief stipend rate per month

Nominations/Elections: Feb/March of each year

Term: President-Elect begins May 1st (shadowing the current President), and officially takes over as President on July 1st through June 30th

Lead Negotiator (Executive Board)

Role: The Lead Negotiator is responsible for working directly with GME and labor relations to negotiate the contract and grievances in partnership with the Negotiation and Grievance teams. The negotiator also coordinates the RFPU/CIR’s responses with the legal counsel.

Compensation: During open negotiations, twice the chief stipend rate per month. During non-negotiation, the chief stipend rate per month

Nominations/Elections: Feb/March of each year

Term: Begins June 1st (shadowing the current Lead Negotiator), and officially takes over as Lead Negotiator on July 1st through June 30th

Vice President (Executive Board)

Role: The Vice President is responsible for assisting with general operations for RFPU-NW as needed, including managing the board. During negotiation years, the Vice President also assists the Lead Negotiator with negotiations and grievances.

Compensation: Chief stipend rate per month

Nominations/Elections: Feb/March of each year

Term: Begins June 1st (shadowing the current Vice President), and officially takes over as Vice President on July 1st through June 30th

Membership Engagement Chair (Executive Board)

Role: The Membership Engagement Chair will be responsible for co-leading the planning, coordinating, and overseeing of social and charitable events of RFPU/CIR in partnership with members of the member engagement team and RFPU/CIR staff. This includes membership recruitment, labor education, social events, and social media.

Compensation: Chief stipend rate per month

Nominations/Elections: Feb/March of each year

Term: Begins June 1st, and officially takes over as Member Engagement Chair on July 1st through June 30th

Collective Action Chair (Executive Board)

Role: The Collective Action Chair will be responsible for co-leading the planning, coordinating, and execution of collective member escalations in partnership with members of the collective action team and RFPU/CIR staff.

Compensation: Chief stipend rate per month

Nominations/Elections: Feb/March of each year

Term: Begins June 1st, and officially takes over as Collective Action Chair on July 1st through June 30th

Political Engagement Chair (Executive Board)

Role: The Political Engagement Chair will be responsible for co-leading the planning, coordinating, and overseeing of political engagement and advocacy. This includes the endorsement process and lobbying efforts in partnership with members of the political engagement team and RFPU/CIR staff.

Compensation: Chief stipend rate per month

Nominations/Elections: Feb/March of each year

Term: Begins June 1st, and officially takes over as Political Engagement Chair on July 1st through June 30th

General Board Members

Role: General Board Members assist the Executive Board members with duties, in addition to leading the RFPU working groups. All General Board Members shall be involved in at least one working group. General Board Members should consider themselves visible representatives of RFPU/CIR and work closely with the Program Representatives from their program to increase engagement with all union members.

Compensation: Half the chief stipend rate per month

Nominations/Elections: Feb/March of each year

Term: June 1st through June 30th of the following year

Non-Elected Positions

Program Representatives

Role: The program representatives are the liaisons between each residency/fellow program and RFPU-NW. At most unions, these are referred to as union stewards. Each program has a minimum of one. These are volunteer, non-elected positions. They answer resident questions, escalate to the board when necessary, and communicate with the residents regarding RFPU/CIR news. While not officially on the board, they are highly encouraged to attend board meetings and give their input on any or all issues.

These positions are ideal for someone who is not able to make the commitment of being on the board but still wishes to be active with RFPU/CIR. These positions have tremendous opportunity for growth. While many of our program representatives primarily act as liaisons between the RFPU/CIR Board and their programs, all Program Representatives are encouraged to join and/or start a new working group. Program representatives are vital to keeping membership updated and engaged with RFPU/CIR activities and progress.

Term: July 1st through June 30th of the following year. Program Representatives are accepted on a rolling basis.

See here for current Program Representatives.

If you have any questions about the above roles, you may contact current board members, or reach out to our staff at admin@rfpu.org

CIR Delegates

Role: CIR leaders are the most important factor towards building a strong union in our hospitals. CIR delegates and representatives lead the way in organizing for change that improves our hospitals and the communities we serve. As frontline providers, we see issues that attendings and hospital administrators miss; we’re in a unique position to drive change for patient care, our training, and how the hospital is run. CIR representatives and delegates are the eyes, ears and mouth of CIR. We keep our CIR chapter strong and engaged.

The role and expectations of Board Members and Delegates are almost identical. CIR Delegates begin their training and service in March and April before the National Convention in May to prepare for the upcoming academic year.

Nominations/Elections: Feb/March of each year

Term: Initial work during the CIR National Convention in May, formally appointed July 1-June 30 of the following year