{shortcode-ccc97c37242010c52900552e168c98d0991837cc}
Bailey A. Plaman assumed the presidency of the Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Auto Workers late last year after former HGSU-UAW president Evan C. MacKay ’19 stepped down to run for public office.
Plaman, who previously served as vice president of HGSU-UAW, ascended to the presidency after MacKay resigned before the completion of their three-year term. She will serve the rest of MacKay’s term as president.
Per the union’s bylaws, each president is elected to serve for three years. If there is an unexpected vacancy before the conclusion of the president’s term, the vice-president will assume the union’s top job, and an election will be held for a new vice-president.
According to Plaman, high turnover is common for the graduate student union, with the typical presidential term lasting six months to one year, despite the expected three-year commitment.
Though Plaman was “sad” to see MacKay depart the presidency, she said it didn’t come as a surprise.
“Evan and I had a pretty close relationship throughout the time when they were president and I was vice president, so it had been something that they had mentioned a few times,” Plaman said. “I felt very looped into their decision-making process, and so it wasn’t something that came out of the blue for me.”
Still, becoming president wasn’t Plaman’s end goal when she ran for vice president.
“I think that there’s always going to be a little bit of imposter syndrome with being in the president role, because it's not something that I sought out,” Plaman said.
HGSU-UAW member Ericka R. “Ricky” Sanchez said the leadership transition has “been a pretty even handover,” pointing to the union’s united efforts towards its next contract.
The union's current contract expires June 30, 2025, and they are hoping to send in their intent to bargain next January.
HGSU-UAW Recording Secretary Clare T. Canavan said the process of getting ready to bargain would be an “all-hands-on-deck thing.”
“That’s something, honestly, that I think we’re really excited for,” Canavan added. “We’ve seen MIT get a pretty strong contract, especially in areas like real recourse, which is something that our membership has always been super devoted to fighting for.”
According to Canavan, Plaman will be a similarly effective leader for the union as it enters the bargaining period.
“They’re both very, very much people who are committed to rank and file organizing and the importance of amplifying rank and file voices,” Canavan said.
MacKay said they prioritized rank and file organizing through the HGSU-UAW living wage campaign and an “intentional approach to their staffing needs” during their tenure. MacKay also said they also focused on contract enforcement, since “it’s not enough to just have words on the page.”
As president, Plaman plans to focus on union members’ needs and make the process of increasing involvement in the union “a little bit easier to navigate and a little bit clearer.”
Plaman said the union’s decision-making process under her leadership will always be “guided by what members want.”
“It's all exciting work, no matter what role I’m in on the executive board,” Plaman said.
—Staff writer Aran Sonnad-Joshi can be reached at aran.sonnad-joshi@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @asonnadjoshi.
—Staff writer Sheerea X. Yu can be reached at sheerea.yu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @_shuhree_.
