Johnny Earl is stepping down as the SEIU President. Johnny Earl is a Custodial Coordinator in Campus Planning and Facilities services at University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., (Kemper Flood/ Daily Emerald).
Jennifer Smith will be taking over the Service Employees International Union Local 085 presidential role, which is the University of Oregon’s local SEIU branch, officially replacing Johnny Earl on May 1. This comes following a leadership change that occurs every two years in which Earl replaced Stephanie Prentiss two years prior.
Mohamed Mounir, an SEIU Local 503 Higher Ed Director, recognized Smith’s time spent in the union, along with the work and relationships she has built over the years that will be advantageous to her success.
“I think she will be a very good leader and she’ll be an example for the younger generation and women to be involved in the union,” Mounir said. “She was prepared for many years to take this role of leadership within the union.”
Smith has worked as a union steward for many years and as she prepares to take the presidential role in May, she emphasizes the importance of the people and members of the union building a stronger network to succeed at the bargaining table.
Smith is looking for new leaders and people of different backgrounds to assist her throughout her presidency. She also emphasizes the fact that she is reliant on working together and seeking different perspectives to reach all members of the union.
“We can’t do it alone,” Smith said. “Management has a lot of layers of power and financial resources, and they can’t even measure up when we stand together.”
Earl was not on the SEIU 085 presidential election ballot and will instead be running to become the SEIU Local 503 president in the election this September, where he is currently serving as its statewide vice president. Earl has been working in the SEIU for the last 23 years and he said regardless of the upcoming election results, he plans to continue serving the SEIU and fighting for the workers.
“As I move from being the president of this local and hopefully beginning the president of SEIU 503, I am looking very forward to representing our members throughout the state, and also to listen to them about the problems they’re having,” Earl said.
One of the most impactful things Earl believes he accomplished during his tenure was leading the bargaining process that helped SEIU 503 reach a record cost of living in their tentative agreement contract on Feb. 27. Earl highlighted that the union came very close to striking before he took charge in leading rallies and petition letters to get the contract negotiated.
“Our members were truly engaged,” Earl said. “We also won what we were seeking the most: some sense of respectability in the three-year contract with management. It took a lot of fighting to get that and it’s still something we’re constantly working on.”
Smith reflected on Earl’s time as the president by highlighting his investment in the success of his work. She feels that through Earl’s instructions and the opportunity to learn from him over the years, she will be capable of leading the membership into their next phase.
“I’m going to be really relying on him and his knowledge, expertise and perspective,” Smith said. “I know that he thrives when he is being called on to serve, so I’m just grateful that he’s still going to be on our campus and with us as we enter the new phase of our union.”
Smith will officially take over the role of president on May 1.
