Jeff Dugas
I’m deeply invested in NPEU, and I’m focused on the long game: what can we do today to set our union up for success five years from now?
Introduce yourself and where you work.
My name is Jeff Dugas (he/him), and in my day job I do marketing at Action Network & Action Builder (If you’ve ever gotten one of our mass emails, I probably wrote it!). I was a member of the Organizing Committee when we organized the Action Squared Union in 2019, I was on the Bargaining Committee for our successor contract last year, and I currently serve as the Chair of our unit.
Why do you want to run for this position?
To me, the most rewarding part of being a union member — besides the excellent benefits, job security, and sense of solidarity with my coworkers (!) — has been stepping up and volunteering at the NPEU level. I’ve now served on a couple of hiring committees, which I’ve found to be a great way to get a feel for how the union operates at the highest levels. It’s also an empowering experience, showing that anyone can have a meaningful and lasting impact on the union as a whole.
I am running for VP of Organizing because I want to create many more opportunities for e-board members to step up as leaders of our union, and I want to set an example by which e-board members can engage members in their units to build a robust pipeline of leadership talent for years to come. We have a huge amount of work to do as a union, and we have dozens of capable, passionate e-board members ready to do the work. We just need to create the opportunities for folks to step up!
What does being in a union, and specifically being an NPEU member, mean to you?
When we organized the Action Squared Union back in 2019, a major motivation for me was to lock in the strong benefits we already received at Action Network. My girlfriend and I were moving from DC to Boston for her to attend grad school full-time, and we were about to become a single income household relying on my salary and benefits to get by. The job security and benefits we won by unionizing with NPEU are the reason that move was possible.
Now, five years later, my wife and I are expecting our first child in December, and, thanks to our strong union contract, I’ll have five months of paid parental leave to spend with my family. Being in a union — and a union as strong as NPEU — has meant that I can do work that I love, supporting causes I care about, without sacrificing the things my family needs to thrive. NPEU makes that possible!
What experiences have you had that have prepared you for this position?
In addition to my time leading at the unit level, in a bargaining committee, and in an organizing committee, I’ve also been an active e-board member for 5 years. I’ve watched as e-board meetings grew from a half dozen attendees to well over 30 each month, and I’ve seen first-hand the challenges we’ve faced amid this incredible growth. I’m deeply invested in NPEU, and I’m focused on the long game: what can we do today to set our union up for success five years from now?
What qualities do you believe make you a strong candidate for this position?
I led a community campaign in Parkersburg, WV dedicated to holding DuPont accountable for contaminating drinking water. I worked to organize rideshare drivers in Washington, DC and Boston, MA. I’ve been a leader in my unit since we first organized our union.
These experiences have taught me the value of building relationships with the folks I’m organizing with. They gave me experience in delegation, recognizing how each individual’s talents fit into our larger goals. And they taught me that, in any campaign, mistakes happen and conflicts arise, but they can be powerful lessons that help to build an even stronger organization on the other side.
What goals would you like to focus on or accomplish over the next 2 years if elected?
Goal #1: Engage with every e-board member to learn how they want to participate at the e-board level and within the larger union.
Goal #2: Build out a standing committee structure at the e-board level focused on organizing solidarity actions, unit engagement, social activities (including in-person gatherings), endorsements, and more. Through this structure we will delegate union to-dos and create leadership development opportunities for e-board members.
Goal #3: Reinvigorate a sense of solidarity and trust between e-board members and officers. In my opinion, this is a prerequisite to accomplishing any of our other goals as a union!