SEPTEMBER 21 UPDATE: 972 MEMBERS HAVE SPOKEN. WHEN WILL SEA ANSWER?

Our recall petition has reached 972 signatures—equivalent to approximately 17.4% of SEA's 5,589-member baseline and only 28 signatures away from 1,000.

But this petition was never supposed to be simply a running signature count.

On August 24,  SEA confirmed receipt of the member-initiated recall petition.  SEA's bylaws provide that members may request a recall election through a petition signed by at least 10% of bona fide active members, and §3.52 provides that a general membership meeting for the recall election “will be scheduled” within 60 calendar days after receipt of the petition. 

We have repeatedly asked SEA for basic information about how that process is being implemented.

Who is responsible for verifying the signatures?  What verification procedure is being used?  When will verification occur? Who is responsible for administering the recall following the departure of Transitional Executive Director Greg Alarid?  When will members receive answers?  And when will the recall election be scheduled?

These are not personal questions. They are governance questions arising directly from our union's bylaws.

Listen to what members are saying

One signer, Chiara Newman, recently explained why she signed:

“Innocent or guilty, still a gigantic lapse in judgement to run for office knowing you are under investigation for child abuse. Especially right before a bargain, and especially with no transparency about the investigation, so that voters were unable to make an informed decision about who they were voting for.”

She continued that the controversy is damaging trust between SEA leadership, members, and the Seattle community and is “taking focus away from the things that matter: working and learning conditions.”

That is one member's opinion—not a finding by this petition. But it illustrates something SEA leadership should take seriously: members are raising substantive concerns about transparency, governance, trust, and their ability to make informed decisions about their elected leadership. 

The petition itself formally invokes Article III, §3.5 of SEA's bylaws and asks SEA to verify membership and carry out the recall procedure. Calling the petition a “personal attack,”  if that is how President Ibijoke Idowu has characterized it, does not answer those procedural questions.

Members deserve a transparent process
SEA members pay dues to an organization governed by bylaws. Those bylaws belong to the membership, including when members invoke provisions that leadership may find uncomfortable.

We are therefore asking SEA once again:

What is the verification process?  Who is administering it?  What is the timeline?  And when will the recall election required by the bylaws be scheduled?

The petition was acknowledged as received on August 24. If that is the operative date under §3.52, the 60-calendar-day period ends October 23, 2026.

This is a demand that SEA let its members exercise the process contained in their own bylaws.

CALL TO ACTION:  ASK FOR ANSWERS

If you are an SEA member concerned about how this process is being handled, write to SEA and WEA and ask for a written explanation of the recall process, signature verification, responsible decision-makers, and election timeline. Keep copies of what you send and any response you receive.

Members who believe their statutory collective-bargaining rights may also be implicated can contact Washington's Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) to ask whether the circumstances fall within its jurisdiction. PERC—not the NLRB—is Washington's public-sector labor-relations agency. We should not assume that PERC has jurisdiction over an internal bylaw dispute; members can ask PERC directly about that question.

Most importantly: keep asking questions. Keep documenting the answers—or the absence of answers.

972 signatures. That is 17.4% of the membership baseline.

Sign. Share. Attest. Ask questions.

Let SEA members decide.

WHO TO CONTACT — ASK FOR A TRANSPARENT RECALL PROCESS

SEA members who share these concerns can contact the following people and offices.  Ask for a written response explaining who is administering the recall petition, how signatures will be verified, when verification will be completed, and when the recall election contemplated by SEA's bylaws will be scheduled.

Seattle Education Association (SEA)
SEA Office: sea@washingtonea.org | 206-283-8443
Ibijoke Idowu, SEA President: Ibijoke.Idowu@washingtonea.orgDavina Diaz, SEA Vice President: Davina.Diaz@washingtonea.org
Ashley Myers, SEA Treasurer: Ashley.Myers@washingtonea.org

SEA's current website confirms these officers and states that SEA officers are elected by the membership.

Washington Education Association / UniServ
SEA members can also ask WEA staff for guidance or assistance regarding SEA's implementation of its governing procedures.

Nikki Dias, UniServ Director, Zones 1–3: ndias@washingtonea.org
Kent Tse, UniServ Director, Zone 4 & JSCEE: ktse@washingtonea.org
Holly Mendez, UniServ Director, Zones 5–6: hmendez@washingtonea.org
Uti Hawkins, UniServ Director, Zones 7–9, Bridges & In-Tandem: uhawkins@washingtonea.org

These assignments and addresses are currently published by SEA.

Washington Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC)
Members can contact PERC to ask whether the circumstances fall within its statutory jurisdiction and what remedy or filing procedure, if any, is available.

PERC General Information: info@perc.wa.gov | 360-570-7300
Dario de la Rosa, Unfair Labor Practice/Representation Administrator: dario.delarosa@perc.wa.gov | 360-570-7328
Emily Whitney, Unfair Labor Practice/Representation Administrator: emily.whitney@perc.wa.gov | 360-664-3047
Sean Leonard, PERC Executive Director: sean.leonard@perc.wa.gov | 360-570-7315

What should members ask?

“SEA acknowledged receipt of the member-initiated recall petition on August 24. Members have repeatedly requested information about signature verification, administration of the recall process, and scheduling of the recall election. Please provide a written explanation of what process is now being followed, who is responsible for administering it, and the timeline for implementing the applicable SEA bylaws.”

When contacting PERC, add: “Please advise whether any aspect of these circumstances falls within PERC's jurisdiction and, if so, what procedure is available to individual members.”