Elections for the Utah Public Employees’ Association (UPEA) second vice president position will be held Feb. 1-March 1. Please familiarize yourself with the candidates and make an informed decision. Within UPEA, the second vice president’s responsibilities include:
- Serving as chairman of the Resolutions Committee, which reviews resolutions, makes recommendations to the General Council, and proposes a platform for the coming year
- Representing the State Board as a voting member of the Citizen Action by Public Employees (CAPE) Committee
All UPEA members will receive electronic ballots via email when it is time to vote.
Here are the two candidates and their platforms:
Jeff Olinger
My name is Jeff Olinger. I have been a UPEA member for 12 years. I have worked for the state of Utah for 16 years with the Department of Workforce Services in the Workforce Development Division. I serve with the UPEA State Board, represent my district on the Advisory Council, and I am the Advisory Council chairman. I am a member of the UPEA CAPE Committee. I am a past UPEA officer for UPEA. UPEA’s strength is in its membership and the number of public employees UPEA represents. We have been in some very trying and difficult times in the recent past. We as UPEA members and public employees still have some tough roads ahead of us. All UPEA members are as important to UPEA as they are to me. As we move forward as an organization, it is going to be very important that we not only maintain our current membership, but also grow our membership. Not only do we need to maintain our grassroots approach to maintaining our current membership, we also need to continue to move forward and adapt to technology to provide and share information with our members as well as nonmembers, to grow UPEA and strengthen our voice with Utah legislators. We must utilize this technology to communicate with our members, leadership, and legislators, not only during the legislative session but all the time. As leaders of UPEA, we must be available and accessible to our members in any way that is beneficial and easiest for them.
If I am elected as the UPEA second vice president I will prioritize growing our UPEA membership in these trying times. I will encourage UPEA leadership to continue educating and reminding Utah’s legislative bodies of not only the recent sacrifices public employees have made but also of the outstanding job Utah’s public employees have done during the difficult times COVID-19 has caused. Legislative leaders need to be reminded of how public employees continue to provide great services to the citizens of Utah. We have made sacrifices on promises of future returns that lawmakers have yet to follow through on. As we move forward as a state and as an organization, we must understand things will not return to normal overnight. We must remain steadfast and continue to stay in the game until things are back to at least a semblance of normal.
If I am elected, I promise to always be available to any UPEA leadership, staff, district leadership, UPEA committees, and most importantly, to any UPEA member just as I have in all of my past roles. I am honored to be nominated to run for the UPEA second vice president position and would appreciate your vote in the upcoming election. Thank you.
Jackie Pino
Hi, my name is Jackie Pino, and I am a candidate for UPEA’s second vice president. I have worked for the state for more than 33 years and have been an active member of UPEA since 1998. I currently serve as district chair for the Law Enforcement District, serve on the Advisory Council, and most recently, as a member of the UPEA State Board.
I began my career in 1987 with the Department of Corrections – Adult Probation and Parole in the Provo office and currently work in Draper as a Correctional Program Coordinator for our division.
During my career with law enforcement and in leadership positions with UPEA, I have worked on a variety of employee issues. I will put what I have learned to good use for UPEA members, leadership, and staff.
Throughout my years as a member of UPEA, and more recently as a State Board member, I have witnessed firsthand the needs, concerns, and challenges facing public employees. Over the past several months, public employees have selflessly come to the aid of the citizens of Utah. Our state has experienced stability and strength because of the work, dedication, and innovation of public employees during this global pandemic. My goal as a candidate for second vice president will be to focus on the following issues:
Job Security
- Work with UPEA staff including state and local leaders to recognize and acknowledge the incredible work public employees have done to provide assurances that their jobs are safe and secure. Public employees have a sense of uncertainty and wonder what the future holds.
Restoration of Pay Increase
- Ensure that the Legislature keeps its promise to restore the pay increase approved during the 2020 Legislative Session
Compensation
- Keep pay and benefits in line with the market and comparable to the private sector
Morale
- Recognize public employees for their hard work and dedication during the pandemic. Public employees have continued to perform and innovate during these unforeseen challenges.
Career Ladder
- Continue to seek ongoing support to fund the Corrections career ladder
- Ensure funding is available within the agency for employee milestones
- Look at other agencies to explore the possibility of implementing a career ladder
Officer and Staff Support
- Work with the UPEA officers and the executive director to communicate issues, resolve problems, and provide an objective point of view.
I am excited to be a candidate for UPEA second vice president and hope for the opportunity to serve the public employees of our state. Thank you.