We’re United For VIC

Our candidates are workplace delegates, union activists, and everyday members who share one thing in common: a commitment to building a stronger union for you.

Melbourne

These are the delegates, members and activists who are standing up for UWU members across Melbourne. They come from your workplaces and your industries. They know the challenges you face because they face them too.

They're ready to fight for a union that wins for you, picks up the phone when you need help, and puts more money in your pocket.

Meet Your Team

Endorse Our Candidates

Erin Keogh

Deputy Director Member Engagement | Melbourne

I have been with the union for over fifteen years, working across our member advice and support, our legal teams, and our organising and bargaining teams. I have led our member rights teams in providing support to thousands and thousands of members from across all industries when they need it most, when they are facing a disciplinary meeting, when their hours have been cut, when their wages have been stolen.
I have fought alongside and supported members with legal and organising support to win massive campaigns in industries like security, cleaning, manufacturing, and the casinos. I know how important it is that the union is there for members when they need it, there to provide the immediate support they need when they are facing a crisis at work, and there with the on-site support and resources they need to win massive campaigns. I am standing to fight for a union that has members' backs when they need it.

Jane Johnson

Educator, ECEC | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for 19 years and have worked as an early childhood educator for 42 years. I currently work with the ANZUK casual agency. Over the years I've held many union roles, including workplace delegate and UWU national conference delegate, and I've attended state and national Labor conferences.
During the last 20 years I have been active in the member-led Big Steps Campaign to improve pay and working conditions for early childhood educators. I am an extremely passionate educator, and I am proud to be a member of a union that will stand up and take the fight where it needs to go. Outside of work, I have two adult children and a four-month-old puppy named Archie. We are just starting walks in the parks, which is lots of fun. I also enjoy playing classical guitar and I'm a member of a small community singing group.
Being an active part of a member-led campaign to improve working conditions for early childhood educators has been huge. Having the ability for members to directly meet with policymakers and educate them about workplace issues will continue to lead to meaningful changes.
I'm standing with United For You because we need to make sure our union is in the right hands to continue to stand up, fight, and deliver. This is a team that values sectors that predominantly employ women, such as early childhood education and aged care, and will continue to ensure support in these areas.

Kayla Esten

Educator, ECEC | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for a year and a half. I work at Norfolk St Child Care Centre as an educator and inclusion support worker, and I'm a workplace delegate. I've always been part of a union since joining the workforce. Once I became aware of the United Workers Union and the Big Steps campaign for the early childhood education and care sector, it was a no-brainer to join. Being a union member means fighting for the rights of myself and others, speaking out for fair wages and conditions for those not just in ECEC but in all sectors. No matter your position in life or where you come from, if you work in Australia you should be treated with dignity and respect.
As a neurodiverse queer person, I'm deeply committed to advocating for my generation and using my voice to stand up for social justice.
The union's work getting ACECQA to the table to discuss under-the-roofline ratios and other systemic issues meant that I was able to have my voice heard on behalf of myself and my co-educators. Because of that meeting, under-the-roofline ratios were removed, and now those of us looking to put our children into care feel more secure about the environment they will be entering. I'm standing for election to secure the future of the union and to continue the hard work already done in improving the lives of so many members across all sectors.
I want to keep having our voices heard by the governing bodies of ECEC, keep calling out systemic issues and pushing for change, and work with the union to secure a strong PCS for those of us in community child care.
I'm supporting the United For You ticket because I believe in the union we have now and its ability to continue to lead us into a strong, equitable workforce for all.

Ffion Evans

UWU Coordinator, ECEC | Melbourne

I first joined the LHMU back in 2009, which makes me a union member of over 16 years. I currently work in early childhood education and care with the UWU based at Docklands.
My first job was as an aged care cleaner, so being in the union and standing alongside cleaners, aged care workers, and so many others has been a massive honour. I joined to help build our union so members could get bigger, stronger, and keep winning.
For me, being a union member is about dignity and respect. Everyone deserves both, but without a union, too many people don't get either. If you can't afford to put food on the table or pay your bills while you're working your guts out, that's not dignity and it's not respect.
Before getting involved in our union, I'd campaigned with workers around the world. And I can say this with absolute confidence, nothing compares to the power, courage, and determination of the members in this mighty union.
Just last year, early years educators won a massive pay rise that saw thousands of educators getting a $10,000 increase. That was life-changing for people who had been undervalued for too long.
We are in the middle of a cost of living crisis. Our members deserve a union totally focused on winning them the pay rises and recognition they deserve. To keep winning, we need a strong and united union that will do everything to win, a union that will campaign politically when necessary, take action when necessary, and grow our union power every single day.
The wins we've had, in airports, with educators, and across our whole union, didn't happen because we asked nicely. They happened because members stood together and because we had a union strong enough to back them in. That's what I want to keep building: more strength, more wins, and more power in members' hands.
I want to keep pushing for better pay and ratios based on the needs of children in rooms, not just numbers on a roster. Who runs our union matters.
I'm backing United For You because I trust they've got a real plan and will keep building on the progress we've already made together, with a union that's smart, strong, and honest.

Juanita Milne

Educator, ECEC | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for about 15 years. I work at Goodstart Rosanna Bellevue Avenue as a teacher and educational leader in early childhood education and care, and I serve as a workplace delegate.
I first joined when ABC Learning went into receivership, to make sure I had support with my rights no matter what happened.
Being a union member means my voice matters. I can share my experiences and those of my colleagues, knowing I'm not alone in what I'm saying, and that amplifies my voice. My aim in life is to do my best for the benefit of all.
Outside of work, I'm a defence spouse and a mother of two beautiful daughters aged five and eight.
I'm studying psychology through JCU, and I love building Lego, with Harry Potter and Botanicals being my favourites. I play percussion in brass bands, promote kindness through the clothes I wear, and I'm an audiobook fan of romantasy novels.
Our union has been fighting for pay equality, and that fight has been at the heart of my involvement.
I'm standing for election because I want to achieve huge changes for the ECEC sector, putting child safety first ahead of business decisions. Children are not chess pieces. They have a sense of belonging and connection to their learning space and should not be moved because a room is "one over" to free up an educator.
I want room-based ratios with capped room numbers based on square metres per child and a minimum of two educators per learning space, which will also help with educator burnout.
I have worked closely with the leaders on the United For You ticket in achieving beneficial things for my sector and my colleagues through EA negotiations, and I know they will continue to work for me, my colleagues, and our sector.

Ange Oborn

UWU Coordinator | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for 21 years. I currently work as a coordinator with the United Workers Union. I joined because Australia was going backwards under John Howard and the union movement was the front line of fighting back. I wanted to make a difference. Being a union member means solidarity, unity, hope, and strength.
The massive win for ECEC members has been huge. It has been a long time fighting and campaigning, and to finally see money going into the pockets of our members is a moment of real pride and hope for the sector. I'm standing to fight for a union that is united and focused on fighting to improve the lives of all our members, a union willing to use all the tools to campaign and win. I want our union to be on a secure, united footing so everyone is focused on the best outcomes for members. United For You is dedicated to winning for members.

Nick Richardson

UWU Coordinator, Property Services | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for 14 years and currently work as an official with the United Workers Union. I have been working to build the power of security guards and cleaners for many years. I am proud of all the members and leaders I have supported and the wins I was privileged to be a part of.
I'm supporting the United For You team because they know that being united and focused on winning for members is the most important thing.

David Trail

Aviation Protection Officer | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for over 10 years and work as an Aviation Protection Officer at Melbourne Airport. I serve as a workplace delegate. Throughout my career, whenever I've needed assistance or guidance, the union has been there, standing strong for workers like me and my colleagues.
Our most recent agreement was a historic win at Melbourne Airport, delivering some of the best pay and conditions in the security industry across the country. That outcome has made a real difference to our jobs and our lives.
I support United For You because I want to see these wins continue, stronger, bigger, and better for all of us. Together, we can keep building on what we've achieved.

Felix Sharkey

UWU Organiser | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for four years. I work as an organiser with the United Workers Union. I first joined the union because I wanted to be part of a collective movement that made things better for working people and society.
For me, being union means having each other's back, it means unity, and it means building power. I'm passionate about social justice and am involved in many activist causes in the community.
I'm a long-suffering Essendon supporter who has almost given up hope. I also love social sport, playing futsal and mixed netball, and I'm trying to get better at chess. I live and breathe this union.
I am endlessly committed to helping achieve a better world for our diverse membership, which in my eyes represents the best of society.
I was a casual in a public-facing role for the Department of Transport when COVID hit. Facing the prospect of losing our jobs, having a strong union meant we kept our jobs, our wages, and our conditions, and managed to get redeployed to other opportunities during an uncertain time.
I want to be part of a strong union that wins. For me, winning means many things: organising in workplaces to win better pay and conditions, campaigning publicly for better jobs, better laws, and a better society, and pulling every lever possible to make life better for our members. I want to do my part to help our union realise its potential by throwing myself into the campaigns of our members and helping them keep winning.
United For You is the only ticket that has a clear vision for the future of our union and the movement. We don't get angry at injustices, we actively organise to fight against them. We don't try to tear each other down, but build each other up so that we can reach new heights.

John Savidis

Aviation Protection Officer | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for 16 years and work as an Aviation Protection Officer with ISS Security at Melbourne Airport. I have worked in aviation security since March 2003, and March this year marks 23 years at Melbourne Airport, a major milestone. Prior to aviation security, I was a member of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union at the Department of Defence. Throughout my career I have always maintained my union membership without flinching.
As a United Workers Union member, we have won EBA agreements which have made us the best paid guards in Australia. That's the reason I'm supporting United For You.
The United For You team has always been there for me and my colleagues when we needed help.

Robin Casselmalm

UWU Lead Organiser, ECEC | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for 14 years and currently work as an official with the United Workers Union. I have been working to build the power of security guards and cleaners for many years. I am proud of all the members and leaders I have supported and the wins I was privileged to be a part of.
I'm supporting the United For You team because they know that being united and focused on winning for members is the most important thing.

Jose Estrada

Cleaner | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for 32 years. I work as a cleaner at the University of Melbourne. As an immigrant, I had no idea of my labour rights and only the union could support me in the system in this country.
Being a union member is very important to me. For me and every cleaner from Latin America, the union means freedom and liberty and standing up for our labour rights.
Outside of work, I help in the community with a men's mental health organisation and I volunteer at a neighbourhood house.
I am an open person. I listen and I try to reach everyone in my workplace. I love learning off others.
When I was at Crown Casino, me and my fellow members went to court and we won more money and more staff. Not just that, the company was forced to apologise. We need a union that stands up for Latin American immigrants like me and fights for better rights in the workplace and also in parliament. I want to create a union that is united with more members and more power. I'm supporting the United For You ticket for a union that is united and wins. Simple.

Kylie Grey

Educator, ECEC | Melbourne

I've been a UWU member for about 14 years. I work at Uniting Vic Tas as an early childhood educator and serve as a workplace delegate. I initially joined the union to protect my workplace rights, but I quickly discovered the benefits of collective action and how being an active member can make the changes needed for myself, my colleagues, and other workers to have better workplaces and conditions. Being a union member means joining alongside others to protect workers and make improvements for all. I'm an educator who has been a passionate advocate for the sector for over 15 years. I'm a mother of three, and outside of work and union advocacy, I'm a Cub Scout leader and a bit of a sci-fi geek. My door is always open if people need someone to turn to, whether it's an issue they want raised or clarification on a situation affecting them and their colleagues.
One of the most powerful moments for me was being part of the group that stopped the Abbott government from winding back ratios in early childhood, making others realise that quality education matters. I'm standing for election because I believe in a union that is member-led, listens to its members, and backs the decisions and actions that members wish to undertake to improve their sector and industry. I believe in a union that stands for inclusion and equity for all, not just a select few.
I want to achieve continued wins for all the sectors and industries we represent, as well as clear transparency and communication on what the union is undertaking. I also want to cut down on delays in members being contacted when they need union support.
I'm supporting the United For You ticket because I believe in a union that stands for all, is transparent, willing to support all members, and has campaigns that deliver results.

Stand with us. Endorse United For You in Victoria.

Our candidates are ready to work for you. Now we need you standing with us.

By endorsing United For You, you're showing your support for a union that delivers real results. Higher wages. Better conditions. Support when you need it. No fee increases.

This is your union. Back the team that's backing you.

Add your name to endorse United For You in Victoria.