I have been working as an educator for much of the past 22 years in various contexts, from a high school in Vancouver to a number of universities in Ontario. Given the rigorous schedule of the academic year at both universities and high schools, I am used to having to meet deadlines for both short-term and long-term tasks and projects. I have often had to work under pressure, adapt to flexible hours, and show discretion, tact, and empathy. I have also drawn on these skills in a rather different context through my work for CUPE 3902, where I have proven myself to be an effective collaborator, organizer, mobilizer, and leader. In May 2017, I became the Co-Chair of the CUPE 3902 Unit 3 Bargaining Support Committee (BSC); I was asked to take over the role of Chair in mid-October. I spearheaded the organization of information sessions and the Unit 3 Bargaining Team blog. Through such strategies as postering, phonebanking, and doorknocking, I helped to ensure strong turnouts for both meetings and crucial votes. Furthermore, I helped increase the number of stewards representing Unit 3 and strengthened connections with our members working in Mississauga and Scarborough. I also helped to launch a Twitter campaign (#WeAreUnit3) to support the Bargaining Team. Combining traditional hand-drawn posters with new media, we were able to bring to the public’s attention both the precarious situation of contract academic workers in general and the efforts of our own Bargaining Team to address this problem in particular. We actively sought personal messages from our members, and I believe that our efforts helped to win over public sympathy and inspire more members of the Local to become involved in the campaign. My experience as BSC Chair served me well as Grievance Officer, a position that provided me with practical experience on the member-service side of union work: advising members regarding potential grievance cases, submitting hiring inquiries, representing members at arbitrations and mediations, coordinating policy grievance campaigns, and organizing training sessions for members of the Grievance Committee. At the end of April 2021, I moved on to a new position as the Vice-Chair of Unit 3, and once again, my work ethic and commitment to improving conditions for contract academic workers produced results: I led several workshops on benefits and unsafe work refusals, answered hundreds of emails from concerned members, met with members over the phone and online to discuss their problems further, and led the Bargaining Support Committee until a chair could be found.
Listed skills include Theatre, Teaching, Drama, Research, and 46 others.