Leadership for Change Campaign Announcement

Hello All,

As some of you know this is an Election Year for OPSEU Local 596.

We have the pleasure of announcing that for the first time in recent OPSEU local 596 history, a group of dedicated, compassionate, qualified and like-minded individuals has banded together to run as a team for the LEC officer positions in the upcoming OPSEU Local 596 Elections. We made this decision to organize as a team to provide a clear alternative to the current leadership. 

Just for clarity, we are still running as individuals for specific positions (as listed below) but our platform is a joint platform, worked on together and after consultation from the general membership, to best serve the interests of all members.

Meet The Team

1. Sarah Bukhari - running for President

2. Elizabeth Mobeen - running for Vice President, Chief Steward Unit 1 (former VP-Equity)

3. Aneesh Tiberias Murali - running for RE-ELECTION for Treasurer

4. Deborah Jesus - running for both Secretary & VP-Communication/Technology*

5.Shira Gellman - running for VP-Outreach

6. Maricruz Rodriguez Rendon - running for both VP-Health/Safety & VP-Equity*

This slate is a team that is already strategic, functional and responsive to members' needs. We are grateful for all that Local 596 has achieved thus far and we will aim to do better, to do more than maintaining the status quo. 

Our membership has greatly evolved over the last ten years and our leadership should also be renewed to better reflect our members' diverse identities, interests, concerns and communication preferences. 

For a quick overview, our major campaign priorities can be broken down into three areas:

Be More Effective: We are leaders who will empower stewards and local members by streamlining administrative procedures and establishing policies that work.

Community Engagement and Empowerment: The local is only as strong as its members. We can do more if we work together to accomplish the goals that are most important to our members. This will be accomplished mostly through events, education opportunities, and committee initiatives. We will also do a better job engaging and representing over 500 members who are Research Assistants and the local 596 Unit 2.

No Union Member Left Behind: Budget cuts have already led to layoffs and there will be more to come. It is our duty to protect members proactively by pushing back against management who would rather hire MAC or contract employees to do our jobs because they are easier to let go. We can do better by increasing our investment in arbitration supports and letting management know that we are not happy with these trends.

Please visit our website for bios and campaign priorities.

Follow the hashtag #OPSEU596 for more insights.

Meet and Greet

Join us on October 29th, from 1pm  - 2 pm at TRS1-067 for a private meet and greet event. All OPSEU members are welcome to attend at your leisure to ask the team any questions or to clarify our platform. Unfortunately, since this is a private event organized by our team we are unable to provide any lunch.

Send Us Questions!

We kindly ask that you submit your questions ahead of time via the above link so that fulsome answers can be provided to you at the meeting from members of the team. If in the event you are unable to make it to the meet and greet, then regardless please feel free to send along your questions and we will send you a reply privately via email.   

We are also keen to hear feedback and to get volunteers for canvassing the campus as we begin our campaign for change and new leadership. We ask for your support.  

* It is our intention to put forward a motion at the GMM (prior to the vote) that the following positions be combined/merged at the officer’s level of the LEC, to streamline the administration of the local. That the position of Secretary be merged with the VP-Communication/Technology position; and that the position of VP-Health and Safety be merged with VP-Equity. It is our joint assertion that the workloads for these positions can be better managed by 2 individuals (Deborah and Maricruz) rather than 4 (as it currently is). The reason behind this is that these portfolios are individually small in the scope of their administrative work and combining them would be more efficient and effective.  Additionally, it will save the local in both time and money to have a total of 6 officer positions in the LEC (rather than 8 as it currently is). The savings will come with regards to release time requests to attend officer meetings (which is paid for by the local). We are also committed to training and supporting our 40+ stewards to better manage the administration of the local when it comes to grievance management and to hold regular LEC meetings in accordance with the OPSEU constitution.