The results of the Summer By-Election are as follows:

Coordinator – Carina Nilsson

Treasurer – Natasha Patterson

Our by-election for the Coordinator and Treasurer positions are happening Wednesday, July 28th and Thursday, July 29th.  Come out and have your say about who you want in these Executive committee positions going into the Fall semester.  Links to the candidate statements are posted below.

Polling stations are located:

Burnaby (July 28th & 29th): South Academic Quadrangle (AQ) between the two big lecture halls

Surrey (July 28th): SUR 2400

Harbour Center (July 29th): Across from the escalator on the Main Floor

All polls are open between 11am – 3pm.

For candidate statements:

http://www.tssu.ca/candidate-statements-summer-by-election-2010/

The positions of Coordinator and Treasurer are up for election as well as the position of Ex-Officio which has been vacant. The Job descriptions can be found in the by-laws or for more info contact tssu@tssu.ca. The nomination form can be found below. Nominations will be open until the General Membership meeting on July 22nd, 2010.

ByElection2010-Nomination Form

Check out what the TSSU is up to in the “Calendar Section” if you have any events that you would like added to the calendar give us a shout at tssu@tssu.ca.

The TSSU Social Justice Committee organized a contingent of TSSU members to participate in the February 12th “Welcoming Committee” Anti-Olympics Convergence. The march, which was very successful, saw up to 5000 people stand in solidarity against the environmental, social, and economic devastation of the Olympics in Vancouver. We rallied at the Vancouver Art Gallery and along with other labour, community, and indigenous groups, we marched to BC Place where labour choirs sang and participants stood in solidarity against a heavy police contingent.

The TSSU would like to thank former member Mark Pedrosa for his photos and thanks to all of our members who came out and participated in the rally.

The following positions are up for election:  Chief Steward, Secretary, Treasurer, and Trustee.

The election will be held Thursday, March 11th

Burnaby Campus 11:00 am -3:00 pm

Surrey Campus 11:00 am-3:00 pm

Friday, March 12th

Burnaby Campus 11:00 am-3:00 pm

Harbour Centre 11:00 am-3:00 pm

Please take a minute to read the candidate statements below.

Chief Steward: Scott Drake

I am very excited about running for re-election the Chief Steward position.  As Chief Steward, I would continue to work to ensure that the terms and conditions of the Collective Agreement are front and center in the minds of those who make decisions that affect TAs, T/Ms, Sessionals and ELC/ITP instructors.  I believe in members’ asserting their rights under the Collective Agreement.  I will make sure that members know their rights and support their ability to assert them, including advocating at all levels of the university to make this a reality.  Having said this and being a member myself, I recognize our unique situation, in that we have no seniority rights and are often dependent on our employers in ways that exceed the Collective Agreement.  I believe that our union should advocate for members through the assertion of collective rights embedded in the Collective Agreement, and in my capacity as Chief Steward I will continue to take up this challenge.  I will continue to develop and maintain a strong stewards’ network as a means of communication because the source of the TSSU’s knowledge and strength comes from members telling their stories.  Having been involved in contract committee work since 2008, I look forward to being able to fight for us at the bargaining table. In addition, as an executive member I would be (and have been) committed to our union as a non-hierarchical collective based on feminist principles of solidarity and equality with a role to play in larger struggles for social justice, including the increased commodification of post-secondary education under neo-liberal policies.  As a union, we are on the front line of these struggles and even if the university appears to have given in to the “reality” of impending cuts, we should not.  Our union is only as strong as its workers and in the role of Chief Steward I will help bring our many strengths together.

I am hoping to finish my PhD in English this summer, having completed my MA studies at SFU.  During my time at SFU I have been active within the TSSU in a number of different roles, all of which have helped me gain an appreciation and understanding of the diversity of issues which we face.  Having worked as a Teaching Assistant and Sessional Instructor, I have a strong awareness of a variety of concerns from different aspects of our membership.  Within the TSSU I have occupied two Salaried Officer positions—Chief Steward (March 2009-present) and Coordinator (July 2008-March 2009)—and been an executive member as since 2007 (Chair, August 2007-July 2008).  In different capacities I have participated in numerous committees, including Executive, Contract, Grievance, Contract Research, Finance, Internal Relations, Communications and Staff Restructuring.  I began my activism with the TSSU in 2005-2006 as a Steward for the English department.  We have accomplished a lot of work in the past two years, but there remains much to be done to ensure that our membership gets the respect that it deserves.  I look forward to the privilege of being able to be a part of making this happens.

Secretary: Kevin Partridge
I am a first year MA student in the department of Sociology and Anthropology. I did a previous BA in history in the 1980s at SFU and a Post Baccalaureate in the two years prior to starting my grad studies. I was initially involved in the TSSU social justice committee before becoming a grad student. I am currently representing the general membership on the bargaining committee. I am still involved in the SA student union as a grad liaison and actively involved in a number of projects through the grad caucus of our department.
Having spent many years out of school before returning, I would bring much experience working within numerous organisations to the job of secretary. I am articulate, a good listener and have already proven my ability to work with many of the people already involved in the union. I am very much aware that this year the union may be under significant pressure due to the expiration of our current contract and the current pressures from the provincial government and the university administration. I have a strong commitment to the progressive, feminist politics that the TSSU endorses. I am very much interested in not only defending and expanding our rights as workers but also our rights as students and people. I would be pleased to fulfill part of the organisational requirements of the union by working as the secretary.

In solidarity,
Kevin

Treasurer: Carina Nilsson

For more info regarding extended, MSP and dental see FAQ, or for information regarding the dental plan you can visit the blue cross website.

http://www.pbchbs.com/Corp/individual/IP-DentalOnly.aspx

Nominations are now open for the positions of Trustee 1, Treasurer, Secretary and Chief  Steward and will close February 19th at 4:30pm. Descripitions can be found below, and nomination forms are available outside the TSSU office AQ 5129 or under the forms tab of the website.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the maintenance of an accurate and proper internal bookkeeping system and for coordination with the external bookkeeper.  This bookkeeping system shall be set up under the instruction of the Executive. She/he shall present financial statements to the first GM of each semester and shall circulate an audited financial report to the TSSU in September of each year. This report shall be read at the September GM.  The Treasurer shall be responsible for creating and submitting the Union’s annual budget to the February GM of each year. The Treasurer will work in consultation with the Coordinator in carrying out these duties. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Finance Committee.

Chief Steward

The Chief Steward, in conjunction with the Grievance Officer, shall be responsible for the knowledge and application of the Collective Agreement.  She/he shall also be responsible for the Grievance Procedure including meetings, research and legal activities.  The Chief Steward shall be the Management Contact and shall chair the Labour/Management meetings. The Chief Steward shall, when possible, attend Employee Council meetings. The Chief Steward shall be responsible for maintaining the steward system with assistance from the Organizer.  She/he shall coordinate and chair Steward Meetings.  The Chief Steward shall ensure, through assistance from the Organizer, the orientation and education of the Stewards.  She/he shall chair Grievance Committee Meetings and Grievance Meetings, and shall sit on and be the resource person for the Contract Committee. The Chief Steward shall work with the Grievance Officer in reviewing and maintaining contracts of TSSU members. The Chief Steward shall act as the TSSU Executive’s principal point of contact with the Union’s Grievance Officer; in this capacity, the Chief Steward must act in accordance with the Bylaws and policies, and in consultation with the full Executive.

Trustee

The two Trustees shall ensure that the TSSU By-Laws are adhered to and be responsible for keeping these same By-Laws up-to-date. They shall also ensure that proper procedures are adhered to at GMs in accordance with Bourinot’s rules and that membership lists are kept up-to-date and members are informed about their membership status. They shall oversee the work done by Executive Members and report any atypical decisions to the General Membership of the Union. They shall schedule and ensure the publication of GMs; and schedule and oversee all elections/referenda. The Trustees shall be responsible for inspecting the financial records of the TSSU on a monthly basis in consultation with the Coordinator.  The two Trustees shall also act as TSSU Privacy Officers, as outlined in the TSSU Personal Information Operation Policy.  One Trustee shall be a member of the Internal Relations Committee and the other shall be a member of the Finance Committee.

Secretary

The Secretary shall be responsible for ensuring that accurate minutes for GM and Executive meetings are taken and distributed at subsequent meetings.  The duty of taking minutes shall be shared between the Salaried Officers of the TSSU and the Secretary.  The Secretary shall maintain a current file of all GM and Executive Minutes in the TSSU office, as well as keep a record of, and remind the Executive of, resolutions passed at these meetings. The Secretary shall facilitate access to information of past precedent and resolutions on previous meetings, and thereby assist the Ex-Officio in maintaining institutional memory.