Unit 1 – Academic & Professional Staff
Unit 1 represents full time faculty, professional librarians, curriculum instructional designers, learner affairs officers and ME (medical education) database administrators working for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University.
Bargaining Unit Members voted to unionize with the Faculty Association in December 2005, and the Ontario Labour Relations Board issued a certificate in January 2006. In December 2006 the first Collective Agreement (2006-08) was ratified.
In June 2008 the initial bargaining unit voted to join the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and negotiated a second Collective Agreement (2008-2011) as OPSEU NOSM University Local 677. As part of the terms of transfer into OPSEU the Local and its Members remain Members of the NUFSA. Collective Agreements negotiated since: 2011-2015; 2015-2018; 2018-2022.
Members of the Local Executive who are in the Unit form the Unit 1 Committee. It meets regularly and has the Executive responsibility for matters such as Unit specific negotiations and grievances. The Unit 1 Committee has a Grievance Committee and, during bargaining, a Negotiations Committee. The Grievance and Negotiations Committees report to the Unit 1 Committee. In turn the Unit 1 Committee reports to the Unit 1 Members in Unit Membership Meetings.
The current Unit 1 Committee is as follows:
Unit 1 President (aka Unit 1 Local VP):
Darrel Manitowabi
Unit 1 Secretary:
Sophie Regalado
Full-time faculty:
Zach Suntres
Curriculum Instructional Designers/ME Database Administrators:
Kristen Shaw
Professional Librarian:
Michael McArthur
Learner Affairs Officers:
Nick Alderton
Member at Large (Academic Staff, North Eastern Ontario):
- Tom Kovala
- Nicole Bessette
- Christina Laverdiere
- Darrel Manitowabi
- Lorrilee McGregor
Member at Large (Academic Staff, North Western Ontario):
- Christina Graves
- Geoffrey Hudson
- Simon Lees
- Brian Ross
- Sophie Regalado
Other & Ad hoc Committees and Service (Union)
Joint Consultative Committee
(JCC: Unit 1 President, Chief Negotiating Officer & an additional member of the Unit Committee)
JCC Academic & Professional Staff Professional Development Subcommittees:
Darrel Manitowabi and Simon Lees
Scholarship Committee:
Zach Suntres & Sophie Regalado
Chief Negotiating Officer:
Simon Lees
Unit 1 Trustee:
Donna Newhouse (not on Unit 1 Committee)
Sudbury & District Labour Council rep:
TBD
Thunder Bay & District Labour Council:
Geoff Hudson
Pension Committee:
Zach Suntres
Health and Safety Reps:
Tom Kovala (East Campus); Simon Lees (West Campus)
The Unit 1 Committee meets monthly. If you are a Unit 1 Member who is not on the Committee but you wish as a Member to observe you are of course free to do so, just send an email to [email protected] for information about the next Meeting. To bring an item of concern or a question to the attention of the Unit 1 Committee contact the relevant representative and/or the Unit President at any time. In addition Members are reminded that every Unit Membership and Unit 1 (Executive) Committee meeting includes an ‘any other business’ agenda item. As per our longstanding practice meeting minutes are available on request to Unit Members.
If you believe that you are being harassed or discriminated against contact Nicole Bessette or Geoff Hudson for immediate assistance.