SooToday received the following letter written by a Sault College professor addressed to OPSEU leadership,
I am writing this letter with a heavy heart and a lack of confidence in the union executive for the Sault College faculty, OPSEU Local 613.
It has been a week since the emergency union meeting, where we convened with the understanding that our union executives would provide some much-needed information regarding potential layoffs. Immediately, it became apparent that the Union executive had other plans in mind, mainly to receive a non-confidence vote in the senior leadership of Sault College, a surprise to the majority of Local 613 union members.
To provide you with some background and reason for writing this letter, I should start by explaining where I come from. When I tell you that Sault College's influence on my love for learning and post-secondary education began in the womb, I am not exaggerating. I was born the youngest of five children, and last of a set of triplets, to a long-time Sault College support staff member, Carolene Coutu.
My mother’s love and encouragement, shaped by the environment of her employer, developed a core value system that has now transformed into a personal vision and belief that we can change our world through knowledge and understanding. Twenty-five years of employment and entrepreneurship experience have once again brought me through the doors of Sault College, where I am a full-time faculty member in the business department. Thanks to the inspiration received from the number of wonderful people at Sault College, I was motivated to receive my MBA.
I became a certified project manager with the Project Management Institute, holding both the PMP and the PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner). I am also a doctoral candidate specializing in leadership, culture, and strategy. I am passionate about learning and understand that education is the clearest path out of poverty. Every day that I enter the doors of Sault College, I do so with the intent of making the world a better place for our students.
It was apparent at the meeting that the union executive was personally motivated and did not approach the meeting with good intent. When asked where the motion originated, we received the lazy and incomplete response: "It came from the membership."
I believe that a few highly toxic individuals are spreading misinformation and causing harm within the workplace. This is unacceptable. During these challenging times, it is important for all members of the organization to unite in promoting solution-focused outcomes that prioritize student-centered learning. It was clear from this meeting that student outcomes and well-being are not being considered, and the personal objectives of those few toxic individuals are being prioritized. These past few years at Sault College have been marked by change and uncertainty due to the pandemic and changes to student visas and the IRCC.
Our leadership team has worked diligently to minimize the impact on operations. Although management positions have been eliminated, support staff and faculty have been largely untouched, much differently than a large number of post-secondary Canadian institutions.
I was vocal about my displeasure during the meeting. In addition to it being the last week of the semester, the last-minute meeting did not include an agenda, nor was the executive properly prepared for this meeting. Excuses for rushing the vote because of a union conference are unacceptable. Making false claims about financial statements (and not bothering to review them online), encouraging discourse, claiming that “strategy isn’t my job” and creating a process that is supposed to be a democratic one but does not follow Robert’s Rules is all unacceptable.
Additionally, the motion was read at 7:02 p.m. (when voting opened at 7 p.m.) and was not provided to those union members who were not in attendance. Many members of both unions were not in attendance, nor did they receive the motion on which they were voting. Again, unacceptable.
The uprising of people getting involved has brought good results. Numerous letters of support for senior leadership have been submitted to the head office of OPSEU requesting a review of this process and action for future transparency. What is clear is the number of union members who are not pleased with the actions of OPSEU Local 613. Positive change requires collaboration, communication, and teamwork, and we expect this from the executive. It is for these reasons that I am requesting the non-compliant vote be null and void.
The union executive's email signature states, "In Solidarity." I hope that this will soon become the truth.
Christina Coutu
Professor, School of Business
Sault College
Sault. Ste. Marie