Our Voices

Joan Stuchner

Joan Stuchner works in the Library Processing Centre at the University of B.C. Her current job is in the Technical Services Department of the Centre.

Emily Paterson is an Educational Media Services Assistant at the University of Northern B.C. in Prince George. She spends her days helping faculty and students get the right equipment for classes, projects and special events. Her job is mostly administrative, but she also does some technical equipment set-up and training.

Garry Harvie

In 1988 Garry Harvie came to UBC to work as an icemaker. He is one of the staff who keeps the ice in great condition for hockey and skating events.

Pat Shade and Marisa Lousier

Pat works as a Security Clerk in campus security and Marissa is a Library Assistant. They are members of CUPE 951 at the University of Victoria. They offer the perspective of people who have a disability, and talk about the importance of having the right to be accommodated at work.

Sherry Harmsworth

Sherry is a Library Assistant at UVic and a member of CUPE 951. She talks about the importance of paid sick time.

Craig Ashbourne

Craig is a Teaching Assistant at UVic and a member of CUPE 4163. He talks about the importance of wage improvements achieved through collective bargaining.

Mike Eggiman

Mike is a Grounds Worker in the Public Works department at UVic and a member of CUPE 917. He talks about the importance of parental leave benefits in his collective agreement.

Christine Wadge

Christine is a Sessional Instructor at UVic, teaching French language to beginners. She is a member of CUPE 4163 and she talks about the job security rights in her collective agreement.

Ted Godwin

Ted is a systems technician at UVic and a member of CUPE 951. Ted provides desktop support for the staff who keep the library running and talks about the vision care benefit in his collective agreement.

Brenda Phillips

Brenda provides janitorial services at UVic and is a member of CUPE 917. Brenda talks about keeping UVic clean and the value of getting paid time off.

Greg Melnechuk

Greg is an English Language Instructor at UVic and a member of CUPE 4163. Greg talks about his union-bargained pension plan.

Anita Penner

Anita Penner is a Library Technician at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. She has been in the library since 1978 and has seen the institution evolve from Cariboo College to University College of the Cariboo in 1995, and finally to TRU in 2005.

Karen Carter

For the past thirty-one years, Karen Carter has been helping the University of Victoria community find the resources they need. She works in the Interlibrary Loan department of UVic Libraries, providing what she and others call "Document Detective Services" for users seeking material not held by UVic. Citations are not always clear or accurate; and sometimes it takes more digging.

Shahed Alam

Shahed Alam is a Ph.D. candidate and a full-time Teaching Assistant (TA) in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. His TA duties include helping first year students understand the basics during Learning Centre hours, labs and tutorials; and grading projects and exams of final year students.

Abby Sereda

Abby Sereda is an IT Project Analyst at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. A member of CUPE 4879, she says there is always a way to assist and she enjoys being the person who can find a way to help.