Executive Committee

The Executive Committee takes its direction from decisions of the membership and ensures that the policies and decisions of the Local are implemented. The Executive also brings proposals to the membership and Local Councils for changes in policy or direction. The Executive meets bi-weekly and oversees the office’s day-to-day business, provides direction to staff through the Executive Director and administers the Local’s Collective Agreements. A description of duties for each Officer can be found below and in the Bylaws.

To email an Executive Officer, click on their name or photo. Office hours are currently online and by appointment.

Eriks Bredoviskis
President

Eriks (he/him) works as a Unit 1 Teaching Assistant and Course Instructor in the Department of History, and in the Diaspora and Transnational Studies program at UTM. Eriks served as your Mobilization Committee Steward (U1, Div 1) from 2018–2021, the Co-Chair of the Unit 1 Bargaining Support Committee and Central Strike Committee in 2020/2021, as your External Liaison Officer in 2021–22, and your General Vice-President in 2022. Eriks is committed to worker-led organizing and rank and file labour action.

Lily Ziyue Zhang
vice-President 1 (Units 1 & 7)

Lily (she/her) works as a Unit 1 Teaching Assistant and is a PhD Student in the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment with a collaborative specialization in Global Health through the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is experienced with CUPE 3902, having served as a Departmental Steward since 2021. Lily is passionate about collective organizing within universities, exampled by her past roles as an elected Cohort Representative at both the University of Toronto for two terms from 2020 until 2022 and Western (University of Western Ontario) for one term between 2018 and 2019, and as an Academic Relations Member with the Student Union at the University of Alberta for three terms from 2013 until 2016. Together, Lily believes we can continue to achieve more ambitious gains, including better working conditions, better wages, better benefits, and better education for all!

Tom Robles (pro-tem)
Vice-President 2 (Unit 3)

Tom (he/him) has over 30 years of teaching experience and a Master's degree in Adult Education. He specializes in supporting English as Another Language (EAL) students and currently teaches academic writing at UTSC and the Daniels Faculty of Architecture. Previously, Tom served as an organizer for the Unit 3 Bargaining Support Committee and worked to rally support for the 2018 strike vote. In 2016, as a Writing Instructor Rep on the Provostial Working Group for Writing Instructors, and successfully advocated for a Memorandum of Agreement that improved job security and created the advancement category Writing Instructor 2 (Priority).

Janine Riviere
vice-President 4 (Units 2, 4, & 6), pro tem

Janine (she/her) is an experienced undergraduate course instructor at the University of Toronto and has taught courses in the History Department, Centre For Teaching And Learning, and International Programs at New College. Riviere is a longstanding member of Unit 6, having been employed as a Lead Course Instructor in the International Foundation Program since 2014. She has been active in leading organizational movements as Bargaining Support Committee Chair in Unit 6, as part of the negotiation of their first Collective Agreement from 2020-22. Riviere has also served on the Local's Grievance Committee for 2021-22 and was active as a Unit 6 Steward from 2020-22.

At present, Riviere is appointed as pro tem Fourth Vice-President and is responsible for serving members of Units 2, 4 and 6.

Clara Chang
Communications and Recording Secretary

Clara (she/her) is a Unit 1 member teaching in the Department of English and former Chair of the Mental Health Action Committee, and worked to support Unit 1 Bargaining during the 2018 and 2021 rounds. As your Communications and Recording Secretary, Clara compiles your Newsletter, produces many of the public- and member-facing communications the Local publishes, and ensures useful and accurate records of the organization's significant political and operational decisions. Talk to your CRS if you have ideas for making the Local's communications more accessible or if there's news you think members should know about!

Sandra Sabbagh
Health and Safety Officer

Sandra (she/her) is a Unit 1 member and a master’s candidate in the Department of Cell and Systems Biology. She also serves as the Departmental Grievance Steward for that same department. As your Health and Safety Officer, Sandra oversees representatives on Joint Health and Safety Committees, which means that she is the person to contact if you are interested in becoming a JHSC Representative, or have any questions about the process and requirements. In lab, Sandra studies fruit flies’ embryonic development. Sandra also hates bugs.

Talia Isaacson
Grievance Officer

Tal (she/her) is a Unit 1 member and PhD candidate in the Centre for Comparative Literature, where she has served as a steward from 2017-2022. She has worked as a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Classics and in the Literature and Critical Theory program. She served as Stewards' Council Representative on the Unit 1 Bargaining Committee and on the Grievance Committee. Reach out to her if you have any questions about the grievance process or filing a grievance.