Geoff Selig -A decade as President in review
July 12, 2011 by Dale Robinson
Fairness, honesty, cooperation, respecting people and doing the right thing – these are just some of the values that can inspire and motivate a President of a Union. These are also some of the strongest values held by our current, but soon to be retired, President Geoff Selig.
Certainly the weight of responsibility of being President of CUPEU, arguably one of
Concordia's strongest unions, might need to be offset by some strong values.
After all, it's not for the money that one undertakes the long and, oft time,
demanding hours that have gone into the running of our beloved union. But Geoff
Selig seems to take all the tribulations and demands of the more than ten past years
in stride. It's been a "labour of love" he says, smiling in answer to my
questions. "Sometimes you put in the work just because things are downright
wrong and need to be fixed". Here Geoff is referring to the aftermath of the
2005 negotiations and the more than half dozen grievances which were filed as a
result of the miscalculations of the retroactivity owing to members.
Geoff Selig became CUPEU's President in 2001 after joining CUPEU in 1998. His
road to the top Executive position began with his election to union secretary then
to VP Negotiations before accepting the position of President. During his
presidency, over the course of the past decade, CUPEU has changed tremendously. From
a membership base of little more than 168 we have grown to become one of the largest
unions at Concordia with 380 members. We have refocused the support offered
professional employees over the years, for example, hearing the voices of the
temporary employees asking for improvements in the Collective Agreement. And the
Collective Agreement of 2005 did just that, implementing a variety of benefits for
this important CUPEU member group for the first time - benefits such as health
insurance, drug coverage and vacation parity with permanent members. Moreover, this
agreement successfully increased the salaries of all CUPEU members, bringing their
wages, at last, on par with other university professionals in Quebec.
"We became more effective at protecting rights over the years", says Geoff
"and we have shown ourselves to be a force to be reckoned with". Certainly,
the signing of a new Collective Agreement, the resolution of the "Clause
Remorque", the settlement of the salary determination and retroactivity
grievances and the extension of the Collective Agreement all demonstrated
CUPEU's savvy at negotiating as well as its strength as a union.
"I've had some interesting groups to work with over the years", says
Geoff "and some talented and passionate Executive members". People have come
and gone but some have remained. One of the connections most valued by Geoff, as a
result of his current role, is with our CSN advisor, Adriana Volpato. Indeed, it
appears that a significant regret that Geoff Selig has in stepping down this fall as
CUPEU's President is that he won't be working in the same capacity with
Adriana anymore. They certainly have accomplished a lot for CUPEU in their work
together.
It's obvious to me in speaking with Geoff that he's passionate about the
work he does at and for CUPEU and I ask him why he's decided to step down.
"I'm tired, he says. The working through of the salary determination and
retroactivity grievances for the 2005 C.A. took a lot out of me. Then, the whole Pay
Equity Committee experience of the following six years took the rest". Geoff
looks forward to playing a slightly more removed role with CUPEU for the next while
and returning to his "real" work as a Systems Analyst in Concordia's
Institutional Planning Office.
What's next for Geoff Selig after he hands over CUPEU's reins at our next
General Assembly, this fall? "Well it doesn't mean I won't be
around", chuckles Geoff. "After all, I'm still on the Negotiations
Committee and I'll likely step up into the new Past President position". In
his latter role Geoff would act as a consultant to the Executive and incoming
President as s/he learns to manage the demands of the position.
Judging from my vantage point, on the Executive for the past eight years, and
observing Geoff in action, I think a key attribute one has to have as a President of
a union such as CUPEU is the ability to manage a lot of different personalities as
well as demands. And Geoff has done this well.
A final key attitude that Geoff Selig attributes to his success as a President is
having a "strong belief that people are well-intentioned". This
underlying philosophy has certainly held CUPEU in good stead in its past
negotiations and smoothed some ruffled feathers at the bargaining table. It also
remains a good reminder for us to be hopeful as we face our upcoming negotiations;
able to draw on the fortified relationships CUPEU has built, over the past decade,
both within its membership and the larger Concordia community.
CUPEU Achievements in the past decade since Geoff Selig has been President
- March 14, 2001. Geoff Selig is elected President of CUPEU (he replaces Peter Cote who goes on to an Executive VP position).
- A new members welcoming protocol is put in place in April 2001.
- CUPEU membership increases from less than 300 to more than 380 members.
- A Mobilization committee is struck (May 2004), to support Negotiations initiatives to get a new Collective Agreement signed. "We are the PROS" and "We value the Pros" were just two of the proud slogans created by the Mobilization committee and adopted by the CUPEU members who rallied behind the Negotiations steering committee. The result? The signing of CUPEU's 3rd Collective Agreement in the fall of 2005. (The previous negotiations saw two contracts signed in 1998 for the periods 1996-99 and 1999-2002).
- 2004/5 Mobilization events included: newsletters, buttons, flyers, BBQ , Shuffle with slogan banners, chalking slogans in front of Administration building, slogan-bearing ornaments on a Christmas tree in Bishop's court, a satirical poem on a Christmas card delivered to Concordia's Board of Governors, a campaign to withhold funds to annual giving campaign, a blitz of postcards to board members and, most spectacular of all, a sea of bright yellow CUPEU T-shirts displayed strongly in the spring of 2005 at the presentation of the new university President, Claude LaJeunesse.
- The 2002 C.A. was extended to May 31, 2008 by a vote of 187/193 in a special General Assembly in June 2005.
- More than 250 hours went into planning CUPEU's Negotiation strategy and 308 hours were spent in Negotiations which saw the completed Collective Agreement signed in fall 2005.
- The Professional Development Committee is formed after a new provision for Professional Development comes out of the C.A.
- The Membership portfolio begins "Brown Bag" lunches to discuss union issues.
- a Grievance database is designed (by Geoff)
- a formula for calculating the retroactive pay from last signed Collective Agreement signed in fall 2005 is created (by Geoff).
- The "Clause Remorque", stemming from the 2002 Collective Agreement, finally comes into effect in 2009; this results in significant retroactive monetary increases and improved employment security benefits to members while we retain Professional Development as negotiated in 2005.
- The Pay Equity Committee is struck in 2005 after the 1997 Quebec Law governing Pay Equity comes into effect. Geoff Selig attends Pay Equity Committee meetings until a final resolution is reached in spring 2011.Many CUPEU members will benefit.
- The CUPEU website changes several times, a FAQ sheet is added as are electronic forms for Professional Development. A CUPEU electronic calendar on the front page of the website highlights all CUPEU's events, meetings etc.. CUPEUNow, a news blog is created and launched June 1, 2011 by the Communications Committtee. A Negotiations Bulletin Board is created in Summer 2011.
Thank you, Geoff. Yours will be hard shoes to fill.