May 27, 2021

Swearing in of the newly elected Officers

On Thursday, April 22nd, the Local conducted the Election of Local Union Officers and Unit Officials. On Tuesday, May 25, the Local Union officers took their positions for a three-year term. Local 1944 Executive Board members were sworn-in via Zoom videoconference. Congratulations to all Executive Board members! 

Present for the Swearing-In Ceremony were Ken Neumann, USW National Director for Canada, Omero Landi, former Local 1944 Administrator, Jayson Little and Randy Gatzka, Staff Representatives.

“I am profoundly humbled to have been entrusted with the honour of being your President,” said Donna Hokiro. “I will work tirelessly to represent all members, every day. I will show up every day with fierceness and determination to make your working lives easier and better. Congratulations to our new Vice President Pierre-Luc Dick, and to all of our newly elected Trustees, Ross Brown, Jenn Turner, and Natasha Aodan. Additionally to all those who have been acclaimed: Michael Phillips for Secretary-Treasurer; Corey Mandryk and Alina Gherghinoiu, REOs for British Columbia; Richard Blais, Michelle Ravary, and Robert Briza, REOs for Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec respectively. I look forward to working together as we head into this next round of bargaining to secure gains for the membership. There is nothing we can’t accomplish when we collectively put our minds to it and our shoulders to the wheel.”

The Local is out of Administration 

We have the pleasure to announce that as of May 25, 2021, the Local is no longer under Administration. 

At the request of the 2018 Executive Board, Local 1944 was first placed under administration on June 12, 2018, to ensure a fair and transparent conclusion to the 2018 Local Union Elections and the protests that stemmed from it, as well as to allow the recently-merged Local to stabilize and thrive within the USW structure. District Coordinator from District 6 Ron Wyatt was appointed by the USW International as Administrator at the time. Omero Landi, Toronto Area Coordinator of USW District 6, took on the position in 2019.

Administration provided a stable footing by which the Local was able to have its By-Laws amended, gain a sustainable financial position, improve legal representation and grievance handling, and achieve progress in many other respects.

“It has been my pleasure to have been the USW Administrator for Local 1944 since October 2019,” said former Local 1944 Administrator Omero Landi. “During this time, I have worked closely with the Local Table Officers and the rest of the Executive Board. Under their leadership, I have seen the Local meet, and in many cases, exceed the expectations set out in the Implementation of the USW 1944 – Moving Ahead Plan that was adopted in June of 2019. One example is having developed a well-functioning Grievance Committee. Perhaps more importantly, the Local has ensured its financial stability that positions it well to be able to represent the membership in areas such as the upcoming round of bargaining with Telus. A good indicator of how far the Local has come is also the recent seamless Local elections for a new Executive. For all these reasons, USW President Tom Conway made the appropriate decision to end the Administration of Local 1944.”

Once again, thank you for your patience throughout this process. Your dedication is what makes our Local Union strong. 

In Solidarity,

USW Local 1944