Nunavut union executive speaks out over tentative collective agreement
Alex McConnachie suspended by union over comments, plans to remain vocal as deal heads to ratification vote
Alex McConnachie is suspended from his role as a Nunavut Employees Union regional vice-president. He said it’s because he is speaking out against a new tentative agreement with the Government of Nunavut. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
A suspended Nunavut Employees Union executive is raising concerns about the union’s tentative agreement with the Government of Nunavut.
“I spoke up and they’re silencing me,” said Alex McConnachie in an interview.
Until Oct. 30, McConnachie was the Nunavut Employees Union’s regional vice-president for the capital region — an unpaid role which he describes as being a point of contact for around 1,300 Iqaluit-based municipal and territorial public employees on union issues.
He works in information technology for the Nunavut government.
McConnachie was also part of the union’s bargaining team until the summer but resigned from that position while dealing with multiple family members’ deaths.
He said he would have voted against the tentative agreement — which needs the bargaining team’s unanimous support to move forward — had he stayed on.
In his absence, the tentative agreement — which would impact more than 4,000 territorial employees — was signed in September and awaits ratification.
McConnachie said he only had a chance to read the whole agreement for the first time last month while attending a ratification meeting in Rankin Inlet.
“There are a lot of good things in this agreement, but the [Nunavut northern allowance] and the wage increases fall just short of what inflation is,” McConnachie said.
With that in mind, he encouraged union members to “read between the lines” on the agreement and make an informed vote.
In response, leaders from both the Nunavut Employees Union and Public Service Alliance of Canada North reached out to McConnachie, asking him to support the tentative agreement.
“I basically said no, I’m going to tell people, here is what this agreement really means. I’m going to give them the information that they need, and I want them to make an informed decision on their own,” he said.
On Oct. 31, McConnachie found out about his suspension by email. The motion to suspend him was moved by union president Jason Rochon at an executive meeting on Oct. 30, the day prior.
“I didn’t even have a chance to share my piece or defend myself or anything,” McConnachie said.
“I wasn’t at the executive meeting last week because, quite frankly, I don’t feel supported by this union.”
The Nunavut Employees Union declined comment on McConnachie’s suspension citing internal processes, said union spokesperson Meral Jamal in an email which Rochon and union executive director Daniel Kinsella were copied in.
But she did say: “Alex has never reached out directly and via official channels to our bargaining team with questions or concerns. Instead, most of his comments have been made through unofficial channels, specifically through comments and posts on social media.”
Jamal added that discussing tentative agreements on social media goes against union “practices.”
“We invite members who do have questions to come out to the ratification meetings to hear about this new agreement and to cast a vote,” she said.
The ratification vote was held in Iqaluit earlier this week and is expected to continue in other communities.
As that plays out, McConnachie said he vows to be “more vocal.”
He said he’s considering a run for Nunavut Employees Union president next year. He has also hired a lawyer.
“I may not have an office anymore and a title, but I still have a voice, and I’ve gotten a lot of support,” McConnachie said.
He should talk to his Union Rep. They always help the lowly worker. Haha
I dont know if he is right or not. But thought it was atleast a little funny.
Hmmm. I wish the GN would comment but they can’t as it is before negotiations
It sure sounds fishy to me. Jason, are you on a pedestal? I hear a former Inuk worker who you dismissed in your office. Is this another case of someone questioning you?
Don’t let the position get to your head. You were a student support assistant who volunteered. That doesn’t give you a shield to hide behind.
I cannot remember an NEU / GN agreement that was not below the rate of inflation.
GN negotiating mandate seems to always be “stall until they get tired and are willing to agree to anything”.
Someone tell Jason to save us a Union Word of the Day slot for ‘Censorship.’
It’s trending!
President: posts every update on Facebook.
Member: posts concerns on Facebook.
President: ‘Why didn’t you come to me directly via official channels?”
Irony really is the gift that keeps on giving.
The Community Services needs to pull-out contracts from Municipalities due to long overdue mismanagements with Municipal affairs and its operations. This is been occurring years right under the NOSE of Community Services executive directors that just continue to play down with its actors on stage of Municipalities managing operations and its budgets. This leads to mismanagements once Senior Management team-up with Finance in the financial operations. This perhaps leads to crooks and cons on the job, once financial operations are administered and contracted by the Municipal Hamlets in remote Municipalities. Have you ever seen any audit reports in the Hamlets public buildings???
What do you think of this trend!?! Did you notice any red flags???
Nice to see that they will screen your comments and decide not to post them in this news trend. My comment to make you see who this Alex guy really is was removed. This is a bias news platform
Time to go back to being a member Jason and let the big kids handle the big kid stuff. You clearly are out of touch with the north, the membership, and the problems here. You, and what appears to be your 2 shadows, I think Amanda and Tristan are more focussed on selfies and photo ops then the members. #ByeBye
It’s way too easy to spread gossip on the dark web. Come out of the shadows and speak truth. #STOPONLINEBULLYING
Canceling people for taking selfies?
Agreed! Thou Shall NOT Speak.
Thou SHALL step into the Spotlight.
There’s NOTHING fancy about keyboard warriors, trolls and cancel culture folk lurking in shadows.
#StopOnlineBullying
#YourVoiceMatters
#LiveYourLifeQueen
#BeProud
#LetMETakeASelfie
Agreed! Thou shall remain silent.
The North deserves doers who aren’t afraid to stand in their light. Not another woke commentator hiding behind a keyboard.
#WhoCanceledSpellCheck
Are you kidding me?
Anyone who has been in Nunavut for ten or more years knows the 180 degree turn around the NEU has made with Jason. They went from a pale, dusty, quiet, ineffective office to a dynamic force. I’m honestly just aghast at the ignorance of how vastly things have improved in breadth and depth of the work the NEU since Jason came on. McConnachie’s point is raises fall ‘just short’ of inflation isn’t too wild if we’ve gained an ability to make the GN actually hire the many CSAs we depend on, etc.. No idea who this McConnachie is, but know very well how solid and hard working Jason is, and how carefully he builds teams.
This appears to be incorrect if I read the changes to the collect agreement. The wording on hiring CSA’s stays the same from the last one. Getting the union to go to bat for it is like the existence of unicorns. Sure it is talked about but they won’t do it. Their brief for the new collective agreement is full of half truths.
“I spoke up and they’re silencing me,”
“I may not have an office anymore and a title, but I still have a voice”
Which one is it?
The bargaining team came to a decision and for unfortunate reasons he wasn’t able to participate. But as a vice president you are a leader and publically throwing your team under the bus on social media is completely inappropriate no matter the situation.
This arrogant attitude of needing everyone to listen to you and if they don’t you throw a tantrum and expect no consequences is mind boggling and feels performative and selfish.
Alex’s public comments before he was suspended mentioned the NNA for Iqaluit should be higher and grocery prices are cheaper in the communities. Looking past the conflict of interest of a VP wanting specifically his NNA higher the ignorance of cost of living across the territory shows me he is not fit for the position of VP.
If you felt like the union was dropping the ball on this agreement than you should have resigned from your position and raised your voice as a member. The way this was handled was unprofessional and transparently self serving
You said “ he is not fit for the position of VP”
How did he get this position in the first place ? I don’t recall any vote
If you were so in the right, why would an entire board of that many people kick you off? Not one of them has stepped up to veto this action or defend you?
Are the people you claim to represent even visible to the naked eye? Where are they?
If you are so effective, why haven’t you gotten these demands you’re on about? How many years have you been fighting for Nunavut? What unions have you led before?
Where is your track record?
Doesn’t a suspension mean “get it together,” not “you’re fired”? You’re getting correction, not the boot and this an example of an effective negotiator were supposed to vote as the next union leader?
As a demoted volunteer who still employed by your employer, are you expecting the same union you’re bashing to come to your aid when you need help from the same employers?
Can you point to a time history when the employer has fought for rights that are outlined in the new deal?
Where are the real facts?
Why were you suspended and not able to save yourself as a leader?
Is the lawyer you plan to hire going to receive this treatment? Is there even a case here? Aren’t there oaths and codes of conduct being blatantly breached here? Have your read the Labour code?
I saw the post on Facebook last week and now this article appears with the some pretty strong statements against NEU and the current president. I’m not an NEU member but I wanted to fact check what Alex said. A simple google search asking whether or not a PSAC bargaining team must agree unanimously on a tentative agreement that is negotiated is all it took to discover the truth. The PSAC constitution and regulation 15 states that the requirement for a negotiated agreement to pass and be accepted to bring to members is a majority vote. This means only 50% +1 of the bargaining team needed to vote to accept it. It further states that once accepted by the bargaining team with a majority vote, the executive have to unanimously represent and support the agreement to members. This is the complete opposite of what Alex is stating. He also clearly was trying to tell members not to vote for the agreement – that is why he, as an executive member, was suspended. Don’t believe me….google it for yourself to get the facts….only takes a few seconds.
Google is a powerful tool! As usual Nunatsiaq News did zero investigative work into these claims, but rather decided to run a biased story equivalent to a tabloid. According to Alex’s own social media post, there were several PSAC constitution violations under section 25 including slander, libel and abusive language.
The union took my case to arbitration and balked away. Accommodation is the law in Canada not in Nunavut.
The PSA union is of no value to individuals within the public service. The union is just another level of bureaucracy representing the bureaucracy.
If you think of government politicians and the bureaucracy as two of the most antisocial elements of society, you are correct. The union executive and its bureaucracy is even worse!