Sharleen Patterson Equal Opportunities Director e-mail

Sharleen assumed the duties of Director on
January 30, 2007. She has been active in Local Y017 for six years, serving five years as Shop Steward. She was elected to her Local executive in 2005 as a Director and then as Chief Shop Steward. Recently she has been serving as Local Vice-President.

Prior to arriving in the Yukon, she served as Shop Steward with the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Sharleen’s first introduction to unions came at a very young age because most of her family was employed by General Motors in Oshawa, Ontario. She worked in the truck plant during summers while receiving her post-secondary education.

The Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) is a
particularly active union. During this time Sharleen says, “I learned much about the importance of unions in the workplace, and about fighting for my rights as a union member.”

Here in the Yukon, she participated as a member of the YEU Pride Committee, the Regional Women’s Committee, the Yukon Area Council and the PSAC North Executive Committee. She was also elected as a delegate to the PSAC National Convention, which she attended in May, 2006. Recently she was a member of bargaining team that negotiated with the Yukon government.

Sharleen is clear about her objectives in this new position.“My goal as Equal Opportunities Director on the YEU Executive is to network with other EO committees within Canada and with the national office of PSAC. I want to provide information to YEU members and to develop a strong Equal Opportunities Committee within the Yukon.”