Caila is an educator with over 13 years of service, including a fulfilling tenure at John N.A. Janvier School located on Cold Lake First Nations.

“Throughout my career, I have embraced the power of experiential learning to engage students in activities such as canoeing, archery, and outdoor survival. These experiences not only develop essential life skills but also encourage confidence, teamwork, leadership, and a strong appreciation for Indigenous ways of knowing and being,” said Pischke.

Caila has proudly served as the local president for her teaching colleagues and was a member on the bargaining team during the most recent negotiations. One of her most proud accomplishments in this role has been the advancement of language rights for educators teaching First Languages. Caila advocates for the rights of students and educators at her school while also standing in solidarity with other union members and education workers across Canada.

Francesco is an acquisitions librarian for Environment and Climate Change Canada. He has been with the federal government for 27 years; 12 years with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and 15 years with ECCC. In his roles, he serves Canadians by helping federal scientists with their research needs and by providing them with the research tools they require.

“This is my third round on the EB bargaining team and each round we are making improvements. Last round, we added a Specialist Indigenous Languages Allowance, a new Allowance for Early Childhood Educators, improvements on Workforce Adjustment, and Leave for Traditional Indigenous Practices”, said Lai.

For the last 12 years, Francesco has been active in the union in various roles, such as member of his local executive as 2nd vice-president (2013-2014), 1st vice-president (2015-2018), and currently as president (since 2019). He is currently the UHEW alternate regional vice-president for Ontario.

Hatem is a correctional educator/teacher at Bowden Institution in Alberta. In addition to being a teacher, he served on the crisis negotiators’ team from 2014-2018 and spent 6 years as a parole officer in the institution and in the community. He is also a JLP facilitator. Hatem returned to his substantive position in 2022 and has remained in that position ever since.

“Despite recent improvement in the economy and the lower unemployment rates, our employer has been trying to fix their blunders during the pandemic years on the shoulders of public servants,” said Hammad.

Hatem decided to become a union steward after facing first-hand refusals from the employer to accommodate religious and cultural needs. He finds himself most effective on the front lines supporting his fellow union members as a chief shop steward and grievance handler. Currently, he is the longest serving member of the team at Bowden Institution.

Michael is a cultural coordinator for the Military Training and Cooperation Program and an ESL writing professor at Canadian Forces Language School at the Garnison Saint-Jean in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec. He has been in the federal civil service for 6 years, previously working as an instructor and graphic artist in the private sector.

"I've been engaged in social justice issues all of my adult life, " says Hind. "I started out fighting for environmental causes with Auto-Free Ottawa and was arrested for that. Later, I was tear-gassed at the anti-ZLÉA protests in Quebec City in 1999. Almost three years ago, I joined my local and was thrown into the role of strike marshal, which meant supporting on issues such as grievances, credential recognition, and pay issues.”

He is currently secretary for AGR Local 10377. He also sits on two non-public funds committees and the base's Health and Safety Committee.

Warren is a librarian with the Government of Canada, serving science departments and the public since 2009. He has worked in ECCC's libraries in Gatineau & Saskatoon, NRCan's library in Vancouver, and currently, DFO's library at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, BC, on Vancouver Island.

“My work ensures that the information needs of our scientists, laboratory technicians, other employees and the public are met. The work I do provides key research for Canada to fulfill its mandated duty to educate on the world’s oceans and our country’s rivers,” says Wulff.

Warren has been local president, vice president, and chief shop steward in UHEW and UCTE locals. He is currently a coordinator for South Vancouver Island on the PSAC BC Regional Council, his local's delegate to the Victoria Area Council and PSAC representative on the Victoria Labour Council’s executive committee.

Guillaume has been teaching French as a second language at the Department of National Defence since 2019. His job is to help military personnel meet language requirements.

“In 2023, I served as strike coordinator in Halifax, supporting the cause that united us on the picket lines—a fantastic experience. It was a real revelation and made me want to know more about negotiations and how bargaining teams defend social justice and workers.

Together with my colleagues on the bargaining team, I’m proud to represent over 1,000 members of the EB group in our fight for better working conditions.”

His PSAC journey began in 2021, when he attended an Agriculture Union Regional Seminar before being elected Vice-President of Local 80002 in Halifax.

Marie-Hélène, a public service worker since 2007, helps Senior Non-Commissioned members of the Canadian Armed Forces through the Osside Institute courses at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean so that they can move up the ranks. She teaches them theoretical concepts and the historical and political facts they need to know to defend our country well.

“I want us all to work in the best possible conditions. I’m bargaining to protect and expand our rights and bring our wages into line with the cost of living.”

First elected Vice-President of Agriculture Union Local 10377 in 2016, she has been a member of the Union of National Defence Employees Local 10511 since 2024. She is also secretary of her area council and secretary of the Montérégie Regional Women’s Committee (PSAC-Quebec). She’s proud to have participated in the last two rounds of bargaining for the EB Group.