Who We Are

Sudbury & District Labour Council meetings and activities are opportunities to share information on issues affecting local unions, their membership and the community. By identifying issues, awareness is built and support can be generated through collective action.

The Labour Council is a full partner with the United Way with five members appointed to the United Way Board of Directors. Through our partnership agreement with the United Way local unions can access the services of the Labour Community Representative.

The Labour Council shapes the local political landscape by adding labour’s voice to issues that affect union members. As a voice for progressive change, social and economic justice, equality and workers’ rights, the Labour Council plays a significant role in supporting labour candidates or progressive candidates who share labours’ views.

EXECUTIVE TEAM

D’Arcy Gauthier President

D’Arcy Gauthier

President

darcy.e.gauthier@gmail.com

Committees: Education, Labour Day

D’Arcy is a member of COPE 225 as a National Union Representative with the Canada Employment & Immigration Union (CEIU), a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). He provides ongoing support to CEIU members who deliver exception federal public services with Service Canada (think EI, CPP/OAS, SIN, Passport to name a few) and both immigration departments (Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada as well as the Immigration and Refugee Board). His main priorities are centered around making organized labour progressive around housing, the climate crisis and improving public services. D’Arcy grew up and continues to live in Nickel Belt and believes that we all have a responsibility to advocate for better public services.

Max Lafontaine Vice-President

Max Lafontaine

Vice-President

Committees: Political Action Committee

Max is Vice President of CUPE Local 4705 and a heavy equipment operator/truck driver. He is an active worker member on his joint health & safety committee (JHSC), and his Local's political action and anti privatization committees. You'll often catch him at a rally or a picket line supporting workers. Politically, Max is a socialist and believes that the working class should run our society. He believes the labour movement needs to focus on educating workers on revolutionary political economy in order to harness the class struggle to our victory. Max's motto: ALL POWER TO THE WORKERS ✊🏻

Valerie Trudeau Treasurer

Valerie Trudeau

Treasurer

vtrudeau1@gmail.com

Women's Committee

Valerie Trudeau has been a proud member of CUPE 1182 since 1975. She’s held several positions within the Local, including President, Secretary and Treasurer. Valerie retired as a PSW after 46 years at Extendicare York. She remains active on both the SDLC and the CUPE Council and as part of CUPE Ontario Retirees Committee. She is a member facilitator for CUPE, which is one of her passions. She will always be an activist for those who need a voice and for issues regarding long term care. Valerie has been married to Tom for 40 years and is proud and blessed to have 2 beautiful daughters (and their spouses) and 4 grandchildren ranging ages 5 to 25.

Claire Chisnell Recording Secretary

Claire Chisnell

Recording Secretary

rchisnell@ymail.com

Committees: Education, Women's

Claire Chisnell has been a member of CUPE Local 2599 for 34 years and is their Secretary/Treasurer and a Steward. She works for Sudbury Developmental Services and is a Developmental Services Worker. She tries to encourage younger members to get involved in the Union, is looking forward to retirement, and will remain active once retired. Claire has been married for 23 years, has 5 children, 11 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild. She loves to unwind at her camp on Manitoulin. She tells young people to start saving early so they can enjoy retirement!

Gary Aubut Sergeant-at-Arms

Gary Aubut

Sergeant-at-Arms

gaubut@outlook.com

Committees: Political Action Committee

Gary Aubut is a proud member of CUPE 4705, Stewart, WSIB Rep, and United Way Labour Board Member. Gary is a bus driver with Sudbury Transit. He’s won some significant grievances and WSIB appeals, and received a CUPE achievement award. His main goal is to get more members active in the Union and Labour Council. Gary enjoys weekends and spending time doing Union work. The efforts of those in the labour council inspire him to do more.

Bailey Clement Youth Member

Bailey Clement

Youth Member

baileybclement@gmail.com

Ironworkers Local 786

After graduating high school in 2015, Bailey became a proud member of Local 786 Ironworkers to follow in his father’s footsteps, becoming a 4th generation Union Ironworker. In 2019, Bailey graduated his last term of trade school and finished the necessary hours to challenge the RedSeal exam, giving Bailey his Journeyperson status with the International Union. Bailey is currently working around Canada representing IW786 as a structural ironworker doing tasks such as steel erection, structural and mechanical welding, structural fabrication, demolition, and industrial machinery rigging. Bailey also has taken passion in mentoring new and young members about the benefits of organized skilled trade Labour.

MEMBERS AT LARGE

David Levesque

davel61@hotmail.com

Committees: Political Action Committee

David is a maintenance technician 1, Unit Chair for Sudbury Housing, and sits on the Executive Board of CUPE Local 4705, as well as being a health and safety representative for the past 30 years. He's been active in Unions for 40 years, starting with UAW Mine Mill Local 598, moving on to USW Local 8126 as a steward and Local President, and has been unit chair for Local 4705 for 9 years. David serves on the Sudbury CUPE Council as well as the labour council. He's also Northern Ontario representative for the Ontario Municipal Employees Coordinating Committee. Health and safety is his biggest concern lately. He's started mentoring members, encouraging them to get training and stand up for their rights. He's been married 33 years, has 2 sons and a gorgeous granddaughter.

Dean Cusson

dcusson@iw786.com

Committees: Labour Day Committee

Dean was born and raised in Chelmsford, Sudbury. He grew up in an ironworking family and started as an ironworker when he was 15. He proudly joined Ironworkers Local 786 in 1996. Dean worked 20 years on the tools, and then became a Union supervisor who ensured he stood up for the members, often more than they stood up for themselves. He was elected to the Local Executive committee and became a dispatcher in 2019. Dean then joined the labour council. His goal is to get building trades more involved in SDLC, and especially on Labour Day, to increase labour's profile in and provide more support to the community.

Fabrice Colin

fcolin@lufappul.org

Committees: Francophone Committee

Fabrice grew up in Sherbrooke, ON and attended university in Sherbrooke and Belgium. He then moved to Moncton, NB and worked at their university as a professor. He first got involved in the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) as a steward, bargained for his members in 2011, 2014 and 2017, and is now again on their bargaining committee. He was elected President of LUFA in March 2018. Fabrice has worked with the labour council since then, and is impressed by the drive and solidarity of its executive and members, especially seeing the support it has provided to teachers. He recognizes the importance of our role in the community, helping workers trying to make ends meet. He is grateful and indebted to his parents, who are great mentors, were both also professors, were very dedicated to their students, and are still active in their Union.

Michael Dempsey

mdempsey@iw786.com

Committees: Fair Wage, Political Action, Labour Day

Michael Dempsey began working as an Ironworker with Local 786 in 2012. When he isn’t working or spending time on his farm with his wife and children, you can find him volunteering to assist Union members learning to weld, assisting during welding exams and acting as recording secretary for the executive board at IW Local 786. His love for the job and the Union shows through in his devotion to teaching members their rights within the workplace. Michael often also acts as job steward. He feels strongly about advocating for workers' rights and hopes to continue to improve the industries for generations to come as a proud Union member.

Valerie Barbe

Committees: Women's, Labour Day, Working Class Heroes

Valerie's background comes from the Social Service Sector. She's been a Developmental Service Worker for over 35 years. Active in CUPE Local for over 25yrs, Val has held various Executive positions including Recording Secretary, Chief Steward and President. She's believes in building healthy, stronger community and loves to give back. Val is the labour representative on our United Way board. She's active in CUPE District Council and various sub-committees of the Labour Council, organizing such campaigns and events like Tampon Tuesday, Pack a Purse, Labour Day in the Park and of course the Labour Breakfast.

TRUSTEES

Eric Laberge

Committees: Labour Day

Eric is a career secondary school educator for over 20 years in the Rainbow District School Board. Currently, seconded as the Teacher/Occasional Teacher and District President for the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) District 3, serving members in Espanola, Manitoulin Island, and Sudbury.

Tommi-Lee Gauthier

Tommi-Lee

Gauthier

Tommi-Lee Gauthier (She/her) is a proud member of CEIU 534. She currently works for Service Canada helping to deliver the Employment Insurance program. She graduated from Laurentian University with a BA in Sociology in 2019 and was involved on campus during her time there. She is currently a member of the Sudbury Community Legal Clinic Board of Directors. Her favourite gender inclusive pronoun is “comrade”.

Melinda Mullally

Committees: Education, Women's

Melinda Mullaly is a proud member of OPSEU 630 since 2010. She is the treasurer and union steward within the Local. Prior to this she was a member of USW 2020 from 1988 to 2005 as her Local's president. She is chair of the Board for the Sudbury Community Legal Clinic. Melinda is employed at the Office of the Worker Adviser / Ministry of Labour as a worker adviser representing injured workers with WSIB claims. She is an advocate/activist for her community and volunteers whenever she has the opportunity. Melinda has 2 beautiful daughters at Laurentian University. She is a member of VNEA 8 ball pool. In her spare time, she is a crafter and loves to knit, crochet, quilt, and paint.

Sean Staddon Trustee

Sean Staddon

Trustee

ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM

Katie-Lynn Jug

Patricia Striewe

Patricia (Pat) has been a worker advocate since her early '20s when she was an OPSEU member and worked in MTO highway maintenance. She held Local positions from steward to president, negotiated improvements through provincial bargaining and chaired MTO's provincial health and safety committee. From there, she continued to fight for workers' well-being as a representative of the Workers Health & Safety Centre until her retirement. Since then she's worked for the labour council, happy to promote organized labour and support our wonderful community.