TERRI VAN STEINBURG ASSUMES ROLE AUGUST 1, 2019
Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC elects new President

Terri Van Steinburg assumes the role of president of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC August 1, 2019

The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC has elected Terri Van Steinburg as the union's new president-elect at an Annual General Meeting, held in Kelowna on May 15.

The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC is the provincial voice for faculty and staff in BC teaching universities, colleges and institutes, and private sector institutions, representing over 10,000 members at 18 public and 12 private sector institutions.

Van Steinburg assumes her new position on August 1, 2019 when George A. Davison retires from the presidency, a role he held for a four-year term. Van Steinburg has previously served as FPSE's Secretary-Treasurer from 2015.

Sean Parkinson, of the University of the Fraser Valley Faculty and Staff Association (UFVFSA), has been elected to the role of Secretary-Treasurer. Frank Cosco (Vancouver Community College Faculty Association) and Leslie Molnar (College of the Rockies Faculty Association) were elected as first and second vice-president, respectively.

Van Steinburg pledges to continue advocating for equal pay for contract academic staff. Contract work in post-secondary education is a problem which leads to some educators earning 80 percent less than their colleagues despite having equivalent qualifications.

"Educators provide what we need for the economy of today and tomorrow. Educators work hard every day and they should be paid fairly. We have a provincial salary scale that sets out fair compensation across the sector - and now it must be applied equally to everyone who works in our sector," says Van Steinburg.

"I wish George well in his future projects and thank him for the important and lasting contributions he has made to the field of post-secondary education," adds Van Steinburg.

For 13 years, Van Steinburg served as president of the Kwantlen Faculty Association at Kwantlen Polytechnic University where she taught career development for women. She's been active in the labour movement for three decades, having been a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Industrial Wood and Allied Workers Union (now Steelworkers) prior to joining FPSE. She is also president of the National Union of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (NUCAUT) and a labour educator, instructing courses for the Canadian Labour Congress and the BC Federation of Labour.

The position of President of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators is elected every year at an Annual General Meeting of members.