NEW PRESIDENT ELECTED FOR THE SOCIETY OF UNITED PROFESSIONALS

TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2024 /CNW/ - On Dec. 2, Rebecca Caron was elected President for the Society of United Professionals. She replaces Michelle Johnston, who has retired after two decades of service to the union in various elected positions.

A membership-wide vote was conducted online between Nov. 18 and Dec. 2 to elect the Society's Principal Officers. Incumbent Laurie Reid joins Caron as Secretary-Treasurer, and Ralph Chatoor was newly elected to the position of Executive Vice-President.

"I am honoured to serve as the new President of the Society," said Caron. "I will work tirelessly to build on the incredible work of my predecessors to deliver wins for our members at the bargaining table and beyond."

Caron is a First Line Manager in Reactor Maintenance Projects at Ontario Power Generation (OPG). She campaigned on a message of "Building Our Collective Strength," and brought attention to the issues of job security, work-life balance, workplace safety, and competitive compensation, among others.

Caron previously served as Unit Director and Delegate for the Society's OPG Local. She has represented Society members on a variety of committees including the Joint Society Management Committee at OPG, the Laurentis Bargaining Team, the Ontario Federation of Labour's Women's Committee, and the Society Executive Board. She is the current chair of United Sisters, a Society committee dedicated to advancing gender equity and women's rights.

This year, Caron was awarded the Equity Advocate Award at the Build A Dream Awards. The accolade recognizes individuals or organizations who take remarkable steps to address inequity within their industry or community.

Passionate about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Caron has advocated for increased access to menstrual products in the workplace and adequately fitting safety gear for women. In the most recent round of collective agreement negotiations at OPG, Caron and her bargaining team secured domestic violence leave for members.

The Society extends its gratitude to outgoing Principal Officers Michelle Johnston and Chris Graham for their dedication and service to the union.

About the Society of United Professionals

Founded 80 years ago by engineers seeking better working conditions, today, the Society of United Professionals represents over 10,000 members in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Their members include a wide variety of job titles including engineers, designers, lawyers, paralegals, project managers, analysts, trainers, IT specialists, and many more.

SOURCE Society of United Professionals

Media contact: Samantha Ponting, Communications Officer, 647-500-2394, [email protected]