Executive

Mark Austin USW

Member at Large

Jordan Forde CUPW

Under 40 Representitive

Janice Gairey

President Emeritus

Dennis Williams USW

Trustee

Sharon Paris CUPW

Trustee

Andrea McCormack OPSEU

Retiree Representative

Yolanda McClean CUPE

President & Intl Board member

Yolanda began working as a school board library tech in Toronto, becoming a member, activist and leader of what is now Toronto Education Workers, CUPE Local 4400. For more than a decade, she has served on the CUPE Ontario Executive Board, as the 2nd, Vice President. She also serves on the CUPE National Executive Board as a Regional Vice-President for Ontario.

She is well known in the broader labour movement, serving as one of the two Executive Vice-Presidents representing CUPE at the Ontario Federation of Labour and is also as the President of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists for Canada.

In December 2021, she made history, becoming the Secretary Treasurer of CUPE Ontario. She is the first education worker and the first Black woman to hold either of the two top positions at CUPE Ontario.

Juanita Forde CUPE

1st Vice President

Juanita Forde is the Chair for the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists’ (CBTU) Region one Under 40 Committee. In addition Juanita is a union representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Juanita currently serves the CUPE membership through various elected and appointed positions. She serves as the co-chair of CUPE’s Human Rights and Racial Justice, committee in Ontario and as the Equity and Inclusion representative for the Social Service Workers Coordinating Committee in Ontario. Juanita further serves on her executive board as a lead steward for CUPE local 2191 and has developed a reputation as an effective advocate for both workers and students. Born to Caribbean parents, Juanita is a mother who enjoys traveling and can often be found advocating on behalf of her coworkers and community.

Lineisha Bernard PWU

2nd Vice President

Lineisha Bernard was formerly a steward, Chief Steward and Executive board member with CUPE Local One. In 2016 after a merger between CUPE Local One and the Power Workers Union (PWU) Lineisha Bernard continued as Chief Steward and became a PWU Sector 4 Utilities Representative. She further serves in the role of Executive board member and has been doing so since 2021. Her previous roles include Recording Secretary, Vice President of CUPE Toronto District Council and was a member of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council Women’s committee. While in those rules Lineisha went on to help create the PWU’s first Women’s committee. She currently sits on the PWU’s Constitution, Diversity and Sector Review committee.

Lineisha has been a proud member of CBTU since 2013 and has been championing the rights of Women and Workers of Color since 2009.

Christine Maclin- Unifor

Treasurer / Financial Secretary

Christine Maclin's Biography is Currently Under Construction.

Coleen Houlder OPSEU/SEFPO

Recording Secretary

Coleen is a Regional Vice President for OPSEU/SEFPO and sits on its Executive Board where she advocates on behalf of 180,000+ members.

When first elected in 2022, Coleen became the only black woman on the Executive Board and is now serving her second term. She became the Board Liaison for the Coalition of Racialzed Workers Committee, The Francophone Committee, the Solidarity Fund Committee and the Dismantling Anti-Black, Anti-Indigenous and All forms of Racism Project.

In her day job as a Law Clerk at the Ministry of the Attorney General, she wore many hats as Local president, Vice-Chair of the Ministry Employee Relations Committee, a member of the Joint Health and Safety Committee, the Chair of the OPS Unified Bargaining Team and was instrumental in obtaining ratification of their current collective agreement – re-opened the Collective Agreement and was awarded the largest increase in over twenty years!

For two (2) years she was part of a team who met with the Treasury Board Secretariat regularly to ensure that equity, diversity and systemic racism is addressed and eventually dismantled in the Ontario Public Service through the collective agreement and policy.

Isabelle Miller

Communications Secretary/ CBTU International Board Member at Large

Isabelle Miller is an experienced leader and advocate for workers.

Miller served as a Union Executive member for the TWU (Telecommunications Workers Union) for 9 years prior to the organization merging with the USW (United Steelworkers) in 2015, at which point Miller was elected National Vice-President. In 2018, Miller was elected National President of what had become the largest USW National Ammalgamated Local Union in Canada. In 2021, Miller became Director of Labour Relations - South for the HSAA until 2024.

Over the course of her labour career, Miller has represented members as a Director for the FTQ (Quebec Federation of Labour), a national and international Executive Board Member for the CBTU (Coalition of Black Trade Unionists), served as a TWPP Pension Plan Trustee, as a Human Rights Officer, and guest lecturer at various conferences across North America. As a former Young Worker recipient of the CBTU Rising Star Award for excellence in the labour movement and social justice advocacy, Miller prides herself in providing mentorship and development opportunities to future advocates in the defense of worker’s rights.

Mark Brown CUPW

Communications & Social Media Officer

Mark Brown is an award-winning human rights activist and an executive board member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) in Canada. His published writings include.

“ I Can’t Work if I Can’t Breathe - Why Canada‘s Labour Movement Must Support the Black Lives Matter Movement”,
“The Routine Check: Anti-Black Racism Through The Eyes Of A Black Man Growing Up In The Greater Toronto Area” and more.

Mark Brown’s awards include:

The Bob Borch, Humanitarian Award from the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL).
He has twice been awarded the Bromley Armstrong, Humanitarian Award from both the Toronto & York Region Labour Council as well as from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) Ontario, Canada

In 2014 Mark Brown was elected to the position of National Director for the Metro Toronto Region of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) making him the first Black worker in Canada elected to sit on the CUPW National Executive Board. Mark Brown continues to be an active member of CUPW and is currently the communications and social media officer for the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists in Canada.

Chris Campbell UBCJA

Membership Secretary

Chris is the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Representative of the Carpenters' District Council of Ontario (CDCO), as well as Vice President of the Toronto Carpenters' Union Local 27. He is a member of the Carpenters' Union Benefits and Pension Plan Board of Trustees and chair of the Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) Board. Chris plays a major role in the recruiting of youths from his local community for a career in the construction skill trades industry.

Andrea McCormack OPSEU

Retiree Representative

Andrea McCormack is an Executive Board member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, representing the Ontario Canada Chapter. She also sits on the Executive Board representing Region 1. She currently holds the position of Secretary on both Executive Boards and is also the Canadian representative on the CBTU International Scholarship Committee. She has been a member of the Coalition for over 20 years.

Andrea has retired from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union where she worked as an Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead. She joined OPSEU/ SEFPO in 1986 and prior to her current role as EEDI Lead, has held various positions including Staff Representative in the Toronto, Owen Sound and Hamilton Offices. Some of her temporary roles at OPSEU/SEFPO include Human Rights Officer and Job Security Officer. She has also sat on various committees for OPSEU/SEFPO including the Employment Equity Committee, and the Racialized Employees Committee.

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