Man protests union suspension outside UNW building

Jacques Roberge staged a one-man protest outside the Union of Northern Workers’ headquarters last week after being suspended as a union member.

In response to Roberge’s actions, the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s regional executive vice-president for the North, Josée-Anne Spirito, penned a public letter suggesting he was harassing other members, which Roberge denies.

Roberge works for the GNWT’s Department of Infrastructure as a senior legislative advisor. He served as president of Local 10 – which represents infrastructure employees – for a few years until he was removed from the position in December 2024.

Why Roberge was suspended has not been made clear by either Roberge or the union.

He doesn’t want to talk about his suspension yet, he told Cabin Radio on October 8, as there is an appeal under way and he’s waiting on the internal union process to work through the matter. 

“Once the appeal process on my suspension is final, I am open to granting disclosure of all materials related to my suspension, the investigation and hearing, with redactions to protect other participants’ privacy,” he later wrote to Cabin Radio.

“In short, I have absolutely nothing to hide. I look forward for members to find out everything they need and learn from the process I went through.”

In the meantime, he spent about an hour outside the UNW last Wednesday and Thursday afternoons with signage calling for inclusivity.

While suspended, Roberge remains a member of the bargaining unit.

“The effect of suspension is though I pay dues, I’m not allowed to participate or even observe or know about the activities or the committees of the union, and I’m not eligible to participate in trainings or anything of that sort,” he said.

“So that’s the consequence of being suspended – a form of internal exile where I’m separated from my fellow activists in the union and I must observe from the sidewalk, where I’m standing now.”

The purpose of standing on the sidewalk outside the UNW building, he said, was to state the facts as he saw them and leave “the member to assess the facts and draw their own conclusions.”

Union cites harassment policy

PSAC North didn’t see it that way. 

In Spirito’s letter, was shared to Facebook on Thursday afternoon, she stated Roberge’s actions had made members trying to attend a meeting “uncomfortable.”

“I want to assure members that we take our members’ safety seriously, and we are exploring measures to ensure that our members can freely participate in union activities, including committee meetings, without having to worry about their well-being,” she wrote.

“While we respect the democratic right of this individual to express opinions through protest and picketing, we do not accept any actions that interfere with members’ rights to participate in their union.

“As per PSAC’s Anti-Harassment Policy, members are entitled to be free from personal harassment. I encourage any members who experience harassment while attending any union activities to contact their regional office to discuss the situation and possible responses.”

Roberge was walking back and forth with a flag that said “courage, freedom, diversity, rights, kindness, justice, equality.” A homemade sign around his neck advertised and questioned his suspension.

“I stay courteous, I smile, greet and send a friendly polite hand-wave to all. I talk to anyone that wishes to talk, never imposing, never blocking anyone or anything,” he said.

Roberge said he had stayed on the sidewalk and did not step onto UNW property. The union did not describe the precise conduct that had prompted Spirito’s letter.

“I would challenge the union to reference any provision from an act, regulation, the Criminal Code, city by-laws, Constitution of Canada – and that of PSAC, why not? – or union bylaw that was breached,” Roberge wrote to Cabin Radio afterward.

Aaron Manton, PSAC North’s communications officer, said the union is obligated to take the matter seriously when it receives a complaint that a member is uncomfortable.

“Just as we support the individual’s democratic right to express opinions through protest and picketing, we support any worker’s right to withdraw their labour and pressure their employer as part of a strike action. But that is not what the individual is doing,” Manton wrote to Cabin Radio.

Roberge said he was sad to hear some people may have not felt comfortable going past him to attend an NWT access committee meeting that was scheduled at the same time, but he said members have a choice to attend meetings like that online, which the union confirmed was an option.

Number of suspensions unclear

The PSAC constitution’s discipline section indicates members can be expelled or suspended for breaching the constitution or bylaws.

Offences range from crossing a picket line to sexually or personally harassing another member, and from slandering a PSAC officer to deliberately interfering with the work of a PSAC official.

PSAC North said it did not have an immediate tally of how many members are currently expelled or suspended.

“Matters of member discipline are heard and decided by PSAC’s national board of directors,” wrote Manton. 

“As PSAC represents nearly 240,000 workers across the country, about 20,000 of which are in the North region, it’s not something our office tracks.”

Another member, requesting anonymity to discuss a sensitive union matter, wrote to Cabin Radio expressing concern that Roberge is not the first member to be suspended recently.

“I understand that when there are serious wrongdoings, disciplinary action is necessary. But jumping straight to suspension on a first issue isn’t fair or constructive,” the member wrote.

Separate from Roberge’s protest, five local presidents and one former president recently requested a third-party forensic audit of UNW finances in a letter to the union’s parent PSAC. In response, PSAC said the UNW was in compliance.