Mary Anne was an active member of the Dalhousie Staff Association and NSGEU Local 77 for 14 years. She served on the Communications, Documentation, Job Watchdog, Shop Stewards, and By-laws Committees, the Occupational Council and the Provincial Committee Pool, and, at the time of her death in August 2001, she was Vice-President Middle Campus. Mary Anne’s commitment and dedication exemplifies membership.
The Killam Library planted a tree in memory of Mary Anne. Mary Anne worked at the Killam Library in the Monographs Unit. Thanks to the efforts of her colleagues at the library, her memorial tree stands in front of the Studley Gymnasium, close to where she used to go for her breaks.
The Mary Anne Long Memorial Activist Appreciation Award was created in her memory, to recognize dedicated members like her within our local.
Previous Recipients of the Mary Anne Long Award
Shannon Kelly, 2009
Shannon Kelly has been an employee of Dalhousie University since October 1992. She has been very active in the Local during those years as a Steward, Chief Steward, President, and a member of several Local and Joint committees. She has also served on a few committees at the provincial level and has been on the NSGEU Board for the past several years.
Shannon has been the driving force behind education initiatives for Local members, as well as ensuring that members are treated fairly and are accorded due process. She has been tireless in her dedication to the roles she has undertaken on our behalf. She is extremely knowledgeable about Union matters and always has time to discuss issues and problems at the Local and provincial level.
Shannon Kelly has consistently provided excellent service to Local 77 and is a testament to the spirit of the Mary Anne Long Memorial Activist Appreciation Award.
Angus Macpherson, 2007
Angus Macpherson, Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been an employee of TUNS/Dalhousie for 39 years. He was integral in negotiating the merger of TUNS and Dalhousie in 1997 and has been an active member of the Local ever since. He has sat on several committees throughout his career, including the executive, contract support, job evaluation. His most vital contribution, in our opinion, has been to job evaluation.
Angus has been on the job evaluation committee at TUNS since it was unionized in 1980 and here at Dalhousie since the merger. He sat on the negotiating team during the 2001 and 2003 bargaining sessions, where talks over job evaluation and the possibility of switching to the Aikens System caused bargaining to drag out. In the end, agreement couldn’t be reached, and the Union and Dalhousie withdrew the job evaluation proposal from negotiations. Since then, and truthfully throughout much of his career, Angus has been a fervent advocate for improving the job evaluation process, an up hill battle to say the least.
Angus is the Local’s Designated Officer, and is responsible for reviewing all job evaluation fact sheets. He assists members in completing and interpreting their fact sheets and is available to guide and advise members going through the appeal process.
His knowledge of the current evaluation system is unsurpassed and he has been an indispensable resource for the Local in matters of job evaluation.
For this and the many ways Angus has assisted the Local, we award him the 2007 Mary Anne Long Memorial Activist Appreciation Award.
Ian Thomson, 2005
Ian Thomson began his employment at Dalhousie University in July of 1974; at that time the unionized staff belonged to the Dalhousie Staff Association (DSA). Since his joining Dalhousie staff 31 years ago, Ian has held numerous union positions.
Within twelve months of starting his job, Ian became an active union member. He took on duties that included Local Treasurer, Member-at-Large on our Local Executive, as well as Vice-President. During the DSA Strike in the 1980s Ian was Chair of our Local Strike Committee. As well as Ed, Ian can provide you with lots of staff strike history here at Dalhousie.
In 1989 – 1990 Ian was part of the organizing committee that formulated the amalgamation between the DSA and the NSGEU.
In the years since the Dalhousie staff became members of NSGEU (Local 77), Ian has attended two NSGEU Biennial Conventions, served on our Local 77 Contract Support Committee, was union representative on the Joint Pension Committee, By-Laws Committee, Metro C Regional Council, Post Secondary Education Council, and the NSGEU Provincial Pension and Benefits Committee. Ian also served on our Contract Support Committee during the stressful merger of TUNS and DAL.
This is Ian’s 31st year as an active union member within the Dalhousie University Local 77 of NSGEU; certainly time that recognition is noted for his contribution.
Ed Redman, 2005
Ed Redman started his employment at Dalhousie University in 1983; at that time the unionized staff belonged to the Dalhousie Staff Association (DSA). Since his joining Dalhousie staff 22 years ago, Ed has held many union positions.
In 1986, he became an active union member for the first time as a steward; Ed then became Assistant Chief Steward, followed by a three-term as Chief Steward. In the late 1980s and first few years of the 1990s Ed served as Treasurer for the DSA. If you want history on Dalhousie’s past staff strike, Ed would be happy to fill you in—it has memories that I’m sure he won’t forget.
In 1989 – 1990 Ed was part of the organizing committee that formulated the amalgamation between the Dalhousie Staff Association and the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union
(NSGEU).
In 1991 Ed attended the NSGEU Biennial Convention for the first time as a Special Guest (because we were not yet NSGEU members).
In the years since the Dalhousie staff became members of NSGEU (Local 77), Ed has attended almost every Biennial Convention, served as a Steward and our Chief Steward, worked on our Local 77 Contract Support Committee, Social Committee, and was past Editor of the local newsletter. Ed served on the Contract Support Committee during the stressful merger of TUNS and DAL.
This year is Ed’s twentieth year as a union activist within the Dalhousie University Local 77 of NSGEU; certainly a fitting time to received this well-deserved award.
Robert MacKay, 2003
Bob has been a union activist for many years, dating back before the Dalhousie Staff Association merged with the NSGEU. He served on the Executive Committee for several terms and on Contract Review Committees, Negotiating Teams, and more. He was, until his retirement this year, our representative on the Pension Advisory Committee, where he has been an invaluable asset in keeping our interests and concerns in the forefront.
Brenda Crozsman, 2003
Brenda began her service to the members back when it was still the Dalhousie Staff Association. She served on various committees before being elected president in 1989. During her tenure she was
involved in several contract negotiations and successfully led a strike against the employer. Brenda was also president when the DSA merged with the NSGEU and Dalhousie merged with TUNS and a new contract had to be negotiated, which turned out to be an arduous and protracted process. After a two-year break, she was elected president again in 2001. She has served the NSGEU and this Local
in a dedicated and tireless fashion. Her long-term commitment has provided us with a continuity of structural integrity which has stood us in good stead for many years.