New NSTU president says union has 'work to do' to re-establish its credibility
Marina von Stackelberg | CBC News | Posted: June 1, 2018 12:46 AM | Last Updated: June 1, 2018
New president of teachers union says leadership change should improve relationship with government
Paul Wozney has been elected as the new president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union.
"The NSTU has some work to do to re-establish its credibility as an advocate for education," Wozney said in an interview with CBC News Thursday evening following the results.
"We know that teachers are trusted. But we know the public right now doesn't necessarily have that same degree of trust in the union."
Wozney said changes will be made within the union to "restore the faith in our membership."
"We've come through some challenging times and it's important to me that members that have shown their faith in me see the union move in a direction that shows that we've listened, that we've learned from the past two years," the president-elect said.
The Bedford high school teacher defeated opponent Grant Frost in a second round of electronic voting, this time receiving 58 per cent of the vote.
Hopes for a better relationship with province
Wozney enters the job at a turbulent time.
Earlier this year, the NSTU threatened illegal strike action over the province's proposal of major education reform, which included axing regional school boards and removing principals and vice-principals from the union. After compromises were reached on several contentious issues, the union took the strike threat off the table.
Wozney said he's hoping to change the relationship between teachers and the province.
"The government has gone to great length to suggest that the leadership of the NSTU is the problem. Well, it's changed. So what reason could they possibly have not to reopen those channels and engage in meaningful dialogue and collaboration?"
Previously ran in 2016
Wozney teaches English and technology science courses at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford and currently represents the Halifax County local on the NSTU provincial executive.
He's been teaching in Nova Scotia since 2002 and is married with three children who attend public school.
This isn't Wozney's first leadership bid. He ran for president in 2016, but didn't make it through the first round of voting.
In October 2016, Wozney challenged his union's executive, campaigning against his union's support of a tentative deal with the provincial government.
Wozney starting August 1
More than 10,000 members were eligible to vote for a new president, including public school teachers, Nova Scotia Community College faculty and professional support staff, and NSTU members working for the Atlantic Province's Special Education Authority.
In this round, the union says a total of 67.5 per cent of eligible members voted.
In order to become NSTU president, a candidate must win more than 50 per cent of the vote. There were a total of five candidates vying for the top job, but three of them were eliminated in the first round of voting last week, including outgoing president Liette Doucet.
Wozney will begin working in the new role on Aug. 1.