Masoud Aminzavvar, a member of Component 8, was elected BCGEU Executive Vice-President at the 2024 constitutional convention. Since joining the BCGEU in 2008, he has often served as a steward, driven by workplace injustices, health and safety issues and unfair wages.

Masoud is dedicated to member engagement and educating members about their rights and collective agreements. His significant union projects include the 2024 Reimagining Supportive Housing conference, the 2023 Community Health sector agreement, and advocating for fair pay for supportive housing members.

With 16 years of union experience, he has held various roles in Local 803 and Component 8 and has been an Occupational Health and Safety facilitator since 2015. Masoud is also a delegate of the Vancouver & District Labour Council and a member of the BCGEU's International Solidarity Committee.

As an outreach worker in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside with a social justice background, he advocates for prosperity, equality and freedom for all, including those beyond our borders.

Doug Kinna joined the BCGEU in 1993 working as an Income Assistance Worker. Since then he has been advocating for his co-workers in many capacities, including shop steward, chair of Local 601, Occupational Health & Safety Trainer, member of the Public Service Bargaining Committee, and Vice President for Component 6.

Doug has worked to create partnerships between Component 6 and community organizations whose work reflects members’ interests, and has been directly active in the wider community through his involvement with in many BCGEU campaigns.

He lives in Victoria, still working for the Ministry of Social Development and Innovation, and is the proud father of 4 daughters, 1 step-daughter, and 2 step-sons.

Doug was first elected as one of the BCGEU Executive Vice-Presidents at the 2017 Constitutional Convention and was re-elected in 2021 and 2024.

Tristen Wybou (he/him) was elected as an Executive Vice-President at our union’s convention in 2024.

A member of the Ts'msyen community from Prince Rupert, Tristen grew up immersed in his city’s long history of labour activism, and at a young age he developed a strong sense of justice. He first got involved in our union while working in a complicated community social services workplace with lots of grievances and complaints, and his coworkers quickly identified him as a potential steward.

After becoming a steward, Tristen got increasingly involved in our union though his role as a young worker on the Local 312 executive and on his labour council.

Eventually Tristen relocated to the Lower Mainland and — deciding to never work in a non-union worksite again — joined with his colleagues at Pain BC to organize their union with the BCGEU (Component 4).

Tristen continues to be active in the Ts'msyen community, working to preserve their language and through dance, song, and drumming. He is also a board member at the BC Civil Liberties Association.

Coralie Gregoire, a member of Component 7, was elected BCGEU Executive Vice-President at the 2024 Constitutional Convention - the first to mandate an Indigenous EVP. With almost 20 years of union activism experience, Coralie has held roles including steward and Occupational Health and Safety rep at Legal Aid BC, and various positions in Local 703 and Component 7.

Coralie was originally motivated to get more involved after witnessing workplace bullying and today is dedicated to recruiting and training shop stewards and advocating for living wages. Her notable projects include contributing to the BCGEU's submission to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Inquiry and helping establish the BCGEU’s Indigenous Advisory Council. Coralie is active in the BC Native Women's Association and the New Westminster & District Labour Council.

She enjoys playing and coaching fastball and learning her Indigenous language, Nsyilxcen. She is a proud member of the Okanagan Indian Band.

Dean Purdy is a 29-year BCGEU member who works for the Ministry of Justice as a corrections officer in Victoria.

Dean has been the elected leader of Component 1 – Corrections and Sheriff Services – since 2006 and has held a variety of other elected positions in the BCGEU for over 22 years. Dean is a member of the Public Service Bargaining Council, chairperson on the Joint Union/Ministry Labour Management Committee, and a member of the union’s Grievance Appeal Committee and Resolution Committee.

Passionate about workplace safety and fairness, Dean has been a key voice in the BCGEU’s Prison Safety Now campaign, launched in 2016. Aimed to address safety and staffing levels in B.C.’s correctional facilities, the campaign has been successful engaging members, gaining media attention, and drawing attention to the need for reform in workplace safety regulations in B.C.

Andrea Duncan is the vice president of BCGEU’s Community Social Services (CSS) component. As the elected representative of over 10,000 members, Andrea advocates for better working conditions in the sector and better outcomes for the vulnerable individuals our caring professionals support.

An early childhood educator, Andrea has been a member of the BCGEU since 1998. Her union activism began when she was encouraged to become a shop steward and her involvement grew from there. She is a co-chair of the BCGEU International Solidarity committee where she has been an advocate for worker and human rights around the world.

In addition to her international Solidarity work, Andrea serves on the union’s Finance, Grievance Appeals, Women’s Committee, chairs the Community Social Services Bargaining Association and has been an active participant on numerous union campaigns.

Pamela Pye is the first vice-chairperson of Component 3 – Community Social services and their second representative to the Provincial Executive.

As a life skills worker in the community living sector, Pamela works with adults with developmental disabilities and has a passion for helping individuals achieve their goals and function inclusively in their communities.

A BCGEU member since 2006, Pamela’s union activism began when she organized her worksite that same year and took on the role of shop steward. She has since held progressively senior elected positions and has sat on numerous committees including joint occupational health & safety, grievance appeals and labour management and currently sits on the BCGEU provincial executive women’s committee.

Pamela has worked on many campaigns to improve working conditions for members in CSS and has participated in three rounds of bargaining for the sector. With a strong advocacy focus around occupational health and safety, she works to ensure employers are held accountable to safety regulations so that workers may return home to their families free of injury each day.

Mahen was elected as the BCGEU vice president for Component 4 – Health Services – in December 2018.

Mahen has been a BCGEU member since 1992 when he started working at Riverview Hospital. Since becoming a steward in 1994, he has dedicated over 20 years to improve working conditions on union Joint Labour Management, Grievance Appeal, Equity and Bargaining committees. Mahen has put in countless hours towards improving working conditions for Health Services workers within his local over the years. He served as chair and executive of Local 203 and executive member of Component 2, until the closure of Riverview Hospital in 2014, at which point he moved to the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital and joined Component 4.

Mahen has worked as a rehabilitation worker, vocational counsellor and health care worker. He believes that unions have an important role to play in translating the voices of workers into concrete actions that build better, safer working conditions and create a strong work life balance.

Profile coming soon.

Kusam is the BCGEU vice president for Component 5 – Retail Stores and Warehouse – having been elected to the position in 2018. She works as a Sales Associate at a Vancouver liquor store and has worked with the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) since 2001. Kusam holds a degree in Criminology and Psychology from Simon Fraser University.

Shortly after being hired, Kusam made the decision to become a shop steward in order to assist co-workers who were being mistreated or having their rights violated. A short time later, she became an occupational health and safety (OH&S) rep and has served as an OH&S facilitator since 2011.

During her time as a BCGEU member, Kusam has been involved in union fightback and anti-privatization campaigns. She first became a local executive officer in 2008 as a member-at-large and has served as a local treasurer since 2009.

Kusam served as 1st vice chairperson for the Component 5 executive from 2015 to 2018, when she was elected vice president. Kusam serves on a number of provincial executive committees, including: public service bargaining, Article 29 co-chair, provincial OH&S, finance, and constitution and structure.

Judy Fox-McGuire is the vice president of the over 7,400 members in Component 6, representing social workers, probation officers and healthcare workers among others. She was elected on June 2017 after 13 years of being an active member of the BCGEU.

Judy was briefly a member in the 1980’s when she worked as a sheriff, but returned as a BCGEU member in 2002 working as a probation officer in Fort St. John. In her time as a BCGEU member, she has held multiple positions with the union, including shop steward, Local 610 chair, Component 6 vice chair and cross-component committee member.

As Component 6 VP, Judy is focused on deepening engagement with membership, improving the occupational health and safety of workers, and empowering workers ahead of the bargaining.

Megan Washington was elected as a BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) executive vice-president at the union’s convention in June 2024. She had previously served as Component 17’s second representative on the union’s Provincial Executive, first vice-chairperson and treasurer.

Megan’s union activism began in 2009 shortly after her workplace – Starlight Casino – first unionized. Recognizing her leadership skills, Megan was recruited by the organizing committee to join the first round of steward training. This led to joining her local and soon after, she became the young worker representative for her component.

In 2013 Megan worked on the BCGEU Votes 2013 campaign in support of that year’s provincial election. Though this work she learned more about issues outside her component and heard what was important to members across our union. Later in 2018 Megan participated in province-wide casino strikes which resulted in significant improvements in the sector. She has also served on the union’s women’s committee and the resolutions committee for convention. Megan currently serves as a trustee on her pension board and is the chair of the Area 3 cross component committee after serving previously as treasurer. Megan’s position at Starlight Casino in New Westminster is on the food and beverage team.

As a parent, Megan wants future generations to have more opportunities for a better life. While there will certainly be continued struggles, she is fighting to make sure kids growing up in B.C. today won’t have to make the same sacrifices or engage in the same fights we face now.

Joanna is BCGEU Vice President for Component 7 – Education, Scientific, Technical, and Administration, which includes BCGEU members working in colleges and institutes as instructors and support staff, in private environmental testing laboratories, legal services, and other related fields.

Joanna started her teaching career as an instructor at Malaspina College (which is now Vancouver Island University) in 2005. A long-time union member and supporter of trade unionism, Joanna’s path to union activism started in 2008 as a full-time instructor in the Adult Basic Education Department at Malaspina when she eagerly sought out her BCGEU steward to help with a worksite issue and learned firsthand the power of her new union and her collective agreement. From that moment onward, she took every opportunity to learn about her union and get involved, eventually serving as a local chair as well as on bargaining committees and component executive. She also served as BCGEU Executive Vice-President from 2019-2021.

She is just as passionate about her union’s work on social justice initiatives as a way of improving the working lives, families and communities of BCGEU’s members and all working people in British Columbia.

Scott De Long became a BCGEU member in 1994 and currently serves the first vice-chairperson of Component 8 – Community Health Services. Scott first became a steward in 2000 when his employer started to bully staff, and he got involved to stand up to management.

Since his early involvement, Scott has served his union in a variety of roles including organizer, shop steward, OHS rep, OSH facilitator, local executive, component executive. Scott was elected to the Provincial Executive in 2015. 

Scott resides in Victoria and currently works as a mental health and addictions worker for Island Health. When not involved with the union Scott enjoys golf, travel, horses, and is a proud father of two.

MJ Colquhoun is the first vice-chairperson of Component 8 – Community Health Services and their 2nd representative to our union’s Provincial Executive.

A BCGEU member since 1991, MJ’s union activism began quickly after joining the union during the community health strike in the 1990s. There she got started as a picket captain and within a week became a shop steward and worked in the strike office. Later she became a member-at-large on the component and was eventually elected as local chair in 2004. MJ has served at the bargaining table as well as on the occupational health and safety (OHS) and joint labour management (JLM) committees at her worksites.

After 16 years working as a community health worker, MJ is now a scheduler at her worksite. She also spent two years working as a staff representative at the BCGEU Fraser Valley office. MJ has assisted with component campaigns such as Seniors Deserve Better; worked to elect candidates that will stand up for working people during federal and provincial elections; and she sits on various union committees such as the Primary Care Working Group, the Article #33 task force and the United Way.

MJ is most passionate about making sure that working people know their rights and have the knowledge they need to move forward in advocating for themselves and others. She also believes workers deserve a living wage because one job should be enough, and everyone should have work-life balance. To that end, MJ fights for all working people to be treated with respect.

Rory Smith – a 24-year BCGEU member – has represented members of Component 10 – Operational Services – as their Vice President since 2014.

Starting as a machine operator in 1993, Rory has continued his work in the highways maintenance sector as a stock person and now as a purchasing agent. He has served on the highways bargaining committee for over a decade and is a member of the BCGEU Constitution, Occupational Health and Safety, and Grievance Appeals committees.

As vice president for Component 10, Rory has made it a goal to secure a healthy future for the membership’s financial and employment future with changes to the BCGEU Pension Plan and successorship in the highways sector.

Faith Johnston – the second representative for Component 12 and chair of local 1206 – was elected to the Provincial Executive in June 2024.

Faith has worked for the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) for over 27 years, working with families and social workers to ensure that the children of B.C. are safe and secure.

She first became active in our union when she realized that there wasn’t a steward at her worksite, so she stepped up and filled the gap. Shortly thereafter she joined her local and component executives.

Her union advocacy is primarily focused on excessive workload and problems it creates, both in the MCFD Joint Working Group and MCFD’s Article 29 labour-management committee. It can be a challenge to retain qualified, experienced staff if wages aren’t in line with the expectations of the role.

Faith is a second generation BCGEU local chair – her mother is chair of local 310 – and lives in the Cariboo with her husband and dog.

DJ Pohl is the Component 12 Vice President for Administrative Professionals. Proudly serving as a union steward for more than a decade, she is also the 1204 chair, and her base position is a paralegal with the BC Prosecution Service, ministry Attorney General. DJ graduated from the University of the Fraser Valley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice in 2009 and completed her Paralegal Certificate in 2024.

A passionate advocate for environmental justice, DJ sits on BCGEU’s Environment Committee and the BC Federation of Labour’s Climate Justice and Jobs Standing Committee. She is currently in her fourth appointed term on the Climate Solutions Advisory Council to the Premier of B.C.

As a lifelong advocate for fairness, justice and equality, DJ hopes to give back to BCGEU by working in the best interests of the members, while continuing her own learning, so together we can build momentum and incite positive change, accountability, and engagement. She is looking forward to representing Administrative Professionals at the Provincial Executive and tackling key priorities such as classifications and workload. In her free time, DJ enjoys spending time with her family, being at the river and outdoors in general, reading, and playing roller derby.

Bio coming soon

Dave MacDonald is the vice president of the General Services Component of the BCGEU. This component represents casinos, hotels, banks and credit unions, is one of the union's fastest growing components, and is leading the way in anti-bullying initiatives at the BCGEU.

Dave has been a member of the BCGEU since 1986 and has worked for BC Place Stadium over this same period in different roles before taking on his current position as trades lead hand. Dave became a steward shortly after he was initially hired and was actively involved in the organizing process when BC Place Stadium joined the BCGEU. Since then, Dave has been involved in every round of negotiations representing workers at his worksite, improving working conditions, and making life better for his co-workers.

Dave always looks forward to welcoming new members to General Services and appreciates the diversity of worksites and jobs within the component.

Megan Washington is the first vice-chairperson of Component 17 – General Services and their 2nd representative to our union’s Provincial Executive.

Megan’s union activism began in 2009 shortly after her workplace – Starlight Casino – first unionized. Recognizing her leadership skills, Megan was recruited by the organizing committee to join the first round of steward training. This led to joining her local and soon after, she became the young worker representative for her component.

In 2013 Megan worked on the BCGEU Votes 2013 campaign in support of that year’s provincial election. Though this work she learned more about issues outside her component and heard what was important to members across our union. Later in 2018 Megan participated in province-wide casino strikes which resulted in significant improvements in the sector. She has also served on the union’s women’s committee and the resolutions committee for convention. Megan currently serves as a trustee on her pension board and is the chair of the Area 3 cross component committee after serving previously as treasurer. Megan’s position at Starlight Casino in New Westminster is on the food and beverage team.

As a parent, Megan wants future generations to have more opportunities for a better life. While there will certainly be continued struggles, she is fighting to make sure kids growing up in B.C. today won’t have to make the same sacrifices or engage in the same fights we face now.

Rob is the BCGEU vice president for Component 20 – Environment, Technical & Operations and was elected in June 2018.

Rob joined the BCGEU in 1989 working in the Riverview Hospital Laboratory, and since 2003 at the Plant and Animal Health Laboratories of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Since then he has been advocating for his co-workers in many capacities, including shop steward, chair of Locals 2003 and 2004, Article 29 committee member, member of the Component 20 bargaining committee, and component treasurer.

Rob has worked to help raise the profile of smaller groups to ensure all members are represented by the Environment, Technical & Operations Component of the BCGEU.

He lives in Abbotsford with his wife Caroline, who both work for the Ministry of Agriculture, and are proud parents of a teenage son.