By Rod Bemister, OPSEU/SEFPO Local 561 steward, Seneca College
Hi everyone, by now I suspect you have heard about the passing of Janice Hagan, President of Seneca College Local 561. The impact she has had on our membership, on our colleges and on our union will continue to live on in the future.
Janice’s commitment to the members, to the Local and to the union was unwavering – her sense of justice for the members unmatched and her strength of conviction unparalleled. Janice got involved with the union almost the day she walked in the door, becoming a Steward, then progressing to Local Secretary, Local President, Chief Steward and then again as, Local President until her passing.
Within the CAAT Support Division, she was one of the driving forces serving as a member and Chair of our Division Executive for multiple terms, she also played a key role in the historic unionization drive of the CAAT S part-time workers.
She also served many terms as one of the representatives on our Joint Insurance Committee, where she became “the go-to person” on our benefits and a voice to challenge the insurance company, standing up for those who couldn’t stand for themselves by bringing forward appeals and offering information/advice to all who asked.
On a regional level, she served many terms on the Resolutions Committee, eventually becoming Chair where she would fight to shine the light on resolutions that challenged bias, and equity. No matter how small or trivial they may have seemed, she was always willing to give submissions to the committee the attention they warranted and deserved.
She would play “devil’s advocate” in order to start the conversation or look at the rationale in a different way. She served on the Constitutions committee as well, helping to shape how our union operated … in a fair, equitable way.
Educating and mentoring members to her was not just some cliche to be thrown around come election time – she believed that all members should know about their union, their rights and how to deal with the employer.
For more years than I can count, she served as a trainer in OPSEU/SEFPO’s regional educationals, mostly the Stewards 1 course, which provided the base for a number of stewards to take into the future. She provided mentorship to some of our current divisional leadership, by sharing her knowledge of OPSEU/SEFPO, its Constitution and its policies, and providing guidance to upcoming leaders.
I can espouse the accolades and accomplishments she achieved, but it was through her strength of character that helped her get there. There was no problem that was too small, or too overwhelming that she would not tackle.
As she also loved music, I would have to say that Martin Gaye/Tammy Terrell probably wrote the best song to describe Janice’s approach: Ain’t No Mountain.
It describes her to a tee – there was no mountain high enough, no valley low enough, no river wide enough.
While we may not have been friends in the traditional sense, we always knew that if either of us needed to bounce an idea off of, provide a sparring partner, or keep the other in line … there was a mutual respect.
It was a respect I had for her, and a respect that had been earned through her 38-plus years of serving the members.
Janice was a model of what OPSEU/SEFPO’s representation should have been, should be and should always be.