Prince George labour activist Aaron Ekman is running to become the B.C. Federation of Labour's secretary-treasurer.
Currently the northern regional coordinator with the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union, Ekman won BCGEU's endorsement for his bid this week.
He will be campaigning alongside Amber Hockin, who is seeking to become the B.C. Fed's new president after Jim Sinclair announced last week that he is stepping down.
Hockin is a longtime activist with the Canadian Union of Public Employees and currently the Pacific region director of the Canadian Labour Congress. She also won the BCGEU's endorsement.
"Both Amber and Aaron are consensus builders," said BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. "They bring public and private sector union experience, and have a background engaging young workers and members in rural communities. Their values and vision align with ours. They will bring strong leadership to B.C.'s labour movement."
Ekman first became active in the student union movement, serving as president of the UBC-Okanagan Students Society. He was the first chairperson of the Young Workers' Committee of the Vancouver and District Labour Council and has worked in commercial roofing, sheet-metal fabrication, and commercial-industrial installation.
Ekman was the founding president of the North Central Labour Council, representing more than 12,000 union members across northern BC., and previously worked as a union organizer.
"I am honoured to put my name forward with Amber for this important position," said Ekman. "The labour movement in BC has improved the lives of countless working people, and I know that we can do more by working more effectively to represent the interests and issues of affiliate unions and their members."
More information about their campaign can be found at www.amberhockin.ca.
