Regional Executive Vice President
Josée-Anne Spirito was elected PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for the North at the 9th Regional Triennial Convention held in May 2023.
Josée-Anne lives in Yellowknife and is dedicated to defending human rights. She was born and raised in Montreal, but considers the Northwest Territories to be her home. Her passion for helping people inspired her to become a nurse and join the labour movement. She believes that union activism can make a real difference in peoples’ lives and is fully committed to the fight.
She has been a proud member of PSAC and the Union of Northern Workers Local 33 since 2013, where she served as Second Vice-President. She sat at numerous bargaining tables in negotiations with the Northwest Territories government, where she was a vocal advocate for human rights and workers’ rights. Josée-Anne strives to make collective agreements more inclusive to ensure everyone is represented equally.
She strongly opposes healthcare privatization, which is highly detrimental to northern communities, and is actively fighting for a public healthcare system that guarantees equitable and universal access to care.
Through her efforts at the bargaining table, Josée-Anne has helped improve members’ working conditions on many levels by pushing for good, secure jobs for workers. She understands the unique challenges Northern communities face and is committed to decolonizing collective agreements and ensuring that solutions are tailored to the lived experiences of our members.
Josée-Anne is a staunch defender of northern workers’ interests and works hard to secure fair working conditions for all.
Josée-Anne Spirito to say: “Workers in the North have a unique perspective and face very specific challenges when it comes to labour rights, reconciliation, or food sovereignty. I’m excited to bring this northern perspective to the national stage because we can’t address these issues as a country without addressing them in a way that makes sense for Northerners. That’s why we need a strong labour movement north of 60 and I am committed to continue building on our collective strength as workers.”
Calendar of events
To build stronger communities and connect with members from all across the North, Josée-Anne is committed to making meaningful visits to towns, cities and hamlets all across the vast Northern expanse. Whether it’s to attend as a guest speaker, simply get to know the issues that are important to members, or to attend Regional Committees’ Annual General Meetings, Josée-Anne is eager to take part.
Along with dedicated staff throughout Canada, the PSAC’s Alliance Executive Committee works tirelessly to improve the working conditions and quality of life of its more than 200,000 members.
Alternate Regional Executive Vice President
Reyhan Sarikaya is a proud resident of the Northwest Territories. She has lived and worked in the territories for 17 years. Her passion and dedication to the labour movement translates to the roles she has volunteered to step into and the work she has done throughout the years.
As the youngest daughter to non-English speaking immigrant parents, Sarikaya grew up advocating for her parents as they were working hard to raise, protect and educate their three children in an unfamiliar country while trying to learn the language and understand the culture.
Prior to being elected as the Alternate PSAC North REVP, Sarikaya stepped into the role of Northern Labor Federation VP during 2021. She chaired the PSAC North Health and Safety Committee from 2019-2022. On March 31, 2022, she was elected as the President of Union of Health and Environmental Workers Local 30725 and from 2019-2021 was elected as the President of Union of National Defence Employees Local 1201.
Sarikaya has also taken on the role as Shop Steward when she was part of Union of Safety and Justice Employees Local X0149 Yellowknife RCMP/Justice/PPSC.