What is your name and your role on the executive?
My name is Lisa Shiffman, and I am the Library Rep for CUPE 1975. I work as a liaison between library employees and the union and library employees and the employer.
Can you give a brief description of your background?
I have worked in the university library system in various roles for a total of around 17 years (with a gap of many years in the middle where I left to have my family). I was on the executive as the library rep for 5 years, took two years off, then came back in January of 2023.
Why did you choose to become a union representative on the CUPE 1975 executive?
A former colleague and friend named Marjorie Clelland was the library rep for a long time and had tried to pull me on board for many years. Now I’m happy to be in the role that she previously held and though I could never fill her shoes, hope that I am able to help the library members to the best of my ability.
Can you give some personal details (e.g. hobbies)?
I enjoy snowshoeing, photography, hiking, tenting, The Toronto Blue Jays, reading (of course, I’m a library employee), binge-watching *everything* on Netflix, and baking.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I lived in South Korea for a year and visited the DMZ (de-militarized zone – saw North Korea through razer wire)! Learned to love Korean food and can even speak the language (thank you ro Duolingo, for helping me improve on this!)