AUNBT (Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers)

01/29/2026

Meet AUNBTs Executive:
Merle Steeves is the Head of Technical Services for UNB Libraries. Merle oversees the Technical Services Department and is an administrator for the library management system (OCLC WMS). His background is in serials and electronic resources cataloguing. Merle has served on the AUNBT executive for a number of years including several as executive secretary. He has worked on various iterations of the AUNBT website and served on the communications committee as well as the bargaining team.

01/20/2026

Meet AUNBTs Executive:
Rob Gray is a professor of creative writing and film in the English Department on the Fredericton campus. "I think there are two forces that connect me to our union work: 1) I think our last strike really revealed to me how isolated we can become in our overworked little universes; I met so many fascinating colleagues. 2) I have seen first hand the importance of advocacy and solidarity for colleagues when life intervenes and institutions (and their departments that are not about people or culture) act inhumanely. Both of these experiences showed me clearly how this union work and solidarity is how we can keep connecting and strive to improve our collegiality and work life. I’m thankful for the staff and all the excellent people we have serving on the board for this important work."

01/08/2026

Meet AUNBTs Executive:
Mehmet Dalkir teaches economics. In particular he teaches about federal economic policies, booms and busts, inflation, interest rates, economic inequality, that kind of thing. Contributing to his union in his area of expertise is crucial for him. His AUNBT committee work concentrates on economic advising whenever needed.

12/17/2025

Meet AUNBTs Executive:
Richelle Witherspoon is a librarian working out of the Harriet Irving Library. She specializes in health research and systematic/scoping review search methodologies; her research interests lie in the psychology of science denial and conspiracy belief. Richelle is new to the executive this year, but has been on the bargaining council every bargaining round since she started here in January 2014 – on the first day of the union’s first and only strike. It was a memorable start that really brought home the value of the union and she's glad to be able to support the work we do.

12/08/2025

Meet AUNBTs Executive:
Dr. Jeff McNally is a contract academic whose research is in parallel numerical linear algebra (an overlapping area involving CS and Math). He usually teaches a full-load of courses in Saint John collectively for for the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Occasionally he instructs courses for the Faculty of Business in Saint John (undergraduate and masters level courses), the Department of Engineering in Saint John, and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in Fredericton. He currently holds the Executive position of Vice-President Contract Academics with AUNBT and has been a Executive member collectively for about 10 years. Dr. McNally is a CAUT Defence Fund Director and enjoys being an AUNBT Flying Picket which involves joining other unions during job actions to show solidarity on the picket lines and bring support from AUNBT.

12/01/2025

Meet AUNBTs Executive:

Kelly Miles has been at UNB since 2012. She teaches Human Anatomy, Histology, and several Forensic Biology courses in the Department of Biology.

Kelly believes firmly in collegiality in university affairs at all levels with meaningful discussions and opportunity for input. No one is an expert on everything, and the institution excels when those of us on the front lines are invited to participate and provide well-thought out feedback.

The best way to find out about your rights, responsibilities, and benefits as faculty is to engage with AUNBT. There is strength in numbers and many of us share similar experiences and challenges even if we don't know it. Communication is power!

11/24/2025

Meet AUNBTs Executive:

Nathan Kalman-Lamb is Associate Professor of Sociology at UNB-F, where he teaches on social theory and sport. He is a very long-time union member, including CUPE 3903 at York University (where he struck twice for multiple months) and the SEIU-affiliated Duke Faculty Union (where he helped bargain the first collective agreement). His research explores, among other things, the working conditions and labour activism of high-performance athletes including college football players. He is co-host of the podcast The End of Sport where he can be found opining on issues of exploitation and inequality. Find him any time in his office on the bottom floor of Carleton Hall.

11/18/2025