It is wit
h deep sadness that we announce the death of QUFA staff member Susan Fitzgibbon on 14 April 2021.
Susan held a BA and MA in Geography, and a Master of Industrial Relations, all from Queen’s. She joined the Faculty Association staff in 2007 on a short-term contract, but she was quickly converted to permanent status. Susan brought a number of areas of expertise to the QUFA Office, including contract writing and interpretation, labour relations, survey creation and data interpretation, pension and benefits law, negotiations strategy, and budget and financial data analysis.
Many Members will remember Susan for her quick and helpful interpretations of the Collective Agreement. Long term QUFA volunteers will recall her significant contributions to bargaining teams in the 2008, 2011, and 2015 rounds. She was also a knowledgeable staff member on the Joint Committee to Administer the Collective Agreement and its many subcommittees (AST, Adjunct Scholarly Fund, QSSET), on QUFA’s Budget Review and Pension Committees, and in the negotiations for the University Pension Plan.
Susan was also a horsewoman—her own mount was actually a pony to match her stature—and she bet on the races with the same acumen that she brought to pension issues.
Our condolences go out to Susan’s friends and family.