Teachers’ Society president won’t seek re-election

WINNIPEG — The president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society won’t seek re-election following a first term marked by infighting and low morale across the union’s operational ranks.

Shortly after the final bell rang for winter break, Nathan Martindale took to social media to announce he will carry out his two-year appointment that ends in the spring and step away from labour relations after that.

“After many conversations with my family and deep reflection on their needs, I have made the decision to not run for a second term as MTS president,” he wrote in a post uploaded to Facebook Friday.

Martindale, a special education resource teacher in Winnipeg, has spent the last 12 years in full-time union roles.

Since the turn of the century, all of his predecessors — including former presidents James Bedford, Norm Gould, Paul Olsen, Pat Isaak, Brian Ardern and Jan Speelman — have served two consecutive terms.

Bedford told the Winnipeg Free Press he does not know details, aside from surface-level ones, but his friend and former colleague’s departure, as well as other recent high-profile exits from MTS, suggests “something’s gone badly off the rails.”

Between 2011 and 2017, Martindale represented colleagues in the Winnipeg Teachers’ Association. He later joined the union’s governing board better known as “PX” — internal shorthand for the MTS provincial executive.

“I have often been required to be out of town, as well as attend numerous evening and weekend obligations, all of which have taken me away from my family,” he wrote on his personal social media page.

“With the ongoing needs of my family, including supporting my child with Type 1 diabetes, I know it is now time to prioritize being present for them.”

Martindale first assumed an interim president role on Feb. 24, 2023 — the day of Bedford’s mid-term retirement — before he won an internal election that spring.

Per union bylaws, PX members are each elected to serve a two-year appointment.

The president and vice-president are eligible for re-election for one additional term. Other members can serve up to three consecutive terms.

Martindale was not made available for an interview on the subject. His office indicated the union leader is not taking any reporter calls over the holidays.

Among many congratulatory comments and messages of thanks that users made on his post, Bedford wrote that it was an honour to work alongside Martindale.

His original comment — which has since been edited — also stated, “It is unfortunate that you will likely be replaced by someone less caring, less experienced, and less dedicated to representing all members.”

It was liked by a number of union representatives, including Jonathan Waite from the Seine River Teachers’ Association, PX member Sean Giesbrecht and Chris Darazsi, president of the local in the River East Transcona School Division.

Lise Legal, president of the Pembina Trails Teachers’ Association, replied with a demand for Bedford’s “beyond disrespectful” sentence be deleted.

The public exchange was made against the backdrop of a third-party probe into the union’s embattled headquarters on Portage Avenue.

Bedford said he made the comment out of frustration that his “extraordinarily dedicated” successor is leaving and “a great team” is falling part.

The union’s work environment became “highly political” during his tenure from 2019 to 2023, he added.

MTS hired a consulting firm at the start of the school year to investigate workplace culture, harassment and morale concerns raised by staff members who are in charge of servicing more than 16,600 public school teachers.

Three different people have assumed the executive director role — the non-partisan counterpart to Martindale, and senior leader in charge of managing members of Teamsters Local Union 979 — over the last 13 months.

Teamsters Canada spokesman Christopher Monette, who has been critical of MTS leaders for failing to provide a harassment-free work environment and viewing staff as “adversaries,” declined to weigh in on internal politics Monday.

“MTS has made efforts over the past months to address workplace concerns. While encouraging, we believe it is too early to provide a final assessment and will reserve further comments for now,” Monette said in an email.

He noted that Teamsters continues to pursue outstanding grievances related to workplace issues that will be brought to an arbitrator in the new year.

Martindale’s lengthy social media post touted negotiating the first provincewide collective agreement for teachers, navigating the classroom complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic and joining the Manitoba Federation of Labour as highlights during his time at MTS.

He also acknowledged the union’s success in “slamming the door” on Bill 64, controversial Progressive Conservative proposed legislation that sought to eliminate Manitoba’s elected school boards in 2021.

» Winnipeg Free Press