Union of National Employees emerges from trusteeship with new leadership after difficult year
Jean-Michel Lavergne elected national president; PSAC expects to hand full control back to UNE by early November after addressing financial practices and governance failures.
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The Union of National Employees voted in a new national executive on August 27, setting the stage to exit trusteeship by early November after a year of management by its parent union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
Jean-Michel Lavergne, a Library of Parliament employee, won the role of national president, with Chris Little-Gagné as vice-president. Mylène Seguin was elected national vice-president for human rights, and Ellen Cross as national vice-president for occupational health and safety.
The UNE, which represents 27,000 workers ranging from passport officers to plumbers, librarians and foreign service officers, was placed under PSAC trusteeship on October 24, 2025, after complaints about former national president Alisha Kang and broader governance failures. The trusteeship was meant to address financial mismanagement, significant staff turnover, and lack of member support.
Alex Silas, the trustee appointed by PSAC, said the union made substantial progress. Only 25 per cent of locals met conformance requirements at the start of the trusteeship — defined as having a full executive and all financial documents submitted — but that rose to 81 per cent by the time of the recent elections.
Silas pointed to one example of financial concern: an individual former employee was paid "a large portion of overtime" approved by Kang. The exact dollar value was not disclosed. The individual no longer works for the UNE.
"Every dollar the union spends come from member dues, and so we want to ensure there's responsible oversight of that moving forward," Silas said.
Kang was suspended by PSAC for at least five years following the investigation. An ongoing civil case launched by Kang remains in the courts.
PSAC is expected to conduct a full handoff of UNE management by early November after a transition and training period.
What was the exact dollar value of the overtime paid to the former employee, and over what period was it approved?
How many UNE locals sought to leave the component union due to lack of representation before trusteeship began?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
Who was elected national president of the Union of National Employees?
Jean-Michel Lavergne, a Library of Parliament employee, was elected national president of the Union of National Employees on August 27, 2026.
Why was the Union of National Employees placed under trusteeship?
The Union of National Employees was placed under Public Service Alliance of Canada trusteeship on October 24, 2025, following complaints about former national president Alisha Kang and broader governance failures including financial mismanagement, significant staff turnover, and lack of member support.
How many of the union's locals met conformance requirements by the time of the recent elections?
81 per cent of the Union of National Employees' locals met conformance requirements by the time of the recent elections, up from 25 per cent at the start of the trusteeship.
