Meet Our Union Monday: Nina O'Connor

Every Monday, look forward to meeting another one of your fellow union members and hearing about how they got involved in LEO. This series is a way for us to learn about our fellow Lecs, and remind ourselves that We Are the Union!

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This week, meet Nina O’Connor, Lecturer in Spanish & English for Academic Purposes (and French sometimes)! Nina runs the fun and educational resource/website learnlanguageswithnina.com — check it out. And let us know if you’re interested in meeting more union colleagues by getting involved in a union committee here!

What's your name?

Nina O'Connor

What do you teach and on which campus?

Spanish & English for Academic Purposes (and French sometimes)

How long have you taught at the University of Michigan?

7 years

If you have a recent project (book, website, exhibition, etc.) or accolade that you want to plug, please tell us about it!

learnlanguageswithnina.com is my website!

What was your first experience with unions or the first time you learned what a union was?

I first got personally acquainted with unions through our own wonderful LEO. My first steps to becoming involved was attending the bargaining sessions last winter.

What is your favorite part of being involved in LEO (e.g., union committees, membership meetings, socials, bargaining, etc.)?

My favorite part is feeling the power & energy in being part of a union. The enthusiasm is infectious & the gains we made were astounding (especially for Lecs like me, 7 years later & still at the bottom of the pay scale.)

Current obsession?

Music has been my obsession for many years. I play fiddle in a celtic band called Celtic Jam and I play in an Americana-Jug Band group called the Malty Taskers. Come see us at the Ypsi Alehouse! I've also recently started taking banjo lessons which is great fun!

What’s a favorite book, movie, and/or TV show that you've enjoyed in the past few years?

I confess to having very much enjoyed Breaking Bad :-)

What would you like to eat for your last meal?

Tough one! Grilled salmon? Filet mignon? Asparagus? Spinach? Deep dish Sicilian pizza?

If you could teach something in another discipline for a semester, what would you teach?

Philosophy intrigues me.

Your personal fight song--the one that gets you fired up to fight the good fights?

"Don't you worry about a thing" by Stevie Wonder is an all time fave.

What is your favorite part of our newly-bargained (2018-21) contract? (For a refresher on contract gains, see leounion.org/contract)

The increase to the mins!