BCNU Introduces New CEO Cody Hedman
Following an extensive Canada-wide search, BCNU is pleased to welcome Cody Hedman to the office of Chief Executive Officer. A seasoned negotiator, Hedman has led the negotiation of hundreds of collective agreements for unionized employees in both the public and private sectors.
Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Hedman obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from Vancouver Island University followed by his Juris Doctor (law degree) from the University of British Columbia. Hedman has since earned a reputation as a trusted strategic advisor and leader to unions and unionized employees.
After graduating from law school, Hedman worked as a research associate for Professor Joe Weiler, a prominent now-retired labour arbitrator, and went on to article at the United Steelworkers' Canadian national office in Toronto. After articling, Hedman served as counsel to the Ontario Nurses' Association where he successfully brought a grievance against a small Northern Ontario hospital forward to arbitration, resulting in a significant precedent-setting decision regarding shift changes and wage rate premiums, positively impacting more than 50,000 hospital sector nurses across Ontario.
Hedman has since held a variety of senior leadership positions with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) most notably as executive director and chief spokesperson of a Toronto-based CUPE local. In this role, he coordinated the strategic bargaining negotiations of 41 different collective agreements, providing mentoring and contract interpretation support to a team of servicing representatives.
In British Columbia, he has represented Indigenous health-care workers at the bargaining table, led bargaining in the contracted support services sector, and provided representation services to hospital sector health-care workers. In his most recent role, Hedman represented trades and service workers employed with one of the province's largest broader public sector employers. The Union concluded two rounds of bargaining during Hedman's tenure, achieving significant monetary and non-monetary gains that were widely supported by the membership.
He looks forward to putting his extensive experience to work for the nurses and allied healthcare professionals who continue to lead us all through the COVID-19 pandemic with compassion and professional care.