The Yukon Employees' Union (YEU) elected a new executive on Sunday.

At its triennial convention held at the Yukon Inn over the weekend, union members elected Laurie Butterworth as union president. He will succeed Dave Hobbis, who had led the employees for a quarter of a century.

Other members of the new executive include first vice-president Loralee Kesler, second vice-president Steve Geick, secretary Jo-Anne Smith, treasurer Mike Travill, youth director Brent Mekelbrg and directors Diane Allen, Sue Christianson, Richard Gordon, Naresh Prasad, Russ Carpenter and Mark Bowers.

Travill and Craig Battaglia had also run for the presidency. The voting figures were unavailable.

The YEU represents approximately 4,000 workers in the North from Watson Lake to Herschel Island.

In an interview this morning, Butterworth said he ran for the position because the union has been part of his life's work.

'I've been working on this (union) my whole life,' he said.

He said after listening to recommendations and concerns forwarded by the union membership, the union's executive was poised to look into several initiatives under its new mandate.

'(Part of the) new direction is ensuring that the executive goes out and meets the members.

'They (union members) want to know who their executive is,' he said.

There were a number of concerns raised by the union's membership that needed to be addressed, Butterworth added. They include new computer use guidelines proposed by the government and pension plans for workers at Yukon College and Whitehorse General Hospital.

Responding to questions, Butterworth said another concern of the union involves working conditions at the Canada Games Centre.

He said there was also a request from city officials to change the scheduling of employees at the Canada Games Centre for some workers.

The requested scheduling changes involved switching some employees from a four-day, 10-hour-a-day schedule to a five-day schedule.

He said he expected the issue to resurface next year, when city workers' contracts are up for renewal, but that the union is unlikely to budge on its position.

Canada Games supervisor Bernie VanHooft could not be reached for comment this morning.