July 6 is National Injury Prevention Day and in recognition, the SEIU-West Worker Safety Committee wrote this piece about infection control in order to help stop the spread of infectious diseases/viruses.
Committee Application: Two Vacancies on the Political Action & Awareness Committee (PAAC)
Two positions on our Political Action & Awareness Committee (PAAC) are currently vacant and applications to fill these positions are now open.
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to expand their union involvement and activism in this position, and play an active role in making the connections for SEIU-West members as to why politics is important.
We are inviting interested members to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). You can submit online or by downloading the printable PDF file of the EOI and sending it in as described.
Once submitted, President Barbara Cape will work with the Top Officers and together they will make a recommendation to the Executive Board to appoint an eligible member to fill the vacancy for the remaining term.
If you or any of the member in your unit are interested in applying, please apply by Friday July 17, 2020.
As always, if you or your members have any questions please use our Contact form.
Continuing Care Assistants a vital part of health care team
During the 2020 Nursing Week from May 11-17, SEIU-West highlighted the importance of the entire Nursing Team. However, on May 11, Sharon Garratt, (Chief Nursing Officer of the Saskatchewan Health Authority) shared a public thank you note that left out the vital role of Continuing Care Assistants (CCA) on the Nursing Team. In response, a CCA and member of SEIU-West named Michelle, sent a letter to Ms. Garratt inquiring about this omission - you can read that here. In response, Ms. Garrat send this letter, to which President Barb Cape responded to due to the lack of apology and acknowledgement for CCAs. We continue to await a response.
On June 5, Michelle's letter was shared as a letter to the editor, which became the letter of the day - check it out here.
Asian Heritage Month 2020
President's Message: National Nursing Week 2020
Day of Mourning: April 28, 2020
On April 28th, the National Day of Mourning, we remember and mourn for the workers who have been injured or killed on the job. In remembering, we must not let those lost lives be in vain. We need to rejuvenate our efforts to make sure all workers can come home from work safe and healthy every day.
Apply to the SFL Prairie School for Union Women (PSUW)!
The Education Committee will be sponsoring up to six (6) delegates to attend the SFL Prairie School for Union Women in Waskesiu Lake, Saskatchewan from June 7-11, 2020. We will cover registration costs, lost wages, and meal expenses for those meals not provided at the school. For Saskatoon and area women (or those delegates that will be travelling through Saskatoon) there will be a chartered bus provided. Delegates from other areas of the province will be notified regarding car-pooling arrangements and in those cases, travel expenses will be covered.
Anyone interested in attending this school is asked to:
- Complete the online registration form here OR
- Complete this pdf SEIU-West Expression of Interest Application form
- Review the brochure for course selection here
Your completed Expression of Interest form must be received in our office on or before, April 2, 2020 in order to allow us to complete the registration and selection process. Unfortunately, if you have attended this school in the last 3 years, your application will not be considered unless there are extra spots due to low entries.
Forward your completed pdf forms to:
Colleen Denniss, Chair, Education Committee
#200 – 747 46th Street W., Saskatoon, SK S7L 6A1
Fax: 306-652-1392
Email: [email protected]
Delegates attending the school will be asked to submit a brief report to the SEIU-West Executive Board through the Education Committee Chairs following the completion of the event. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this regard.
The SEIU-West WSC Wants You To Support The Saskatoon Steps For Life!
The members of the SEIU-West Workers Safety Committee (WSC) invite you all to walk with us on May 3rd, 2020 in the Saskatoon Steps for Life 5km fundraising walk to shed light on workplace tragedy.
Committee Position: Multicultural Mentorship
Our SEIU-West Multicultural Mentorship Committee (MMC) is currently seeking to fill two vacant positions.
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to expand their union involvement and activism in this position, and play an active role in making the connections for SEIU-West members as to why multicultural mentorship is important.
The remaining term for this position is for approximately one year and four months.
We are inviting interested members to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) You can submit online or by downloading the printable PDF file of the EOI and sending it in by fax- 306.692.2807 or by email to Vice President Neil Colmin’s attention.
Once submitted, President Barbara Cape will work with the Top Officers and together they will make a recommendation to the Executive Board to appoint an eligible member to fill the vacancy for the remaining term.
If you or any of the member in your unit are interested in applying, please apply by Friday February 28, 2020.
As always, if you or your members have any questions please use our Contact form.
Shining A Light On...Mental Health and Addiction
By Janell Kachuik, Co-chair – Young Worker Committee (YWC)
The SEIU-West Young Workers Committee (YWC) is shining a light on issues that often get pushed into the shadows and aims to break down stigma associated with important issues in our communities.
Mental health and addiction are topics that people don’t like to talk about due to the stigma around them, but we need to stop fearing it and start embracing it. As Canadians, 1 in 5 experience a mental illness or addiction problem. Roughly 50% of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance use. We have to stop believing that mental health and addictions are just going to get better without treatment.
Young people are more likely to experience mental health and substance use disorder than any other age group. The question is, how can we help? Don’t give up on them, make sure that they know they are loved – sometimes they have to hit rock bottom before they get help.
I’m one of those young people. My name is Janell – I’m the Co-Chair of the SEIU-West Young Workers Committee (YWC) and I suffer from depression and anxiety. It started in high school and it was really bad. I started to cut – first it was on my legs so people couldn’t see but then I started to cut my wrist – to me it was a way to release what I was feeling because when I cut it took my pain away for a little bit. I had stopped but then I started working in a workplace where I was the only person under the age of 30 and was feeling isolated. The way I would cover it up is wearing long sleeve clothing and if someone would ask me about it, I would say I fell.
In 2015 it got really bad. A year when I should have been happy and enjoying life. But in October my life changed and I started cutting. I wasn’t able to sleep. I wasn’t talking or being myself. I finally decided to end things, but with the help of my family and friends I’m still here. They started to see the signs, and told me to get help – my family had to tell me that they didn’t want a headstone, they wanted me.
The first step was to get a doctor to listen, and this doctor took me off work and then made it so I couldn’t be alone. The doctor started me on medications, and with the help of my mother I was able to get into counselling. I started going twice a week then I went to three times a week – one session was one-on-one and the other was in a group setting.
There are things you can do to get on the road to recovery. With the right support, self-help and treatment, you can overcome a re-occurring disorder, reclaim your sense of self and get your life back on track. What’s important is that we’re creating a supportive environment where people know they can ask for help.
If you need support, call 211 or go to https://sk.211.ca/ to find mental health and addictions support services across Saskatchewan.