Contests

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women: The SEIU-West Young Workers Committee (YWC) wants you to take action to stop violence against women

December 6th – the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women – is meant to mark the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal who were killed because they were women. December 6 acts as a day to recognize and stop the ongoing gender-based violence women experience in Canada, and to ensure awareness and progress towards concrete solutions in eliminating violence against women.

In recognition of the National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women in Canada, the SEIU-West YWC encourages you to do your part in raising awareness on violence against women and to demonstrate your solidarity for those who provide support to women in need. You can do that by participating in their contest – plus you could win one of three pairs of earrings from Hillberg & Berk; proceeds of which go to survivors of domestic violence in Saskatchewan. There are two chances to be entered to win:

1. Send picture of yourself or a group of SEIU-West members wearing red on December 6th by email to [email protected] 
2. Donate to your local woman’s shelter – you can take a picture of your donated items and email [email protected] or bring donated items to your local SEIU-West office in Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, or Swift Current! 

The deadline to enter is December 14, 2019!

For a list of requested items for women's shelters, visit the Moose Jaw Transition House donations list, the Saskatoon Interval House donations list, and the South West Crisis Services website. 

 

Celebrate Community Worker Appreciation Day- NOV 6

Join us as we celebrate November 6 – Community Worker Appreciation Day.  Many SEIU-West members work in the Community-Based (CBO) Sector; they work in residential/group home settings and provide services for the vulnerable, they assist with mobile crisis services, they provide day programs for the disabled and support their independent living, they work in child care programs, and they engage with clients in addictions counseling /treatment programs. 

It’s important to recognize this group whose work is crucial to the well-being of communities across the province. The work of CBO’s is especially vital today because they go to great lengths to cushion the effects of government cuts and understaffing, often at great personal cost.

In recognition of their valued work, SEIU-West invites you to participate in the Community Worker Appreciation Day Contest! Complete this word search for your chance to win some awesome prizes:

1. Tickets to the Festival of Trees
2. Tickets to the Stand! Movie
3. A variety of gift passes to movies and restaurants

 

Email [email protected] with your answer by November 13, and you’ll be entered to win!

Celebrate Medical Radiation Technologist (MRT) Week November 3-9!

SEIU-West is thrilled to celebrate the hardworking MRTs of our health care team.

You may have met a MRT during procedures they perform like angiograms (usually of the brain), special IV line insertions (like PICC’s), Ports, and Hickman lines, feeding tube placements, and biopsies, to name a few. MRTs are there to explain these procedures to patients and often start IVs. MRTs also assist during procedures by providing patient care, driving the x-ray equipment to guide the doctors, and scrubbing in with doctors to assist with the procedure. Cleanup and re-prep is an important aspect of their day as well as there are often many procedures and new challenges each day.

The work of an MRT is crucial for our health care system as MRTs perform imaging and radiation-related therapy, which is so often needed by patients. MRTs deliver safe and professional care by relying on the skills and experiences they’ve gained in their frontline work.

In recognition of their valued work, SEIU-West invites you to participate in the MRT Week Contest! Complete this crossword for your chance to win some awesome prizes:

1. Tickets to the Festival of Trees
2. Tickets to the Stand! Movie
3. A variety of gift passes to movies and restaurants

Email [email protected] with your answer by November 13, and you’ll be entered to win!

Celebrate Facilities and Engineering Week October 20-26!

In addition to Education Week this week, SEIU-West is proud to recognize and celebrate Facilities and Engineering Week!

The work of our members in Facilities and Engineering is crucial to the success of the health care team and positive outcomes for those they care for.  We need heating, water and lighting systems to be well-organized and operational; this is required to support quality health care environments that patients, residents, visitors and staff rely on. The SEIU-West members who make up the Facilities and Engineering department ensure our health care environments are safe, comfortable, and efficient.

Members who work in Facilities and Engineering work in a variety of fields including:  Building and Energy Maintenance, Construction, Waste Management, Groundskeeping and Landscaping, and Clinical and Plant Engineering. 

SEIU-West Facilities and Engineering workers are a vital part of efficient health care work environments – none of us could successfully complete our jobs without them! So in honor of our members who work in Facilities and Engineering, we are holding a contest and you can nominate a member of the Facilities and Engineering team who really makes a difference in your workplace.  It could be their positive attitude, their awesome work, or the way they support the whole health care team.

Please send in your nominations, along with a sentence or two as to why they deserve to win to [email protected] by October 27, 2019. Your nominee could win one of several great prizes!

SEIU-West is proud to recognize October 15, 2019 as Pharmacy Technician Day!

SEIU-West members who work as Pharmacy Technicians are a vital part of our public health care team; they prepare, check and distribute medications and pharmacy supplies to ensure people are safely supplied their prescribed medications or over the counter medicines. They also help share relevant patient information with other health care professionals when requested.

Pharmacy Technicians assist Pharmacists, patients, residents and clients requiring medications which in turn, makes our communities healthier places to live and work. Thank you Pharmacy Technicians for your valuable work!  

To celebrate Pharmacy Technician Day, SEIU-West asks that you to participate in the Pharmacy Technician Day Contest!

With the election around the corner, Pharmacare is a big election issue. As many health care providers would agree, it is essential for people to be able to access their prescribed medications. However, without a universal drug plan, many people cannot afford their medications and end up skipping or splitting their medications. This leads to worsened health and often, with more people in the emergency room. So in recognition of the importance of Pharmacy Technicians and the work they do to provide prescribed medications, tell us: why is Pharmacare important to you? Email your answers to [email protected] by October 22, 2019 for your chance to win a great prize!

Celebrate Medical Device Reprocessing (MDR), Health Care Security, and Combined Laboratory & X-Ray Technologists (CLXT) Week October 13-19!

SEIU-West members who work in MDR, Security and the CLXT classification are necessary to the health care team because they help to ensure safe and quality health care provision.

Health care providers who work in MDR protect and strengthen patient safety by ensuring health care equipment is dependable, clean and effective. They inspect, assemble, sterilize, and decontaminate health care equipment – they must therefore be highly detailed in their work and meet great physical demands. Through the hard work of those who work in MDR, health care patients can expect excellence in their care.

Health care workers who work in Security are at the frontline when it comes to patient and staff care. As in any health care setting, unexpected situations can occur – Security Officers are there to provide and ensure a safe environment. Security Officers must be attentive to detail because part of their job is preventive patrol and inspection as this helps to determine whether conditions are normal. They must also be well-prepared and have the ability to respond quickly and appropriately to any number of security emergencies occurring within a health care setting.

CLXTs are vital to the success of quality and safe health care. By performing X-ray exams, Electrocardiograms (ECG) and Holter monitoring, these hard working health care technicians ensure patients receive the best care available. The role of a CLXT is to provide diagnostic tools that the entire health team relies on because they assist in the proper diagnosis and treatment of patients. CLXT’s will procure and analyze specimens, and prepare patients before any lab and x-ray procedures.

It is evident that health care providers who work in the MDR, Security, and CLXT departments are essential to safety and quality care. To recognize their value, SEIU-West is happy to announce a recognition contest!

Complete the MDR, Security, and CLXT Week Wordsearch by October 21 for your chance to win a great prize! Email your completed wordsearches to [email protected] – good luck!

SEIU-West celebrates Food Services Week October 6-12!

The members of SEIU-West who work in Food Services are central to ensuring patients, residents, and clients have their nutritional needs met when receiving care. They also make sure all staff and visitors have access to their delicious meals that are prepared with high-quality hygienic standards.

In a health care setting, various resident and patient needs must be taken into account – our professional Food Services members make sure that food allergies and dietary needs are taken into account to safeguard against possible complications that can cause set-backs in recovery and impact a person’s overall health.

It’s clear those who work in Food Services are a vital part of the health care team and in recognition, we’re launching our Food Services Week contest!

With Fall in the air, people are increasingly in the mood for comfort foods and warm meals. So for this contest we ask you to tell us: what’s your favourite comfort food? Bonus points for sending a picture of a comfort meal made by a member in Food Services!

By entering, you could win a gift card or movie pass!

Email [email protected] to enter – the deadline is October 15!

And don't miss our CTV ad airing this week across Saskatchewan in celebration of Food Services Week! You can check out that ad on our YouTube page here. 

Festival of Trees Contest: Decorate our SEIU-West Tree!

SEIU-West is happy to be back at the Festival of Trees in Saskatoon this year! Thousands of visitors to the Festival are delighted when they arrive to see a collection of beautifully decorated trees, sponsored by various organizations including our very own SEIU-West tree.

SEIU-West is particularly excited to see that the proceeds of the Festival will benefit patients and staff at Saskatoon City Hospital!

As is our tradition with this Festival, we want to support this great cause with a contest! We know decorating a tree is a wonderful way to spread holiday cheer – that’s why we’re holding a contest to determine who will be our SEIU-West Tree Decorating Team! If your team wins, you’ll all be invited to join the decorating day at the Western Development Museum on November 21 helping to make our union’s tree, “Wrapped in Purple”, become a reality! All your lost wages and expenses will be covered by SEIU-West! Decorations will also be provided.

How to enter?

• Teams can be no more than 2-4 people, and all team members must work at the same facility.
• As a team, we ask that you answer the following questions:

• • Why does your team think SEIU-West is the best union in Saskatchewan?
  • How does your team build solidarity and Purple Pride at your workplace?

Send your team answers to [email protected]

Deadline?

The deadline to enter is November 3, 2019.

Bonus!

The winning team will not only get to decorate the tree, but they’ll also have a chance to win the SEIU-West decorated tree that will be on display at the Festival of Trees to showcase at their workplace!

 

SEIU-West celebrates Therapy Assistants Week September 15-21!

Therapy Assistants who are members of SEIU-West typically work as Occupational Therapy Assistants and/or Physiotherapy Assistants (OTPT).  These members of the health care team work to improve their client’s quality of life by supporting their ability to maximize movement, which contributes significantly to their client’s everyday activities. This vital part of their job rehabilitates their clients to their peak abilities. Another key skill that Therapy Assistants must have is their ability to communicate. Many of their clients have diverse needs, so it is important for Therapy Assistants to recognize these differences and accommodate accordingly.

Therapy Assistants utilize a variety of tools to assist their clients such as tilt tables, parallel bars and lifts, as well as pools due to the benefits of physical movement under water.

The work of Therapy Assistants is fundamental to the health care team as they help improve the confidence and lives of those who they care for.

To show our appreciation of the valuable contributions Therapy Assistants makes to our health care team, we are launching our Therapy Assistants Contest!

To enter, tell us why Therapy Assistants are important to you – whether you’re a coworker or a client, there are so many reasons Therapy Assistants bring value to our lives! Email your answers to [email protected] by September 26, 2019 for your chance to win one of several awesome prizes!

Celebrate Environmental Services Week - September 8-14!

For the week of September 8-14, SEIU-West is proud to celebrate Environmental Services Week!

Environmental Service Workers (ESWs) have a vital role on the health care team.  They provide professional services that ensure our health care environments are clean and safe. ESWs understand the importance of infection control for patients, clients, residents and staff, especially in a health care setting. They therefore have the skills to provide quality housekeeping while following infection control practices to reduce the risks to all those who live, work, and visit a health care environment.

The daily responsibilities of ESWs also involves heavy lifting and the use of dangerous substances. They know how to safely handle these everyday challenges while protecting themselves and those around them. We are proud to celebrate the health care heroes that are ESWs and in recognition, we are holding a contest so that you can nominate an ESW who really makes a difference in your workplace. Maybe it is the way they brighten everyone’s day, the incredible job they do, or the care and concern they demonstrate to residents, patients or co-workers.

Please send in your nominations, along with a sentence or two as to why they deserve to win to [email protected] by September 19, 2019. Your nominee could win one of several great prizes!

 

SDLC Vacation of the Month Contest!

SEIU-West is proud to be a union that supports and lives by social unionism – we understand our role is not just to improve the working lives of our members, but to improve the communities in which we live as well.

The basis of social unionism also translates to a strong and progressive union culture and a commitment to work in collaboration with allies, both here at home and around the world.

In that sense, we strive to support and get involved in community events and organizations striving for social justice. It is our members that lead the way – they volunteer, organize, and get involved in both their union and communities every day – in other words, Purple Works In Our Communities!

In recognition of the volunteer work of our members, we have a new contest with an awesome prize!

The Saskatoon & District Labour Council (SDLC) has generously given SEIU-West a ‘Vacation of the Month’ ticket as a result of our efforts in supporting the Summer Snack Program – a vital program that ensures kids in need have access to lunch outside of the in-school months in Saskatoon.

This ‘Vacation of the Month’ ticket has a $120 value and enters you into monthly draws for amazing vacations! For example, the September 2019 vacation draw is a choice between seven (7) nights hotel and air to Cabo (Mexico) or seven (7) nights hotel and air and to Waikiki (Oahu Island, Hawaii)!

For your chance to win this ticket, we ask that you tell us:  how do you volunteer in your community? Email [email protected] by July 28, 2019 for your chance to win!

You do not have to live in Saskatoon to be able to enter this contest but you must be a member of SEIU-West.

 

Your Path To Health Contest

3sHealth Employee Benefits wants to help you make these simple changes with the “Path to Health” contest. From June 10 to September 1, 2019, you can follow your own path to health and win fabulous prizes. All you have to do each day is go for a walk, eat a salad, or get a good night’s sleep – then enter to win!

That’s it! Just be sure you’re doing at least one of these things each week.

Use the entry form here to check off what you did that week.  Your name will then be entered into the weekly prize draw.