Our SEIU-West bargaining team is back at the bargaining table this week delivering the message:
NO Cuts! NO Rollbacks! Pay us what we’re worth!
Let’s show we support this message by wearing purple on February 8, 2019!
Take a picture of you and your fellow SEIU-West members to show your purple pride and support for bargaining a fair deal. Take a picture and send it to [email protected] for your chance to win a prize.
We’re Stronger Together!
On February 23rd, the Saskatoon Blades will be hosting a Union Night themed game to recognize the Saskatoon and area unions, like SEIU-West!
We want to show our purple union pride at this game, so we have 10 tickets to give away! BONUS: each ticket will be given another opportunity to be entered to win the "Suite Life experience" which provides winners a free upgrade to the viewing luxury of a suite!
How to enter: tell us what you like best about being a member of SEIU-West. Email your answer to [email protected] by Wednesday, February 13, 2019!
Good luck!
Each February, SEIU-West members across this province demonstrate their willingness to tackle workplace bullying by participating in Pink Shirt Day.
Pink Shirt Day began after a young student was bullied for wearing pink to school so the next day, hundreds of students came to school wearing pink as an act of solidarity to stand against bullying. From there, Pink Shirt Day has grown International fame.
At SEIU-West, we are amazed at the level of participation each year, and we hope to see it grow in 2019!
This year is extra special as the SEIU-West Young Workers Committee (YWC) has purchased a number of pink shirts with their YWC logo on the sleeve – the reason for their involvement is to support the message that we are all on the same team no matter our age, race, creed, gender or any other variable. You may be one of the lucky members to receive one of the YWC’s limited edition shirts!
So on February 27, Pink Shirt Day, we ask that you wear a SEIU-West pink shirt or a pink shirt of your own. By sending us a photo of you and your coworkers wearing pink, you’ll be entered to win a department pizza party!
How to enter: To request pink shirts, email [email protected] (2019 shirts are in limited supply, so be sure to request early!) Then on February 27, take a picture of you and your coworkers wearing pink shirts by emailing [email protected] or by posting to our Facebook page.
SEIU-West is proud to join the celebrations of National Therapeutic Recreation Month in February! Our members who work as therapeutic Recreation Coordinators and Recreation Workers are an essential piece of the health care team. Their work ensures residents, patients, and clients are able to reach their full potential and members like John, love what they do.
John, a therapeutic Recreation Coordinator at Parkside Extendicare, loves providing the residents a great quality of care and being able to engage in their daily lives. As a Recreation Coordinator, John provides programming that benefits the residents’ emotional, physical, spiritual, and social aspects of their daily lives. He particularly appreciates seeing the smiles on residents’ faces.
In recognition of National Therapeutic Recreation Month, SEIU-Wests asks that you tell us why Therapeutic Recreation is important to you. Let us know by emailing Catherine.Gendron@seiuwest by February 28, 2019 for your chance to win a prize from a selection of gift cards!
The SEIU-West Young Workers Committee (YWC) understands that everyone knows someone who lives with or is affected by mental illness. The YWC also recognizes it is important to talk about mental health in order to break down the stigma around mental illness. That’s why they’re supporting the Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 30. This initiative is meant to spark a public conversation about mental illness, and encourage funding for mental health services.
In recognition of Bell Let’s Talk Day, the YWC is launching a contest in order to help spread awareness around mental health. The YWC wants to support the hardworking members of SEIU-West and knows many people find it good for their mental health to go relax and see a movie – so by entering you could win a $50 gift card to your local movie theatre!
How to enter: take a picture of yourself with a sign talking about mental health to support Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 30, then send the picture to [email protected]. The picture could be about your experiences with mental health, what mental health means to you, what services we need, or a supportive message – it’s up to you! To start us off, we have Brittney, YWC member, demonstrating that mental illness is not something to be ashamed of.
Together we can stop the stigma and increase support for strong mental health services!
Please send your pictures to [email protected] on Wednesday, January 30.
Every year, Saskatchewan communities celebrate Family Literacy Day on January 27, and in recognition, SEIU-West is excited to announce our annual Family Literacy Day Contest!
We know SEIU-West members value the power of books because they are an opportunity for us to sit back and relax, learn something new, or take our imagination to places we’ve never been.
This Family Literacy Day, we want to share our members’ favourite books with each other in order to expand our ‘to-read’ lists for 2019!
So for this year’s contest, we want to know: what was your favourite book you read in 2018 and why?
To qualify, share your favourite 2018 read with us by January 30, 2019.
Email [email protected] or post your top 2018 book to our Facebook page.
All entries will be entered into a draw – if selected, you could win a gift card to a local restaurant, performance, and/or movies tickets.
Who knows, your top 2018 book might become someone’s top 2019 read? We’ll be posting entries on our Facebook page.
Our SEIU-West bargaining team is back at the bargaining table November 27-28 delivering the message:
NO Cuts! NO Rollbacks! Pay us what we’re worth!
Take a picture of you and your fellow SEIU-West members to show your purple pride and support for bargaining a fair deal. You can then post that picture on our Facebook page or email [email protected] for your chance to WIN A PRIZE!
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 fabulous pairs of earrings from Hillberg & Berk; proceeds of which go to survivors of domestic violence in Saskatchewan. There are three chances to be entered to win:
The deadline to enter is December 14, 2018!
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.
SEIU-West is thrilled to celebrate Community Worker Appreciation Day on November 6, 2018! Community Workers work in Community Based Organizations (CBO), an immensely valuable sector that supports our most vulnerable populations. Our members who work in CBOs often work in group home settings where they’re able to improve the lives of those in need – people with addictions, those who cannot live independently, children in crisis, to name a few.
CBO workers are compassionate people who work in extremely stressful situations, but gain so much from the people they work with. Strong relationships are formed between CBO workers and those they care for, and we couldn’t be more proud of the people they are.
SEIU-West is particularly excited about this year’s Community Worker Appreciation Day as our Saskatoon Office is hosting the CBO province-wide conference! There will be CBO workers joining us from not only SEIU-West, but also from SGEU and CUPE. In recognition of this exciting conference and our Appreciation Day, we ask that you participate in our CBO Worker contest!
Simply visit our CBO coalition website, www.saskpeoplewhocare.org and tell us about a CBO worker from the website. For bonus points, please share the website on your social media! It is vital that we share the work of those who contribute so much to our communities – so please, participate today! Tell us about a CBO worker/whether you shared the website online by emailing [email protected] by November 13, 2018.
MRT Week is November 4-10, and SEIU-West is proud to celebrate the vital role of MRTs in our health care team!
MRT’s work with ever-changing radiation technology that has helped patients around the world. With the use of medical imaging and treatment technologies, MRTs are able to identify and assist in the finding of causes, effects, and treatment of disease.
Due to advancements in medical radiation technology, MRTs must be current and innovate in their skillset – they must also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills as they work closely with patients. With the involvement of MRTs, our health care team can provide the best quality care for the members of our communities.
In recognition of their valued work, SEIU-West invites you to participate in the MRT Week Contest! We ask that you tell us – why MRTs are vital to the health care team? Email [email protected] with your answer, and you’ll be entered to win!
Contest Deadline: November 12, 2018
UFCW members who work at Co-op in Saskatoon are on strike, and SEIU-West stands behind them every step of the way.
Workers at Co-op are saying ‘NO!’ to two-tiered wages. Two-tiered wages are an unfair and divisive employer tactic that devalues newer employees to Co-op – it is completely out of the question pay a different wage to workers doing the exact same job – but that is what Co-op is trying to do.
The Co-op has a long history in Saskatchewan – the people in our communities are part-owners of this organization and from that, we expect more. The Co-op Board of Directors should know better – they are meant to represent our communities who are looking for good, secure, and non-discriminatory jobs. We do not want to see new employees punished, and we do not want to see employers who exploit their staff every chance they get.
As a demonstration of our solidarity, SEIU-West is proud to launch our UFCW Co-op Solidarity Contest!
Tell us: what values draw you to support Co-op and how are they being taken away during the UFCW strike for fairness? Email [email protected] to enter!
BONUS: take a selfie of you at a UFCW picket line and send to [email protected] by December 31, 2018! We have SEIU-West flags at each of our union offices, so please bring one along as well as a friend (or two!)
Enter by December 31, 2018 for your chance to win a gift card and SEIU-West swag!
SEIU-West is excited 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, including our very own SEIU-West tree!
SEIU-West is especially proud to support this popular event as proceeds will benefit Saskatoon City Hospital’s Medical Imaging Department with an upgraded Fluoroscopy Suite. They’ll also replace the department’s aging portable x-ray unit with digital technology. Having the newest and best technology means clearer imaging, faster diagnoses, more efficient treatments, and improved safety. 
As is the Purple way, we want to support this great cause with the use of 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 22 helping to make our union’s tree, “I’m Dreaming of a Purple Christmas”, become a reality! All your lost wages and expenses will be covered by SEIU-West! Decorations will also be provided.
How to enter?
Deadline?
The deadline to enter is November 12.
Bonus!
The winning team will not only get to decorate the tree, but they’ll also win the SEIU-West decorated tree that will be on display at the Festival of Trees to showcase at their workplace!