Last year, SEIU created a survey for members about climate change and the impact on your lives.
Pinned
June is National Indigenous Peoples Month. This is a time to honour the rich history, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. It is an opportunity to reflect on historical and current injustices and commit to true reconciliation in Canada.
The First Nations, Métis and Inuit Committee would like to share some events and resources with you and encourage you to participate in events in your area.
SEIU-West is hosting our first Asian Pacific Islander Summit in Saskatoon on September 24-26, 2026 — an event to bring together workers from across Canada and the U.S.
Being an API member in Canada or the U.S can sometimes feel isolating. You might not have seen yourself in leadership. You may not have always felt seen or understood. But you can find a home with us. We believe in you. We see you. And most importantly, you belong.
Welcome home.
There is currently a vacancy on the SEIU-West Executive Board for members that work for the Community Based Organizations Sector.
You may have noticed there hasn't been an announcement about bbqs for the summer yet.
The SEIU-West First Nations, Métis and Inuit Committee (FNMIC) is hosting a contest to design an image for orange shirts that the committee provides yearly to members. Submit your design to enter to win a $100 Co-op gift card.
SEIU-West demands “back to normal” SHA plan include supports for health care workers
(Regina, Sask) – After reviewing Wednesday morning’s release of the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA’s) “recovery plan”, SEIU-West president Barb Cape expressed the Union’s dismay that the plan is full of ambiguities and ignores the opportunity to proactively address critical staffing issues within the health care system.
“This is not a plan, it’s a prayer,” says Cape. “It begs SHA staff to once again accept uncertainty and confusion as the SHA pivots, once again, to a different way of providing health care.”
“The word “recovery” would suggest to most people that the problem has been identified and a clear path back to “normal” carved out to follow, but that is not what this is. Their first mistake is not acknowledging that normal should not be ignoring the staffing crisis that was present before and during the pandemic or the mental health crisis that will be our next challenge,” she adds.
SEIU-West is demanding, an actual plan. A plan that will provide health care workers with the confidence, faith and will to carry on working in an environment that today remains dangerous to their very lives.
“Health care providers across the province have all committed the same extraordinary effort in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Our members, who are on the front line of this fight and have been in the direct line of fire, deserve at the very least a clear plan to support their mental health needs, as they emerge from this unprecedented health care crisis,” continues Cape.
What this “plan” tells us, and what SEIU-West members already know, is that the health care system, which was broken before, is going to embark on another grand health care experiment, very similar to “LEAN”, rather than getting back to normal. Instead of details, the Saskatchewan public got nothing more than the same tired lines and lip service we’ve heard over and over again, not just for the past fifteen months, but the past ten years or more.
“Frankly, I feel like we’ve all read this plan a dozen times already over the last year, because whether it was another weak attempt at preserving the Saskatchewan economy or its health care system, this government has lurched from reopening to reopening since a few weeks after the pandemic was declared,” said Cape. “It seems what certain aspects of this plan suggest, in fact, is not getting back to normal; but instead reductions in health care services to rural Saskatchewan.”
Cape pointed to the “Health Networks” detailed in the plan as one example.
“That’s not about reopening the health care system, it’s about restricting services in rural Saskatchewan,” she explains. “Now, instead of having reasonable access to a doctor and health care options where you live, rural Saskatchewan residents will have to wait until it’s their turn for the “Network” to show up in town. Just because there is no brick and mortar building to close doesn’t mean the Sask Party government won’t find a way to cut rural health care even more.”
Service Employees International Union West (SEIU-West) represents over 13,000 people across Saskatchewan. They include people who work in health care, education, municipalities, community-based organizations, retirement homes and other sectors. They are joined by one colour – purple – and one union – SEIU-West. Visit PurpleWorks.ca to find out more about SEIU-West members.
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For more information, contact:
Christine Miller, Communications
306-477-8733
To download and print a PDF version of this release, click here.
The Expression of interest process for SEIU-West Committees closed on June 30, 2021.
Thank you to everyone who applied. Members who applied before the deadline will receive notification as to which Committee they are on when the selection process is complete.
The latest from SEIU-West President Barb Cape, with a special treat - SEIU-West's Year in Review video - enjoy!
Mark has been a Public Works staff for almost 2 years. The seasons affect his job description. In the winter, their focus is on snow removal and for the rest of the year, his team does street sweeping, garbage collection and deal with any emergencies or service requests that the town has.
He loves the variety of his job and that each day is different.
COVID means reading water meters has changed and their team goes through a lot of sanitizer. He loves the team atmosphere and the ability to work close to home. The most rewarding part of Mark’s job is acknowledgement from the community on what a great job he does.
Mark, you and your team are what keeps small towns alive and functioning. Thank you for all that you do!
What you should do when you hear and see an ambulance with their lights on sharing the road with you?
Email [email protected] by June 3rd and by reading Shantel’s story here.
Shantel has been a paramedic for almost 10 years now. Her and her team starts each shift doing their daily unit checks to ensure their ambulances are ready to respond to emergency calls with all their necessary equipment. Her team spends their spare time refining their medical skills by completing professional development through online modules, skill station & scenario testing. If they have a slower day they take advantage by unwinding and trying their best to keep things light and airy when not on medical calls.
Carolyn has worked as a Disability Support Worker for 13 years in Saskatchewan and a total of 25 years in the field. She works in a group home in an urban community, caring for five residents. She provides personal assistance with activities of daily living as well as cooks, cleans, orders groceries and provides recreational activities for her residents.
Kate has been a support worker in a community group home for 9 years where she cares for four residents in the comfort of their own home. She works 11 hour shifts, only four of those hours have another staff on hand, the other seven hours she spends working alone.
When asked what Kate does, the shortest answer is what doesn’t she do? Her role goes well beyond providing personal care, cooking, and cleaning to also providing record keeping, medication administering, nursing, reporting, chauffeuring, teaching, house maintenance and entertaining.
Disability Support Workers (DSWs) make the difference in the lives of their participants/residents every single day. Through a joke, a dance, a simple gesture, you brighten up the lives of those you care for. Coming to work with a positive attitude, energy and patience day after day is nothing short of amazing!
Jon has been a Biomedical Engineering Technician for seven years where he and his team take care of equipment at the hospital.
Jon was studying to be an MRT (Medical Radiology Technician) when he quickly realized his interest was in the equipment itself. He researched to find out that he could get a four year degree at a university to be qualified to make the devices or get a two year diploma at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) to repair them. Jon chose to be a Biomedical Engineering Technician.