There is currently a vacancy on the SEIU-West Executive Board for members that work for the Community Based Organizations Sector.
Pinned
Virtual town halls (VTHs) were scheduled for the evenings of May 27 and 28 to update SEIU-West members about SAHO bargaining and answer bargaining questions. Unfortunately, the VTH on May 27 ran into major technical glitches. We apologize if you were one of the hundreds of members whose experienced this failure. We were not satisfied that the supplier of the VTH platform would be able to properly fix these problems in time, so we decided to cancel the May 28 VTH.
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.
Disclaimer: the following information is based on what SEIU-West found on publicly available federal government websites. This information is subject to change as it comes from outside sources. We will update this post further as information becomes available.
Tucked away in the kitchen of the Last Mountain Pioneer Home in Strasbourg, Saskatchewan, you'll find Crystal.
As a Dietary Aid, Crystal spends her shift doing food preparation for the home's cook.
She lays out the dining settings for her residents and then serves them their delicious, home-cooked meals.
It's an aspect of the job she loves the most.
After everybody has enjoyed their meal, Crystal heads back to wash and sanitize the dishes.
Then the process begins all over again, to get ready for the next meal.
As Dietary Aid, Crystal has completed the Food Safe Course.
Her training in Transfers, Lifts & Repositioning (TLR) and Gentle Persuasive Approach (GPA) helps her deliver resident-centered, compassionate care.
Thank you for everything you do Crystal!
Important information for SEIU-West members who work for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) or affiliates on how to vote on the Tentative Agreement the week of January 11, 2021!! Please take a moment to listen, even if you've already registered to vote.
Haven't registered to vote? Click here for everything you need to know.
Date: December 15, 2020
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,
The Union and the Employer have met nine times since the commencement of negotiations on June 24, 2020. COVID-19 has played a major role on how we conduct our bargaining process, every meeting, whether it’s a caucus with our committee or bargaining with the Employer, is all done on-line through virtual meeting rooms. It’s not ideal, however, it is the way of the world we live in for the foreseeable future.
Each January, 3sHealth Employee Benefits performs an eligibility measure for all other-than-full-time employees. This year’s measure will determine if an employee is eligible for coverage effective January 1, 2021 based on the hours they worked from January 1 to December 31, 2020. An employee must work a minimum of 780 hours in the complete calendar year to be eligible for benefits. The annual measure will run on Thursday, January 7, 2021 and the eligibility results will be available Friday, January 18, 2021. For the employers who subscribe to 3sHealth payroll, a benefits bulletin will be sent to you to advise when the results are ready for your review. For those employers who do not subscribe to 3sHealth payroll, we will start sending the eligibility results to you on Monday, January 11, 2021.
The SEIU-West Education Committee is pleased to announce that all of the 2020 Scholarship Winners have been awarded and the winners have been notified.
Each year, the quality of the applications makes the\is selection process difficult. The committee wants to thank everyone who applied in 2020 and encourage all interested and qualified to do so in 2021. If you're interested in applying for the 2021 scholarship, click here for more information and to download the application form.
All young worker participants (35 and under) who participated in 2020's YWC COVID19 survey and who are members of SEIU-West were entered to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet!
As you well know by now, there is an upcoming vote on the Tentative Agreement (TA) reached by the SEIU-West bargaining committee and SAHO in late November.
The info meetings through December were well attended and the voting registration process is now underway.
If you have yet to register please do so here at your earliest convenience.
If you have questions about the TA, you can call the MRC at 1-888-999-7348 at ext 2249. You can also checkout the Q&As here – all of the questions raised at the recent Virtual Town hall meetings, posted with answers. If you need further info, please do not hesitate to send your question to [email protected] or use the Contact form on this website.
Our work now is focused upon having maximum engagement and participation within our membership – we are working hard to adjust to COVID and our electronic/on-line means of communicating.
We want each of you to have the information you need to make an informed choice on January 11.
Help us to attain our goal – get informed, register to vote and cast your online ballot!
We know not all heroes wear capes. For one client at St Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, there's no question that member Jessica Adair definitely saved the day.
Jessica didn't hesitate when she came upon a troubling scene inside the hallways of SPH, where a wheelchair-bound patient using an ATM was being actively robbed.
Thanks to her quick thinking and willingness to step in, Jessica's calls for help were almost immediately attended by SPH security and what could have been a scary situation ended well. There were no injuries and the patient's money was returned.
You rock Jessica!
On 2020's International Youth Day (August 12), the SEIU-West Young Workers Committee (YWC) launched a survey in order to determine young worker experiences during COVID-19 in Saskatchewan.
The responses were used shape a letter from the YWC to elected officials, including Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.
The following article was written by YWC committee member Arin Blair:
COVID-19 - it has reshaped our communities and we have had no choice but to adapt.
It has affected all of us, even if we have not directly been affected by it.
It is reducing our income, educational opportunities, social interactions and has made it more difficult to get by.
With that in mind, the SEIU-West Young Workers Committee reached out to other young workers (aged 35 and under) in our union and asked them to complete a survey about their experiences during COVID-19.
As the participants of the survey has shared, a lot of us have not had an easy time facing this pandemic on the frontline. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at work was a big issue at the beginning of COVID-19, but we’ve adapted and supplies have improved. However, only 69% of the survey respondents know who to talk to about their COVID-19 concerns at work, including issues surrounding their PPE. Some members are still having trouble access the PPE supplies.
“I don't like having to fight our managers for more PPE (n95s and shields) when we run out on our unit. We’re under so much pressure to do the proper protocols and handle everything in a respectful and dignified manner. Everything changes weekly with the pandemic so keeping up is tiresome.”
Nearly 50% of respondents also said the pandemic has increased their personal day-today expenses for items like PPE and cleaning supplies for their families and homes.
But work overload and lack of staffing seems to be the biggest concern. Nearly 65% of survey respondents said they were getting called in to work on their days off due to understaffing, and job demands change almost daily. Nearly 25% of the respondents were not getting their vacation requests accepted at all.
“Our workload has tripled in the last 4 months, but we are short-staffed and not enough extra help being called in to help with the increased workload. Managers are requiring more short notice help to deal with the pandemic and when you put that on top of annual vacation being delayed and the many short notice vacation requests you end up in a no-win situation.”
The SEIU-West Worker Safety Committee would like to wish you a Safe and Happy Holiday Season!
As we go into the holiday season, I will admit that I’m not feeling very ‘Christmas-y’.
I’m stressed and worried about our members.
I’ve talked with so many of you - heard your stories, and your fears, and I am worried. I am concerned about your physical and mental health because this pandemic can wring you out with working so hard, for so long, under such taxing circumstances.
Together, we have been fighting hard to get you proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) policies and procedures, better staffing levels and a wage supplement for ALL health care workers. While you continue to show up and do your best with the limited resources you have, you also help by identifying both the problems and the solutions on the ground. We need this information to educate politicians on how to make better decisions... and we need to work together.
We are all running hard and fast to make sure our work gets done to our best ability. We’re trying to communicate as rapidly and as fully as we can with our members, our co-workers and our leaders.
We are wondering - what does the next day, week, year hold for us? Will the people of Saskatchewan uphold the public health orders and help us bend the curve of infection for this pandemic? Will we finally see increased resources for better staffing in the whole health care sector? When will our government begin to show the whole health care team respect and value?
I can’t give you the answer to those questions.
What I can offer is that we will continue to fight for proper PPE and to improve worker safety and policies. We will keep up the fight for better staffing levels and a wage supplement for ALL health care workers. Together we can win, for the future of our health care heroes, our education team, our community based workers, our towns and municipalities, our retirement and personal care homes.
For each other.
I know you are tired and stressed out. I know that you are frustrated that we have fought these fights before. I know that you feel like you are running on empty. But I believe that we can win and we will win together.
I wish you peace and rest over the holiday season…you deserve it.
In Solidarity and Respect,
Barbara Cape