Effective Tuesday, October 14, 2025 SEIU-West will resume mailing out member expense cheques via Canada Post.
If you have questions about the status of your MEV, please email [email protected] and one of our team members will be happy to help.
Pinned
If you are an SEIU-West member working for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and you receive a communication from your employer indicating that you owe them money back for an N/52nds overpayment, please:
Info pickets provide an opportunity for SEIU-West members to send a message to their employer and to the general public, that bargaining needs to progress and SEIU-West members deserve a fair contract!
In an effort to maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak, SEIU-West is postponing all educational courses for the next few weeks. We will advise of any new developments and/or potential new training dates. For now, the following courses are cancelled:
- OH&S: From Knowledge to Action (March 17 – Moose Jaw, March 18 – Swift Current, March 19 – Saskatoon)
- Stewards in Action Level II (March 26 – Saskatoon, March 30 - Moose Jaw)
- Unionism 101 (April 1 – Saskatoon, April 6 – Moose Jaw, April 7 – Swift Current)
- Domestic Violence Workshop (April 8-9 – Saskatoon)
- Technical Course I: Investigations & Progressive Discipline (April 21-22 - Saskatoon, April 28 - Moose Jaw, April 29 - Swift Current)
If you were registered for any of these courses, please cancel your union leave. If you have difficulty getting your shift back, email [email protected]. Note that all hotels will be cancelled as well.
We are currently consulting with the provincial government and Saskatchewan Health Authority; we will be sure to update our website and social media pages so please be sure to check back regularly.
We apologize for any inconvenience, and hope you stay safe.
Thank you for your understanding,
Barb Cape, SEIU-West President and Catherine Gendron, SEIU-West Education Coordinator
March 16, 2020
We have been actively monitoring the growing issue around COVID-19 and how it affects not only health care members but members in all the sectors that we represent. We have been considering the best advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan which changes as this outbreak evolves.
MEMBER GAINS PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS FROM FACILITATOR TRAINING
A member who took part in our facilitator training was able to give an impromptu five minute speech on our SEIU-West 'End Understaffing' campaign. This started a dialogue that resulted in several people signing the petition to end understaffing! The member credits this new skill (amongst others) to the facilitator training. At SEIU-West we know that education is a powerful tool.
This week we held the course Unit Leadership – Building Strength and Solidarity in Moose Jaw, Swift Current, and Saskatoon. Designed for SEIU-West members who are elected to unit level positions (Unit Chairs, Vice Chairs, Unit Co-Chairs, and Communicators), this course ensures every participant learns communications strategies, skills for facing management, and the importance of working as a team. Over 75 members were took part in these courses this week. We’re proud and excited to see these member leaders use their education to empower themselves and their coworkers – way to go!
On February 10 and 11, the members of the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF) held a ‘sanctions’ vote (strike vote) in support of their bargaining. The results were shared publicly on February 24 with a strong mandate of 90.2% in favour. SEIU-West wants to walk through what that means to our members in the Education sector and how all of our members can show support for our brothers and sisters in STF.
Make Eating Healthy a Habit - Nutrition Month 2020
FACT CHECK
2019 Claims Submission Deadline is April 30, 2020
Health and/or dental expenses incurred from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 must be submitted to Canada Life (Great-West Life) by April 30, 2020.
To be considered for payment, claims must be received by Canada Life or be post-marked on or before April 30, 2020.
Canada Life GroupNet for Plan Members is a fast and easy way to submit your claims before the deadline. Electronic submission will ensure your claim arrives on time and it won’t get lost in the mail!
For more information on extended health care and dental benefits, you may contact Canada Life toll free at 1-866-408-0213.
Click here to download SAHO/SEIU-West Bargaining Bulletin (2nd edition) No. 12
Date: March 3, 2020
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,
Your SEIU-West bargaining committee met on February 25 – 28 to bargain with SAHO.
We had some challenging and interesting discussions about innovative thinking, collective bargaining principles and what do our members value. During the course of these negotiations, both SAHO and the union exchanged proposal packages.
SAHO has included in their proposal package an issue that would affect all three health care provider unions and the negotiated outcome would be a shared one. The challenge that the parties face is that SEIU-West is currently engaged in negotiations with the intent to conclude our collective agreement. CUPE and SGEU have already concluded their collective bargaining with the Employer. We are considering various options on how to manage this process and still reach a tentative agreement that your bargaining committee can recommend to you.
We are adamant in insisting that all health providers’ work is valuable to the overall success of the health care team. Our work as a team creates a better health outcome for our patients, clients and residents. It’s important to ensure that the employer understands the value of our members and respects the work they do, because that isn’t something people always hear. We can understand, however, that there can be a sense of frustration among us all when the bargaining process takes so long. The SEIU-West bargaining committee hears the input and shares the questions our members ask as another way to keep our focus on what matters to our membership.
We have set a number of dates into April in order to continue our work towards a tentative agreement that our members can accept.
Let your MLA; the Minister of Health, Jim Reiter at (306) 787-7345 or [email protected]; and the Minister of Rural and Remote Health, Warren Kaeding at (306) 798-9014 or [email protected] know that health care providers have been waiting too long for a fair deal and that an adequate monetary package is necessary to recruit and retain quality staff. Tell them to put care first and end understaffing.
In Solidarity,
Your SEIU-West SAHO Provincial Bargaining Committee:
CHR: Janice Platzke (SEIU-West Treasurer) • FHHR: Brenda Berry; Donna Gallant • HHR: Colleen Denniss • SHR: Judy Denniss; Rick Brown; Carla Saworski; Kim Wyatt; Charlene Sarafin; • Staff: Bob Laurie (Dir. of Bargaining and Contract Enforcement); Russell Doell (Deputy Dir. of Bargaining and Contract Enforcement); Cam McConnell (Negotiations Officer) • President: Barbara Cape
For Immediate Release, February 28, 2020
Saskatoon – SEIU-West members were caught off guard by the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA’s) release of conclusions from a private sector report on our hospitals.
Member Wins Union Leave Dispute!
SEIU-West is pleased to share another wonderful win this week! A member was recently denied union leave to take part in an SEIU-West educational. The member got in contact with the MRC and they were advised to file a grievance. The employer quickly approved the union leave without any further delay.
If you have any questions about your rights under your collective agreement – like your right to access union leave – remember to call the MRC (Member Resource Centre) at 1.888.999.7348 ext. 2298 (toll free province-wide).
There are a lot of educational’s coming up, check out www.seiuwest.ca/education for more information.
The SEIU-West Worker Safety Committee are participating in the Steps for Life 2020 and registered the SEIU-West Worker Safety Team to walk and raise funds for the Threads of Life organization! Threads of Life supports the healing journey of families who have suffered from a workplace fatality, traumatic life-altering injury, or occupational disease. Their goal is to raise funds for this important initiative - if you can, please donate directly to the organization at our SEIU-West team page by clicking the 'donate now' button! And if you'd like to join our SEIU-West team and share in our show of support for families affected by workplace tragedy, simply click the button 'join team'! Visit our team page by clicking here.