In early December, the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board (the LRB) issued a decision about the five former Extendicare facilities. The decision was based on an interpretation of the regulations that governed a previous restructuring of the healthcare system in 1997, commonly called the ‘Dorsey regulations’. In that decision, the Saskatoon and Moose Jaw facilities remain within the SEIU-West family. However, the 3 Regina-based facilities were moved, without a vote of the membership, into the CUPE 5430 jurisdiction.
Pinned
Notice to Members in the Education Sector - Re: STF Strike
January 12, 2024
Good afternoon,
As you may have heard, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) has announced that its members across Saskatchewan will be conducting a one-day strike on Tuesday, January 16th.
SEIU-West Education Support Staff Stands with the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (the STF) has been bargaining with the Government and Trustee bargaining committee. They have reached an impasse and are unable to make any progress. The STF has notified their members that they will be holding a vote on sanctions against their employer.
Convention 2023: Constitutional Amendments
The following Constitutional Amendments were debated, voted on, and passed during Convention:
Media Release: Health Care Providers are #DoneWaiting
For Immediate Release, August 12, 2020
Saskatoon – Today, SEIU-West members are demonstrating outside health care facilities in Saskatoon to emphasize their frustration with the lack of progress in bargaining due to the Sask Party government’s refusal to negotiate a fair deal.
Media Advisory: #DoneWaiting
For Immediate Release - August 11, 2020
Saskatoon – SEIU-West members will be outside of various health care facilities in Saskatoon on Wednesday August 12, 2020 to demonstrate their frustration with the pace of bargaining and the Saskatchewan government’s refusal to negotiate a fair deal.
“Our members were tired, and burned out prior to the pandemic,” says Barbara Cape, President of SEIU-West. “And they’ve held up their end of the deal to provide skilled professional care that bent the infection rate of COVID-19. It’s time for SAHO and the Sask Party government to do the same.”
Who |
SEIU-West Health Care members and their supporters Media Spokes people: - *Barbara Cape, President of SEIU-West @ St. Paul’s Hospital - **Janice Platzke, Treasurer of SEIU-West @ Sherbrooke Community Centre Photo/Video opportunities: - All locations |
What |
Demonstration of protest |
Date |
Wednesday August 12, 2020 |
Time |
Protests to occur at variable times at each location between 11:00 am and 1:30 pm |
Location |
VARIOUS – listed on next page or visit seiuwest.ca/events |
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. Purple works in our communities! Visit PurpleWorks.ca to find out more about SEIU-West members.
Location |
Address |
Central Haven Special Care Home |
1020 Avenue I N |
Home Care - On Idylwyld |
310 Idylwyld Dr N |
Luther Care |
1212 Osler St Saskatoon SK |
Oliver Lodge |
1405 Faulkner Cres |
Parkridge Centre - East Side Walk |
110 Gropper Cres |
Parkridge Centre - North Side Walk |
110 Gropper Cres |
Porteous Lodge |
833 Avenue P N |
Royal University Hospital - North Side Walk 1 |
103 Hospital Dr |
Royal University Hospital - North Side Walk 2 |
103 Hospital Dr |
Royal University Hospital - South Side Walk |
103 Hospital Dr |
Saskatoon City Hospital |
701 Queen St |
Saskatoon City Hospital - South Side Walk 1 |
701 Queen St |
Saskatoon City Hospital - South Side Walk 2 |
701 Queen St |
**Sherbrooke Community Centre - Acadia Drive & 14th St E |
401 Acadia Dr |
**Sherbrooke Community Centre - Acadia Drive & Dalhousie Crescent |
401 Acadia Dr |
*St Paul's Hospital - East Side Walk |
1702 20th St W |
*St Paul's Hospital - South Side Walk |
1702 20th St W |
*St Paul's Hospital - North Side Walk |
1702 20th St W |
St. Ann's Home |
2910 Louise St |
Stensrud Lodge |
2202 McEown Ave |
-30-
For more information contact:
Christine Miller, Communications Coordinator
Phone: 306-477-8733
Click here to download the PDF Media Advisory: #DoneWaiting
Media Release: Dangerous Gaps in Saskatchewan’s Back-to-School Plans
Swift Current – This week the Saskatchewan government announced its plan for the return of K-12 students in September. After reviewing the plan and consulting with its members, SEIU-West has identified further gaps and issues that may put at risk the health and safety of workers and families in areas with some of the province’s highest rates of COVID-19.
Media Release: It’s Time to Focus on Fairness
Saskatoon-- The unions representing health care providers in Saskatchewan are concerned that the latest expansion of the COVID-19 wage top-up for essential workers still falls short.
Support a fair collective agreement for health care providers!
President's Message: July 24, 2020
International Self-Care Day 2020- How do you practice self-care?
July 24 is International Self-Care Day!
Since the pandemic began, it has become more important than ever for each of us to take care of our own physical, mental and emotional health.
For front line workers like our members who are faced with physical, emotional, and physiological stress at work on a regular basis, self-care is something that can be difficult to focus on.
The purpose of self-care is to take an active role in your own well-being.
Here are some ways to practice self-care:
- Eat healthy and mindfully: Allow yourself to indulge in a nourishing meal without any distractions.
- Keep track of your accomplishments: Recognize ways you were productive today, no matter how small.
- Express gratitude: Everyday take note of things that you’re lucky to have.
- Move: Getting active increases feelings of happiness. Find a form of physical activity that works for you. Dancing, hiking, gardening or a bike ride.
- Unplug for a day: Go on a media and technology fast, and turn off any unnecessary electronic devices.
- Mini Meditation: Begin or end your day with a minute of deep breathing, and focused awareness of your body, thoughts, and feelings.
- Sleep: Take a nap, go to bed earlier and give your body some extra rest.
Front Line Extra: Bargaining Processes - Notice of Impasse
When either the employer or the union decide they are at a point in collective bargaining where a collective agreement cannot be achieved at the bargaining table, either party can send a notice of impasse to the other party and to the Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety.
Shining A Light On...Black Lives Matter
Cape's Corner: Summer 2020
Dealing with emerging issues these past few months has been like drinking from a firehose.
Issues like different direction and protocols from our employers or government; safety protocols that create incredible pressure and heat exhaustion; apprehensions about reopening the province while we are still in the midst of a pandemic; questions about member safety across all sectors; concerns about layoffs in the different sectors we represent; worries about our families and isolation from friends and our communities as well as the regular business of the union.
It is freaking exhausting!
Every single member we represent has been lauded as a front line hero: from education members who’ve continued to reach out and support students; to municipal and industrial members who’ve continued to keep our communities thriving; to health care providers in retirement and group homes who’ve provided activities and support to their residents/clients; and our health care sector members who have been under intense scrutiny and expectations for reducing/eliminating the spread of COVID-19 while providing quality and compassionate care to those patients, clients, and residents who are isolated from their families. The expectations have been exceeded, despite the incredible frustration voiced by our health sector members who are pissed off and angry about being without a collective agreement for over three years!
The pressure is intense and the member expectations are extremely high.
I can tell you that SEIU-West is doing everything in our power to bring the fight for better personal protective equipment (PPE) right to the door of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and our government.
We are done waiting for conversations about safety and instead are blowing the whistle on bad actors and demanding action.
Everyone is ready to go when it comes to job action and we have written the Premier, the Minister of Health, and elected politicians to warn them that the public is onside with our members’ demands.
We have also written to the Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety to call for a special mediator to address the lack of willingness on the part of SAHO to return to the bargaining table.
We are preparing our essential service information and opinion to be able to negotiate from a position of strength.
Several things seem clear.
One, this pandemic is not over. Not by a long shot. The way that we interact in the world is fundamentally changed.
Two, the challenges we have in front of us to get a fair tentative agreement that our members can vote on, well they’re not over by a long shot either.
The Saskatchewan Employment Act (SEA) requires us, by law, to go through a process of bargaining to impasse (aka: there’s absolutely no progress at the table; the parties are deadlocked).
Then we need to complete mandatory conciliation and negotiate an essential services agreement before we can take job action! Failing to complete these requirements means that we as a union, and our members, can face significant fines.
This is a rigged system against members being able to take job action to support collective bargaining. It was put in place by this government to frustrate your right to achieve a fair collective agreement.
We need to not listen to those who would have us stop supporting each other because of the stress or pressure of the pandemic or because of the frustrations of bargaining.
We need to focus our collective efforts into listening, understanding, and supporting each other and the work that the union is doing to get us all a fair deal and reasonable agreement that we can accept.
In Solidarity,
Barbara Cape