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
Build Power, Win Justice 2024!
The SEIU-West Political Action & Education Department is pleased to invite members to apply to attend Build Power, Win Justice. This two-day conference will take place at SEIU-West in Saskatoon on March 19th and 20th, 2024. Interested members can apply by completing this application form.
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:
SEIU-West Principles: Personal Protective Equipment (Update)
Good news! After weeks of talks with the employer and the Ministry, the SHA has finally released a new set of PPE guidelines setting out much-needed access for PPE for those working in the health care sector and Extendicare facilities!
Going forward, recommendations for Continuous face mask use and Extended use of face masks and eye protection are now as follows:
*Continuous face mask use: all health care workers who come into contact with patients during the course of their shift must wear a face mask at all times.
*Extended use of face masks and eye protection is the practice of wearing the same face mask and eye protection for repeated interactions with multiple patients for the maximum of one complete shift.
Please read the attached documents below for details regarding the PPE, staff types and tasks it applies to.
CV-19-G0006-Continuous-and-Extended-PPE-Use-Guidelines-Acute-Care-April-14-2020
CV-19-G0007-Continuous-and-Extended-PPE-Use-Guidelines-Continuing-Care-April-14-2020
CV-19-G0008-Continuous-and-Extended-PPE-Use-Guidelines-Testing-Assessment-Sites-April-14-2020
CV-19-G0009-Continuous-and-Extended-PPE-Use-Guidelines-Home-Care-April-14-2020
CV-19-G0010-Continuous-and-Extended-PPE-Use-Guidelines-Primary-Care-April-14-2020
This directive covers the SHA and Extendicare facilities. If any issue arises with following directive, please speak to your employer.
Remember to you can also send all questions/concerns to our Member Resource Centre - you can call anytime at 1.888.999.7348 ext. 2298 (province-wide) or email at https://www.seiuwest.ca/contact.
SEIU-West continues to fight for the safety and wellbeing of our members. #GetMePPE #Solidarity #ProtectAllWorkers #StrongerTogether #WeAreAllinThisTogether
Front Line Heroes Profile- Deidre
Here’s one of your SEIU-West Front Line Heroes.
Providing hands on care during a pandemic is not easy but Deidre is offering some advice from her Home Care headquarters.
"Stay safe and do proper hand washing. Get correct information. Do not rely on Dr. Facebook! We will get through this. We are a team!"
Front Line Heroes Profile- Tami
Here’s one of your SEIU-West Front Line Heroes. Providing hands on care during a pandemic is not easy, Tami is an SEIU-West Front Line hero. Her super power is diagnostics.
"Unless you’re on the front lines, you don’t see COVID-19 directly. You don’t work with COVID-19 patients. You don’t know what it’s like.
The unknown scares us. Everything is changing literally by the hour. PPE changes, which leads us to wonder if we were safe.
It’s hard to feel like we are well informed. The plan changes daily. Everyone feels out of the loop but as staff, we have tried to find out more information.
We attend emergency safety meetings and contact other departments.
To get through every day, I rely on my coworkers. This pandemic has brought our department closer together.
Best thing to do if I’m feeling anxious or nervous, is to talk it out as it helps me realize I’m not the only one and everything feels better when you get it off your chest. It’s important to stay open and communicate. If you need support, reach out to those you trust that can help you."
SEIU-West Principles: Personal Protective Equipment
On March 24 the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) released “recommendations” about what personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn by health care workers caring for people with COVID in hospitals, community/long-term care, and home care contexts. Since then, the SHA has been turning these recommendations into policies and practices.
President's Message: COVID-19 and PPE's
SEIU-West President Barbara Cape calls on members to contact their Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) immediately to advise them about the risks they are facing in the front lines without adequate PPE's now.
Media Release: Proactive Protections Needed Now
For Immediate Release, April 9, 2020
Saskatoon – The provincial government and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) pandemic response plan is creating a great sense of unease for SEIU-West health care providers.
Media Release: CBO workers need protections during COVID-19 pandemic
For Immediate Release, April 8, 2020
The three unions representing workers at community-based organizations (CBOs) in Saskatchewan have joined forces to call on all levels of government to provide additional support to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
WORLD HEALTH DAY- Let’s Join #GetMePPE Day of Action
As we celebrate World Health today the stakes have never been higher. The last few weeks has made it even more apparent that all is not well in our Health Care system.
As people gathered supplies to start self-isolation and went to their children’s schools to pick up their supplies, health care workers walked through the doors of their workplaces to continue care for their clients/patients/residents. Health care workers scrambled to figure out what to do with their children; because these arrangements were necessary for them to leave their homes and get to work. Many had to find a new method to get to work – keeping in mind the requirements of social distancing.
You want to know what a hero looks like? It’s our members. While the world stocked up on toilet paper and hunkered down, our members couldn’t stay home. They worried as they checked in on their own loved ones, for fear they had caught COVID-19 at work and were about to spread the virus to their families. They worry everyday about COVID 19 spreading to their patients/clients/residents and their health care team members.
Even knowing this great potential risk they have soldiered on, doing an amazing job to limit the spread of this new contagion and providing the professional, valuable, compassionate care they always have provided. All while waiting for a fair collective agreement, one that would help address their own needs like chronic understaffing, crushing workloads, increased cost of living, long hours and mandated work.
What is most frustrating is that our health care workers are heroically putting their lives and the lives of their family on the line, all without sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
On Thursday (April 9TH), members across the province will gather at appropriate social distances during their shift change to demand that Scott Moe use his power to deliver more PPE to frontline health care workers by holding up signs saying #GetMePPE. For those who cannot do this on April 9th – we invite them to do so today or any other day this week. To submit your picture, send it to [email protected] and we’ll post it to our Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Our Health Care workers risk their own safety for us, keeping us as healthy as possible during this pandemic. Health care providers are our World Health Day heroes!
Day of Mourning: April 28, 2020
On April 28th, the National Day of Mourning, we remember and mourn for the workers who have been injured or killed on the job. In remembering, we must not let those lost lives be in vain. We need to rejuvenate our efforts to make sure all workers can come home from work safe and healthy every day.
Win of the Week! March 29-April 4
While COVID-19 is taking over much of our work lives, this win is a reminder that we must remain diligent in ensuring employers adhere to both our collective agreements and the Saskatchewan Employment Act (SEA). This week, a member informed SEIU-West that their employer was selecting Occupational Health Committee (OHC) members and that the worker co-chair was out of scope. As the SEA outlines, workers/their union have the right to select/elect their own worker representatives and there must be one employer co-chair, and one worker co-chair. As a result, SEIU-West drafted an urgent letter informing the employer of this right and immediately, the employer adjusted their behaviour. The right to have balanced worker representation on each OHC is vital to enforce as we know safety is a number one priority, and we must not let the employer forget that. If you are experiencing the same issues at your workplace, please contact the Member Resource Centre (MRC) through our website https://www.seiuwest.ca/contact or by phone 1-888-999-7348 ext. 2298
Scheduler's Week Profile- Lois
For the week of March 29 – April 4, SEIU-West is proud to celebrate our very first Scheduler’s Week!
Schedulers maintain all aspects of staff scheduling while adhering to collective bargaining agreements and staffing guidelines of all departments.
To round off this week’s celebration, we’re shining the spotlight on Lois, a Scheduler at Homecare where her job typically includes scheduling clients to staff and staff to clients.
Lois says it’s their duty to make sure staff are scheduled based on their permanent rotations, that staff know what the rotations and schedules look like and they also manage staff request for days off (including vacation and stats). This is done on a daily basis and as needed while abiding by the CBA. Lois believes the Scheduling department are very aware of the CBA because they refer to it a lot.
Once Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs) are scheduled, based on the needs (profile) of the clients (e.g. frequency of daily care), the client attendances are booked into the staff rotation with the appropriate CCA.
Since COVID-19, CCA’s schedules are now being faxed out to all the huddles and the Homecare building is now locked down to only staff after a push by SEIU-West members.
Lois says what she loves most about her job is the contact that she gets to have with her peers and the clients and the fact that she’s a leader for SEIU-west in Homecare.
She has made herself available to other members for comfort and reassurance; she has let them know that their union is there for them especially in light of COVID-19 and she often receives calls and texts messages.
Lois has worked as a Scheduler for decades and is proud to be of service to her fellow members.
We are proud to celebrate the health care heroes that are Schedulers!
Media Release: Worst April Fool’s Joke Ever?
For Immediate Release, April 1, 2020
Saskatoon – SEIU-West leaders and members know that our Saskatchewan Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) will be receiving a 1.8% salary increase today.