June is Pride Month, an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community, while acknowledging the historical and ongoing violence and discrimination faced by this community.
Pinned
3SHealth: Employee and Spousal Optional Life Insurance
3sHealth offers optional employee and spousal life insurance to eligible SEIU-West members. Enrolment is open for Employee Optional Life Insurance and Spousal Optional Life Insurance from May 1, 2025 - June 30, 2025.
Have Your Say! SEIU Climate Survey
In 2024, Canada experienced yet another record-breaking. year of extreme weather events driven by climate change, including heat waves, wildfires, and floods. Scientists project an increase in these events in the coming years.
N/52nds Overpayment
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
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!
PATHS Donation Drive A Success!
SEIU-West and the Young Workers Committee has been working diligently to ensure those experiencing domestic violence do not face barriers to job security and their right to a safe working environment.
SEIU-West Stands With MACSI In FASD Awareness March
SEIU-West was proud to sponsor and march alongside the Metis Addictions Council of Saskatchewan Inc. (MACSI) at the annual Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness March on September 8, 2017.
Joint Bargaining Update: Marathon bargaining session sees limited progress
September 27, 2017
Dear Health Care Member:
Your CUPE, SEIU-West and SGEU bargaining committees resumed bargaining with SAHO September 14 to September 23 in Saskatoon.
In the most recent bargaining session, limited progress was made.
SAHO’s response to the revised comprehensive proposal put forward by CUPE, SEIU-West and SGEU on Sept. 7, 2017 maintained a significant number of the concessions and rollbacks from their initial proposal package. The provider unions remained strong in their message to SAHO – remove the concessions and rollbacks from their mandate! All of the provider unions have heard from their membership, in the strongest terms, that they did not want wages and benefits that were hard won in previous rounds of bargaining to be stripped away. The provider unions believe SAHO and the Employers heard our message and SAHO will convey it to their “principals” – the government. SAHO put forward a package that amounts to a total reduction in compensation of 3.65% – down only slightly from the 3.8% reduction in total compensation that SAHO was demanding in its previous package.
The Provider Unions and SAHO exchanged revised proposals regarding joint trusteeship of all benefit plans and a Letter of Understanding regarding a moratorium on changes to the bargaining unit structure and representation rights of health services provider unions. There was also further discussion about how the three provider unions would form a bargaining association that would move towards negotiating one collective agreement for all health services providers.
SAHO indicated that the launch of the SHA is now December 4th 2017 which would coincide with the proclamation of the new Provincial Health Authority Act. This launch date and related information was communicated to your union bargaining committees only shortly before this information was made public.
CUPE, SEIU-West, and SGEU will resume bargaining with SAHO on October 16, 17, 18 in Moose Jaw.
Thank you to all health service providers and workers for your ongoing support in these times. Call your MLA’s, be active with in your respective unions, and stay strong. Remember we are in this together and we can will win against these concessions. Please make another call to your MLA or send another email and schedule a follow up meeting with your MLA — and bring your co-workers!
In solidarity,
CUPE, SGEU, and SEIU-West bargaining committees
Worker Safety Conference: Apply Now
Worker Safety Conference: Apply Now!
MEDIA RELEASE
Scarce Information About the New Saskatchewan Health Authority
SAHO Bargaining Telephone Town Halls
Your SEIU-West/SAHO Bargaining Committee is pleased to announce that there will be two telephone town hall meetings taking place in September.
- September 27, 2017 at 7:00 pm
- September 28, 2017 at 2:00 pm
You will have the opportunity to:
- Get the latest information on bargaining
- Ask questions about bargaining
- Hear questions from other SEIU-West members
Make sure you are on our list!
If you haven’t already signed up through a ProCAT meeting, visit our website and fill out the form prior to September 21, 2017.
We will do a pre-call notice on September 26, 2017 to ensure we have the correct phone number on file for you.
Join Purple Day!
Support your bargaining team – wear purple on Wednesday, September 20th!
2017 CCA Conference: Apply Now!
Your SEIU-West Nursing Care Committee (NCC) invites you to participate in this unique conference designed for specifically for Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs). Through a combination of activities, special guests and a member panel, together we will delve into topics including (but not limited to) mental health at work and stress management. You will have the opportunity to share your experiences, learn from others and discover ways to find balance in your life.
WHEN: October 26, 2017 at 9:30am
WHERE: SEIU-West Office – 747 46th Street W. Saskatoon
Space is limited apply today!
Fill out the Registration Form and send it to Tara Hessie by email [email protected] or by fax: 306-773-7535 at the Swift Current office no later than September 25, 2017 with the subject line: CCA conference 2017.DEADLINE EXTENDED to October 6.
Brought to you by the SEIU-West Nursing Care Committee.
Related:
SEIU-West/SAHO Bargaining Update No. 7
Click here to download a printable PDF of SEIU-West/SAHO Bargaining Update No. 7
Regina – September 8, 2017
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,
Your SEIU-West bargaining committee was back at the table with SAHO on September 5, 6 and 7 after having a great four weeks of meeting with members, talking about the current state of bargaining and listening to your feedback. We appreciate you sharing your concerns and assessment of how this incredibly lopsided and unfair collective bargaining proposal package, presented by SAHO (Government of Saskatchewan), would affect you in your community, your ability to raise a family, and your ability to provide quality care.
We return for another marathon session from September 14-24 in Saskatoon.
This week was spent reviewing the coalition package that applies to all three unions as well as our individual SEIU-West proposals. We have withdrawn some proposals and reverted to current language. Again, our purpose is to focus our efforts on the ‘must haves’ that our members have identified. SAHO has asked a number of questions about our initiative to create a formal bargaining association with the three health care provider unions and we are preparing our response.
We did some incredibly difficult and productive work to scale back some of our proposals. All three unions’ bargaining committees worked together to have frank conversations about what our members want in this round of bargaining. We pushed through distractions to create a timely and comprehensive response to SAHO. We are proud of this coalition work.
In our bargaining roadshow over the last four weeks, we had one ask of each person at the meetings and it is the same ask we have put to you since bargaining update #3…we ask that each member raise their voice to be counted at the bargaining table. We ask that each member commit to either meeting with, emailing, or calling your elected MLA to share your anxiety, frustration and disbelief at what SAHO is proposing at our bargaining table. We KNOW this process works and that we can add the needed pressure to get this ridiculous mandate changed. Find your MLA by visiting: http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/mlas/. Lost for words? Here is a letter template for your use.
As well, Letters to the Editor or even having conversations with SEIU-West staff about how the Government’s mandate will affect you, your family, your community and health care will help get the message out that this mandate will negatively affect EVERYONE.
Make no mistake, this round of provincial health care bargaining is clearly being directed by the Sask Party government. We truly do not care who you voted for in the last election… but each one of us needs to commit to making that connection with our MLA – Sask Party or NDP – and ensuring they understand that asking public sector health care workers to bear the brunt of the rollbacks, concessions, and cuts is not fair. The private sector isn’t going after people who work at the CanAlta hotel, the local Co-op gas station, or the restaurant or Tim Horton’s.
Our provincial government is most definitely demanding rollbacks from front line health care workers and we heard with clarity from each member – not just ‘No!’, but “Hell NO!” Your SEIU-West bargaining committee has a simple message that we have shared with our members:
- No cuts
- No rollbacks
- Pay us what we are worth
- Treat us with respect
We will be having virtual town hall meetings on September 27 at 7pm and September 28 at 2pm. Make sure we have the phone number you want to be reached at for this phone call by filling out our online sign up form or filling out a ProCAT Text business card before September 21st. Posters will be going out soon so watch the website and Facebook for updates.
We encourage you to share your questions and concerns about bargaining with your SEIU-West bargaining committee by contacting us through the Member Resource Center (MRC) at 1-888-999-7348 Ext 2298 or contact us through SEIUWEST.ca.
Thanks for a great summer of activism and support…keep this up and we WILL win!
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; Simone Corriveau; 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
Joint Health Provider Bargaining Update: Bargaining resumes with SAHO, but regressive mandate remains
Dear Health Care Member:
Your CUPE, SEIU-West and SGEU bargaining committees resumed bargaining with SAHO September 5 to September 7 in Regina.
In the most recent bargaining session, SAHO put forward several questions regarding the Provider Unions’ creation of a bargaining association. The parties also discussed the forthcoming transition to the Saskatchewan Health Authority. SAHO indicated that the launch of the SHA will now be sometime in the late fall but said no date has been determined.
On September 7, CUPE, SEIU-West and SGEU presented SAHO with a revised comprehensive proposal package that maintains our wage increase proposal, as well as, key priorities such as ensuring current levels of benefits and joint trusteeship of all benefit plans. Your union bargaining committees are standing united in their opposition to SAHO’s numerous concessions and rollbacks. We strongly urged SAHO to push government principals to remove the concessions and rollbacks from their mandate. Your bargaining committees indicated to SAHO their proposed concessions which amount to a total reduction in compensation of 3.8% need to be withdrawn as our members have told us resoundingly they will not accept rollbacks or cuts.
There was no immediate response from SAHO to the Provider Unions’ revised proposal package. However, SAHO did provide CUPE, SEIU-West and SGEU with a draft LOU that would commit the parties to meet to discuss how several provisions of the three collective agreements will be applied within the transition to the new SHA.
We would like to thank all health services providers for your ongoing solidarity and support for the work of the bargaining committees. Your support is making a difference, but we need to keep up the pressure on MLAs in the lead up to our next bargaining dates, which are scheduled for September 14 to 24 in Saskatoon. Please make another call to your MLA or send another email and schedule a follow up meeting with your MLA — and bring your co-workers!
In solidarity,
CUPE, SGEU, and SEIU-West bargaining committees