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:
Follow Up from the May 28 Virtual Town Hall: Afternoon Session Questions
Below are answers to the questions we were not able to answer live due to time constraints as well as some we thought should be included that were answered live during the call.
As always, if you have questions regarding the status of bargaining or a question about your SEIU-West collective agreement, contact our Member Resource Centre (MRC) 1-888-999-7348 ext. 2298 or use our website contact form.
As a recap, here's an overview of what happened during the virtual telephone town hall:
Barbara Cape provided this summary of what has occurred in bargaining.
About a year ago, we brought out a tentative agreement for our members to vote on. We didn’t make any recommendations on whether to accept or reject it – we left the decision in the hands of the membership. Ultimately, our members rejected the tentative agreement. The primary reason for this rejection was clearly communicated to the bargaining committee….the monetary package was inadequate.
We continued to bargain, including undertaking voluntary mediation, until it was clear that SAHO had no authority or mandate from the Government of Saskatchewan to address the outstanding issues of our members. In December, we came to our members asking for a job action mandate and you gave us overwhelming direction that you were in favour of that strategy. We advised SAHO and subsequently, they came back with a proposal for us to consider. The proposal was a lump sum payment – described informally by the employer as being between zero and $500, in exchange for agreement that we withdraw an outstanding unfair labour practice and agreement that we change our seniority system from the current system of accumulating earned hours to one based on date of hire.
Talks broke down when we tabled a proposal to SAHO that included a Health/Lifestyle spending account into the collective agreement; an education/training fund; medical verification notes requested by the employer being paid for by the employer and increasing premium pay from four days to five, when the posted and confirmed work schedule is changed by the employer due to emergency circumstances. This proposal did not include giving up our seniority system.
When SAHO was done delivering a message that we were bargaining in bad faith, that they were beyond disappointed and that they did not believe we were trying to achieve a collective agreement, they did the virtual equivalent of walking out of the room and slamming the door: they hung up on us and kicked us out of the video conference.
Then Bob Laurie set out the next steps required under the Saskatchewan Employment Act:
We would like to you to know that it is the opinion of the bargaining committee that the Saskatchewan Health Authority or SAHO do not have any real authority to conclude negotiations on our collective agreement. They made it clear they report to the government of Saskatchewan’s various ministries for their direction. The Government of Saskatchewan has indicated they do not want to put more money into bargaining to settle this agreement.
Right now, negotiations are at a standstill because SAHO and the employer group has refused to bargain with the union unless we are prepared to put forward a proposal that would meet with their favour, prior to any further negotiations. We have written to the SAHO group to demand clarification about the conditions regarding bargaining they have set. Depending on their response, we may have reached the point where a collective agreement cannot be achieved. Should that be the case, we would then need to embark upon the process set out when the parties are at an impasse.
There needs to be notice served that impasse has been reached. There needs to be a separate notice that sets out, what essential services must be maintained in the event of a strike or lockout.
Then there is a requirement to participate in mediation or conciliation, mandatory this time with the mediator or board of conciliation appointed by the Ministry of Labour. If mediation and conciliation is not successful (either the recommended terms of settlement are not acceptable to either one of the parties or there are no recommended terms of settlement proposed) and get a report from the conciliator before a one or 2 week cooling off period prior to serving 48 hours strike notice.
There is also a provision in the Sask Employment Act that sets out no strike or lockout can occur unless there is an essential services agreement between the parties. There is a list set out in the act that identifies what an essential services agreement must consist of.
Briefly, the agreement must identify the essential services (not workers) that are needed, the classifications of employees who would provide essential services the number of positions needed, where those positions would be needed, and the way to let which employees know they need to report to work, taking into account employees who could provide the service and are not members of the bargaining unit.
Of course, there is language that sets out what might happen if the parties cannot negotiate an essential services agreement. An essential services tribunal must be struck, they must hear representations by the parties regarding essential services and then they must make a decision on what essential services would be required to be maintained during any strike or lockout.
If, because of the provision of essential services that must be maintained, the strike or lockout is not effective, either party can appeal to the tribunal for decision that essential services agreement has interfered with the exercise of the right to strike or lockout. If the tribunal agrees then we can move to mediation – arbitration to conclude a collective agreement. All of these actions are legally required and, as you can imagine, will take some time.
Because they are legally required, we can’t simply serve notice and walk off the job without an essential service agreement. The government’s legislation sets out the penalties if we should do so. Individual members can face fines of $2000 for the first day and $400 for each day after that. The union would get a fine of $50,000 for the first day and $10,000 for each day after that if we fail to comply with the legislation. It’s not like the ‘old days’ or as simple as the President or the Bargaining committee saying when we commence job action.
Joint Media Release: Health Provider Unions launch petition calling for wage top-up for ALL health care workers
For Immediate Release - June 3, 2020
CUPE, SEIU-West, and SGEU – three Saskatchewan unions representing health providers – are calling on the provincial government to provide a wage top-up for all health care workers, who are working hard to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. An online petition, expressing support for a wage top-up has been set up to send a message to Premier Scott Moe and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
Letter to the Premier- Jasmine Lusher
Greetings,
My name is Jasmine. I have worked in the health care system in Saskatchewan for 24 years. I have worked in many different capacities furthering my education along the way. I have always loved our province and my community. I have always had a sense of pride to serve the birth place of medicare in this country. I love my job.
It is for these reasons that I have continued working in this field for so many years. Despite the fact that I have never, in 24 years, received a raise that equated with inflation. People seem to believe that union workers “make the big bucks” , but you and I know differently, don’t we?
The vast majority of my years as a union member I have received zero for an actual raise when the cost of living is considered. All health care workers know you have the need to balance the budget on our backs.
This has always been effective because working in health care is not a job, it’s a calling. We do it because we need to. We are called to.
I am writing this letter for one reason. To let you know that we love our families just as fiercely. This marginalization of health care workers requires walking a fine line. We can be pushed too far. It is not easy, as I said most of us feel a strong commitment to serve.
When I heard that the employer virtually “walked away” from negotiations, disrespecting my colleagues at the table in such a harsh way, I fell firmly on my face on the other side of this imaginary line. For the first time in 24 years.
The past few months have been the most difficult of my career. I don’t sleep at all the night before a shift. I do an online screening tool in my car prior to entering the hospital. Yesterday I had to call my manager as I had a headache and needed to be sure I could enter.
Once in the building I meet security where they verify my screening tool, take my temperature, witness me sanitizing my hands and provide me a sticker for my identification to indicate I passed the test for that shift. Once I get to the unit, in my case the operating rooms, I have minutes to review the procedural changes.
The process is: review, understand the rationale, understand how to implement. This changes daily. Many cases have required respirators. In these cases we partner with other nurses, surgeons, or anesthesiologists to don and doff PPE.
This is critical as this is when exposure is most likely. After the cases, which may require breathing through a respirator for hours, we go one at a time to shower. We must wash from head to toe, including hair wash. We then put on clean scrubs, tie up wet hair, and do it again.
Despite all this, the worst part is coming home to my family. Not hugging them. Not receiving their comfort when I need it most.
It has been hard to keep going on like this. When I heard that the employer got up from the bargaining table and turned off the meeting, I knew. I knew it was a message for me to leave health care.
Caring for a community, risking my safety, my family’s safety, when they don’t respect me enough to make sure I can continue to feed and house my family - this is not acceptable. I have never before felt ashamed of Saskatchewan.
I am now struggling to find a way to even be happy living in a province where the government doesn’t respect health care workers enough to even provide them with basic cost of living increases; to help them maintain a modest standard of living.
This is especially painful when I go on to see my government representatives have received cost of living increases repeatedly. When my neighbour tells me the government is providing their private business an additional $5000 to remain closed.
When I see messages from all the people working safely from home, including my government representatives. I can’t stay home. I can’t stay safe. I am a health care worker.
I would like you to know just how disappointed I am that you choose to support your colleagues, those in the business including both energy and agriculture sector – yet you choose to turn your back on the very people who have been key to flattening the curve in this pandemic. How about some fairness for health care?
Respectfully,
Jasmine Lusher
Op-Ed: Crisis in Long Term Care
SEIU-West President's Message May 29, 2020
Memo-Cohorted Employees and SEIU-West Annual Vacation Processes
If you are an SEIU-West member who works for the Sask Health Authority please see the memo below for the annual vacation process for cohorted employees. You can also click here for the previous memo on the extension of annual vacation timelines.
Stories From The Frontline- Cherelyn
Disability Service Professionals Week Profile- Carmela
Save the Date! Virtual Town Hall Events - May 28, 2020
We have set up another two live and interactive virtual town hall meetings for our health care sector members.
3sHealth Benefits Bulletin: Enhancements to the EHB Plan Effective June 1, 2020
Media Release: Reopen Rural Emergency Rooms
For Immediate Release - May 27, 2020
Saskatoon – The members of SEIU-West were happy to hear that the Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) were responding to concerns raised about the closure of emergency rooms (ERs) in a number of rural communities.
Media Release: Joint Statement for Health & Safety Protection for Health Care Workers
For Immediate Release, May 26, 2020
Saskatoon – SEIU-West leaders are pleased that the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) have extended their agreement with the five health care unions to a set of shared health and safety principles in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.