There is currently a vacancy on the SEIU-West Executive Board for members that work for the Community Based Organizations Sector.
Pinned
Virtual town halls (VTHs) were scheduled for the evenings of May 27 and 28 to update SEIU-West members about SAHO bargaining and answer bargaining questions. Unfortunately, the VTH on May 27 ran into major technical glitches. We apologize if you were one of the hundreds of members whose experienced this failure. We were not satisfied that the supplier of the VTH platform would be able to properly fix these problems in time, so we decided to cancel the May 28 VTH.
You may have noticed there hasn't been an announcement about bbqs for the summer yet.
The SEIU-West First Nations, Métis and Inuit Committee (FNMIC) is hosting a contest to design an image for orange shirts that the committee provides yearly to members. Submit your design to enter to win a $100 Co-op gift card.
Disclaimer: the following information is based on what SEIU-West found on publicly available federal government websites. This information is subject to change as it comes from outside sources. We will update this post further as information becomes available.
Candace works both in the mental health sector and within the community as a Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) for the past 22 years.
Working through the pandemic, she had responsibility put upon her without compensation and lived with constantly changing protocols, procedures and work standards.
Ombudsman Report: Caring in Crisis
Saskatchewan – Today saw the release of the Saskatchewan Ombudsman’s report on the fatal COVID-19 outbreak at the Extendicare Parkside special care home in late 2020. SEIU-West extends its most sincere sympathies to all who lost a loved one living there, or in any of our province’s long-term care facilities, to COVID-19. SEIU-West also expresses outrage at the degree of mismanagement which, as documented in the report, resulted in the deaths of dozens of seniors at Parkside.
“This report is heartbreaking to read,” says SEIU-West President Barb Cape. “The residents and families of Parkside suffered so much. The staff struggled mightily to care for them as the outbreak got worse. And the report makes abundantly clear: they were all failed by the three organizations that were supposed to protect them: Extendicare Canada, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), and the Ministry of Health.
As detailed clearly in the Ombudsman’s report, Extendicare, the SHA and then-Minister of Health Jim Reiter knew as early as April 2020 that a COVID-19 outbreak could pose significant life-threatening challenges in Parkside.
“The scale of this tragedy was ultimately not due to COVID. It was due to a lack of leadership,” explains Cape “Parkside is an Extendicare facility, but Extendicare doesn’t bear the sole responsibility for what happened here. The report states clearly that the Minister of Health is ultimately responsible for long-term care in Saskatchewan. The Ministry and the SHA simply did not provide the necessary support, communication, or oversight.”
“When the COVID outbreak hit Parkside in November 2020, the workers at Parkside were already exhausted and doing their best with the few tools they had been given. Community spread was already rampant across the province at that point, despite the Premier’s persistent downplaying of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the report’s more shocking findings:
- The Ministry of Health and SHA do not set or enforce clear, universal, acceptable care-related standards for long-term care home operators; there are merely a vague set of “program guidelines” for special care homes (p. 44 & 47)
- By fall 2020, Paul Merriman’s Ministry and SHA officials were well aware that Parkside was not ready to manage a serious COVID-19 outbreak…but did nothing; (p. 57)
- The Sask Party government has known for at least a decade that the Parkside facility was in an unhealthy and substandard condition… but did nothing (p. 58);
“This report corroborates the stories of fear, stress and anxiety reported by SEIU-West members at Parkside and all staff of Saskatchewan’s long-term care system” says Cape. “It validates years of our advocacy work raising longstanding issues.
“If Premier Scott Moe and his government do not address the root problems that caused this tragedy, including the working conditions in those facilities, nothing is going to change. That is a risk we cannot afford to take—and that the people of Saskatchewan should not accept.”
Service Employees International Union West (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. Visit PurpleWorks.ca to find out more about SEIU-West members.
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For more information or interviews (Barb Cape has availability today between noon and 1PM and 3PM onward), contact:
Tammy Robert
Project Coordinator, SEIU-West
306-230-5332 | [email protected]
To download and print a copy of this release, please click here.
Related Documentation (click to download):
July 24 was International Self-Care Day!
You sent us the BEST answers ever for low-no-budget self-care methods and below are all your answers!
Congratulations to our winners:
Lyndsay, Jackie, Robin, Danelle, and Denise
Martin is an office clerk at an urban hospital in Saskatchewan.
This past year has been tough on Martin as a health care worker. He has seen the devastation on visitors faces when they learn that they aren’t able to see their loved one due to crucial public health restrictions.
He’s seen the pain on employees' faces as they return to work each day with an increased expectation of their workload, as short staffing runs rampant.
Kyla has been a Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) in the long-term care sector for the past five years.
The past year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic have been difficult on Kyla and her colleagues.
Monday, August 2nd is Saskatchewan Day. Saskatchewan is celebrating its 116th birthday!
If you’re off work this Saskatchewan Day, we truly hope you have a well-deserved, relaxing break. If you are working, we thank you for your service and celebrate the fact that, thanks to the organized efforts of past generations of workers, you’re being paid 1.5 times your usual hourly wage.
The Worker Safety Committee of SEIU-West is sponsoring up to six members to attend the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Occupational Health and Safety Conference.
WHEN: September 15 and 16, 2021
WHERE: Virtual platform - Zoom
WHO CAN APPLY: All SEIU-West members in good standing are eligible to apply. However, preference will be given to:
- Members who have never attended this conference before; and
- Members who are active members of the OH&S committee in their workplace.
HOW TO APPLY: Fill out this online Expression of Interest form or print out this printable PDF. Return the completed PDF form to the attention of the SEIU-West Worker Safety Committee at the Saskatoon office by fax (306-652-1392) or email ([email protected]) no later than August 27.
Make sure to rank which session you would most like to attend.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: SFL Conference Brochure.
*Note* If you are selected, we will complete the SFL registration form and pay the fees on your behalf.
Date: July 26, 2021
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,
Here is the latest update on the SEIU-West and West Park Crossing process to bargain amendments to the Collective Agreement.
Date: July 23, 2021
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,
The term of the collective agreement between SEIU-West and West Park Crossing ended on July 24, 2021. The Union served notice to the Employer to bargain amendments to the Collective Agreement on May 13, 2021.
Please take the time to fill out your bargaining survey. Let us know what you consider to be priorities in our upcoming round of negotiations. Your bargaining team is very interested in your input, so feel free to provide as much detail as you like and add more pages needed.
Date: July 12, 2021
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,
The Union and the Employer commenced bargaining on June 24, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that our meetings are all done on-line through virtual meeting rooms. It’s not ideal, as it adds a lot of time to the bargaining process.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 SEIU-West Membership Survey Prizes.