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:
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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!
Janice Platzke Receives Larry Hubich Lifetime of Service Award
We are so excited to announce that your SEIU-West Treasurer, Janice Platzke, received the Larry Hubich Lifetime of Service Award at the 2024 Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Convention in late October. Congratulations, Janice!
Here's what her nominator had to say about Janice and her years of service:
Union Night at the Blades Game: Contest
On February 23rd, the Saskatoon Blades will be hosting a Union Night themed game to recognize the Saskatoon and area unions, like SEIU-West!
We want to show our purple union pride at this game, so we have 10 tickets to give away! BONUS: each ticket will be given another opportunity to be entered to win the "Suite Life experience" which provides winners a free upgrade to the viewing luxury of a suite!
How to enter: tell us what you like best about being a member of SEIU-West. Email your answer to [email protected] by Wednesday, February 13, 2019!
Good luck!
Media Release: Safe Care Needs In-House Security
For Immediate Release, February 5, 2019
Saskatoon – The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) released the results of its review of security services in the province’s publicly-owned health care facilities today. The final report by Big Leap Consulting includes 27 recommendations with the stated goal of ensuring a safe and secure environment for patients, visitors, and staff. SEIU-West shares this goal, but is concerned that the report sets the table for large-scale privatization of health care security.
Attention SEIU-West LPNs: SALPN is seeking your feedback!
Your regulatory body is seeking your valuable input on a document about LPN practice in Saskatchewan.
Win of the Week! January 27-February 2
SEIU-West is happy to announce a huge win for members across the province: SEIU-West filed grievances at a particular facility when it was reported that the Employer was scheduling shifts of 6.5 hours with no meal break. The Employer countered that the collective agreement language was not clear with respect to those specific shifts. SEIU-West therefore advised members to file complaints with the Employment Standards Enforcement since The Saskatchewan Employment Act (SEA) says workers are entitled to a meal break after 5 consecutive hours of work. The Enforcement Branch responded by saying they were not obliged to represent unionized workers. SEIU-West was then advised that our union is a person before the law (we are our members!) and can also file a complaint as a person. After SEIU-West filed a complaint, the Enforcement Branch assigned an Investigator who determined that the Employer was violating the SEA and must stop. The Employer responded by saying they provide coffee breaks so the shifts are not considered to be 5 hours of consecutive work. The Investigator held that coffee breaks do not count since they are paid time, break or not. The Investigator also recommended that the parties resolve the matter with a letter of understanding (LOU) which will then be reviewed by the Investigator. We have drafted that LOU and are awaiting the Employer’s response. What is vital about this win is the Enforcement Branch has upheld that Employers cannot negotiate a lower standard than what is outlined in the SEA, and that coffee breaks do not count for the purposes of calculating worked hours. Most importantly, we know the Enforcement Branch will take action on unionized workplaces if there is a violation of the SEA. And last but certainly not least, there are several collective agreement provisions negotiated under old legislation which allow for meal breaks only after 5.5 and as much as 7.5 hours of work – all of these will have to be changed or addressed through LOUs, which SEIU-West is currently undertaking. This is a collective win for workers throughout Saskatchewan!
Join Pink Shirt Day 2019!
Each February, SEIU-West members across this province demonstrate their willingness to tackle workplace bullying by participating in Pink Shirt Day.
Pink Shirt Day began after a young student was bullied for wearing pink to school so the next day, hundreds of students came to school wearing pink as an act of solidarity to stand against bullying. From there, Pink Shirt Day has grown International fame.
At SEIU-West, we are amazed at the level of participation each year, and we hope to see it grow in 2019!
This year is extra special as the SEIU-West Young Workers Committee (YWC) has purchased a number of pink shirts with their YWC logo on the sleeve – the reason for their involvement is to support the message that we are all on the same team no matter our age, race, creed, gender or any other variable. You may be one of the lucky members to receive one of the YWC’s limited edition shirts!
So on February 27, Pink Shirt Day, we ask that you wear a SEIU-West pink shirt or a pink shirt of your own. By sending us a photo of you and your coworkers wearing pink, you’ll be entered to win a department pizza party!
How to enter: To request pink shirts, email [email protected] (2019 shirts are in limited supply, so be sure to request early!) Then on February 27, take a picture of you and your coworkers wearing pink shirts by emailing [email protected] or by posting to our Facebook page.
February is Black History Month
February is recognized as Black History Month – its history was rooted in the aim of countering unfair condemnation by acknowledging the accomplishments and contributions made by Black people. In the labour movement we’ve seen a great deal of leadership around diversity, equality, and anti-racism, particularly led by Black people, like the historic labour leader A Phillip Randolph. Randolph became the leader of the first African-American labour union and in the 1940s he and 100,000 black job seekers ensured an executive order that ended race, colour, creed and national origin bias in the hiring of workers in the deferral government – in 1955, Randolph was elected AFL-CIO Vice President.
In Canada, Stanley Grizzle was elected President of his union local in the 1940s, and pushed the Canadian Pacific Railway to open management positions to Black people – he was also a leader in Canada’s civil rights movement in the 1950s – in 1960, Grizzle worked for the Ontario Labour Relations Board and in 1978, he was appointed a Citizenship Judge, a first for an African Canadian.
Today we have many black labour leaders, including our current Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Secretary Treasurer, Marie Clarke Walker. She is the first-ever racialized woman to serve in this position. She is very active in the social justice community and currently serves as an executive member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.
Black History Month also serves as a reminder and opportunity to act on the harmful impacts of racism both past and present, so that communities can progress with respect and justice.
SEIU-West stands against any form of racism, and we are proud of our union’s efforts in working with Black Lives Matters across borders, particularly SEIU Rise – a development program for young members in Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US – whose top priority is racial justice.
Together, we must use our knowledge, words, and actions to stand up against racism and hate. For more information on confronting racism, visit our post about confronting discrimination here.
SEIU-West encourages you to join in the Black History Month celebrations – you can see various activities throughout the province on the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan website here.
Celebrate National Therapeutic Recreation Month!
SEIU-West is proud to join the celebrations of National Therapeutic Recreation Month in February! Our members who work as therapeutic Recreation Coordinators and Recreation Workers are an essential piece of the health care team. Their work ensures residents, patients, and clients are able to reach their full potential and members like John, love what they do.
John, a therapeutic Recreation Coordinator at Parkside Extendicare, loves providing the residents a great quality of care and being able to engage in their daily lives. As a Recreation Coordinator, John provides programming that benefits the residents’ emotional, physical, spiritual, and social aspects of their daily lives. He particularly appreciates seeing the smiles on residents’ faces.
In recognition of National Therapeutic Recreation Month, SEIU-Wests asks that you tell us why Therapeutic Recreation is important to you. Let us know by emailing Catherine.Gendron@seiuwest by February 28, 2019 for your chance to win a prize from a selection of gift cards!
Notice: T4 Slips under the SHA
Did you know that legally, your employer needs to provide you with your T4 slips on or before the last day of February following the calendar year to which the slips apply.
So, you should receive your 2018 T4 on or before Thursday, February 28, 2019.
This year, for employees of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the Employer is providing copies of T4s in electronic format through Gateway Online and will not be automatically sending out paper copies.
If you are expecting a 2018 T4 from the SHA and do not want to or cannot use the gateway online system, you can request a paper copy from your manager.
Make your request in writing and date it (the Employer may have a form for this) and then give it to your manager.
After receiving a request, the Employer must ensure that it provides two copies of the T4 slip, in paper format, to the employee in person or by mail.
For more information on T4s visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/payroll/completing-filing-information-returns/t4-information-employers/t4-slip/distribute-your-t4-slips.html
If you have questions related to this topic or your collective agreement, contact your Member Resource Centre (MRC) at 1-888-999-7348 ext. 2298.
CLC/SFL Spring School 2019: Apply Now!
The Education Committee will be sponsoring up to eight (8) delegates to attend the SFL/CLC Spring School being held at the Temple Gardens Hotel and Spa on May 6-10, 2019. The Committee will cover registration costs, lost wages, travel costs and meal expenses for those who are selected to attend.
The deadline to apply has now passed.
The SEIU-West YWC Challenge: Talk Mental Health!
The SEIU-West Young Workers Committee (YWC) understands that everyone knows someone who lives with or is affected by mental illness. The YWC also recognizes it is important to talk about mental health in order to break down the stigma around mental illness. That’s why they’re supporting the Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 30. This initiative is meant to spark a public conversation about mental illness, and encourage funding for mental health services.
In recognition of Bell Let’s Talk Day, the YWC is launching a contest in order to help spread awareness around mental health. The YWC wants to support the hardworking members of SEIU-West and knows many people find it good for their mental health to go relax and see a movie – so by entering you could win a $50 gift card to your local movie theatre!
How to enter: take a picture of yourself with a sign talking about mental health to support Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 30, then send the picture to [email protected]. The picture could be about your experiences with mental health, what mental health means to you, what services we need, or a supportive message – it’s up to you! To start us off, we have Brittney, YWC member, demonstrating that mental illness is not something to be ashamed of.
Together we can stop the stigma and increase support for strong mental health services!
Please send your pictures to [email protected] on Wednesday, January 30.
Win of the Week! January 20-26
What happens when workers come together to improve their workplace environment and communities? They see big wins! This week, members at Variety Place just voted in favour of a 4.5% general wage increase – this agreement is retroactive to April 1, 2018. Direct Care Workers at Variety Place are continuing to bargain for subsequent years and are working together to ensure their work is valued. They know that they deserve fair wages and when we achieve our goals, we raise the floor for all workers – way to go!
Occupational Health & Safety: Knowledge to Action - Apply Now
Are you a member of your facility's Occupational Health Committee (OHC)?
If so, we encourage you to apply for our new SEIU-West course, Occupational Health and Safety: Knowledge to Action!
This course is designed for SEIU-West (OHC) members and alternates. The participants will leave with a better understanding of their role on the OHC and will be prepared to address issues such as workload, stress, harassment and mental health at the OHC level. The deadline to apply is February 6, 2019! This deadline has now passed.