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.
Pinned
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 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!
SEIU-West is proud to announce a two-part win this week! The Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM) hosts an annual CALM Awards presentation and this year, SEIU-West was the recipient of two awards! We received the CALM award for the Best Website Redesign – here’s what the CALM judges said: “SEIU-West’s website redesign stands out for its consistent and clean design. It is easy to navigate, uncluttered and uses consistent and striking design elements throughout.” We’re proud of our new mobile-friendly site and we look forward to growing our communication methods to better meet our members’ needs. Now stay tuned, our second award will be shared next week!
Each June Canada recognizes National Indigenous History Month and on June 21st, we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.
These recognition dates are in place to celebrate the contributions and cultures of Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is not only to honour the historic importance of Indigenous peoples, but to recognize the continued contributions and strength of present-day Indigenous communities.
For example, many Indigenous communities have helped ensure Canada recognize and respond to Canada’s policies and actions that violated the human rights of Indigenous peoples and their culture, such as residential schools. The legacy of these residential schools and Canada’s colonization of Indigenous peoples is traumatic, and through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada Report (2015), 94 Calls to Action were made in order to take steps towards reconciliation. SEIU-West is committed to integrating many of these calls to actions through the use of our member education, policies, and union representation. Courses like our Turtle Island Workshop and Unionism 101 aim to educate, build allies, and take action. These are but mere steps as we all walk down the road of reconciliation together but we are ready for the work that lies ahead.
Most recently, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released their final report. Their goal was to assess the root causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls. Though the true number is unlikely to be known, it is estimated that as many as 4,000 women and girls have been killed or gone missing in Canada over the past 30 years.
The inquiry’s final report concludes that years of policy and inaction amounted to genocide against Indigenous peoples. Many people view this report as an important turning point due to its powerful statements.
While the report outlines a condemning description of our country’s history, it also inspires a path forward. The report included 231 recommendations for future action, including giving Indigenous languages official status, and investing in early childhood programs for Indigenous youth.
Understanding our history and how it affects present-day communities is vital in making progress towards reconciliation. While there are many steps needed, we encourage you to read the TRC Summary Report and Inquiry Summary Report.
We also encourage you to attend your local Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations - you can find events across the province by visiting the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan website. There will be a Rock Your Roots Walk for Reconciliation in Saskatoon and SEIU-West plans to join - if you're able to join us, let us know by emailing [email protected]
SEIU-West is thrilled for our members at Luthercare Riverside Terrace as they recently ratified their latest collective agreement. SEIU-West members and their representatives worked hard to achieve a 8.5% increase over four years – this is an incredible win and we thank the members and the bargaining team for their solidarity in achieving this goal! The latest collective agreement also included premiums for working on the weekend, new access to 12 hours of paid medical leave, displacement of vacation for bereavement and certain sick leaves, and an increase to their now permanent sick bank. SEIU-West also strengthened the work of the bargaining unit language and added a provision for greater interdepartmental mobility. Another weekly example of why we’re Stronger Together!
3sHealth Employee Benefits wants to help you make these simple changes with the “Path to Health” contest. From June 10 to September 1, 2019, you can follow your own path to health and win fabulous prizes. All you have to do each day is go for a walk, eat a salad, or get a good night’s sleep – then enter to win!
That’s it! Just be sure you’re doing at least one of these things each week.
Use the entry form here to check off what you did that week. Your name will then be entered into the weekly prize draw.
SEIU-West is proud to recognize the vital role Unit Support Workers (USWs) and Unit Assistants (UAs) have on our health care team.
USWs, like SEIU-West member Indira, provide assistance to a Unit or Department by portering patients and residents, maintaining inventory, and ensuring the area is clean. They
ensure supplies are well stocked by both ordering and organizing supplies – this responsibility is crucial to the success of the provision of good care. Cleaning patient/resident equipment and disposing of unsanitary items is also required as health care environments must be as sanitary as possible to prevent infection. Indira especially loves interacting with patients and families from all walks of life – she appreciates the daily learning she gains from these interactions. It is clear USWs have a role that everyone in the Unit or Department relies on, and we can’t thank them enough for their incredible work on the health care team!
UAs, like SEIU-West member Wanda, are often the first people you see when members of the public enter a Unit or Department in a health care environment. UAs will greet you and answer the telephone when you call. They often book appointments and provide travel coordination for patients. UAs process physician orders as well, such as sending paperwork or filing requisitions. UAs are excellent multi-taskers as they perform many levels of clerical duties such as report distribution, the maintenance of various health care manuals, and data entry. They are regularly called to help with cleaning, ordering supplies, and portering as well. Wanda especially loves the clerking part of her job, and appreciates the work she does with to support doctors. Thank you for your daily efforts to ensure our health care environments are well taken care of!
In recognition of USW/UA week, we encourage you to participate in our contest! Tell us why USW’s and UA’s are important to you – email your answer to [email protected] by June 17 and you’ll be entered to win some amazing prizes:
- Frontier Days: Swift Current (sponsored by the SEIU-West Young Workers Committee!)
- 4 June 26th Passes: (Includes general admission, Fresh Air Cinema Dumbo Movie in the Grandstand)
- 2 June 28th Passes: (Includes general admission, Rodeo, Colter Wall & Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
- 2 June 29th Passes: (Includes general admission, Mini Chuckwagon & Heavy Horse Pulls)
- 2 rodeo Passes
- A large gift basket (pictured here)
- One of two $50 giftcards to Rock Creek Tap and Grill
Over the past two weeks, SEIU-West members across the province participated in our introduction course, ‘Unionism 101’. They learned what it means to be a member of SEIU-West and how they are a part of a movement much larger than their workplace. They engaged on issues such as union representation, anti-harassment, domestic violence and work, strength in diversity, and many other social justice efforts the members of this union fight for every day. Education is a crucial part of our union’s strength and we couldn’t be more proud of these newly engaged members getting active in their union!
In recognition of World Environment Day on June 5, your SEIU-West Young Workers Committee (YWC) encourages you to get involved in the daily efforts that are calling for a sustainable planet for current and future generations.
Every week, young people from around the world have been taking a lead in climate change awareness by striking against climate inaction, a tactic those in the labour movement are very familiar with. These strikes are a part of a larger movement that began in 2018 when Greta Thunberg, a teenager from Sweden, led the first student’s climate strike. Over time, her actions gained more attention and now, we’re seeing kids walk out of school on Fridays for the aptly named, Fridays for Future, in the hopes that our governments around the world will listen. In countless reports, kids are telling us they’re fighting for their lives as they take to the streets to demand action on climate change. They are aware that they will bear the brunt of climate change impacts, and they want to see immediate action by decision makers.
In late 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report that warned that without serious, coordinated international cooperation and action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, it is almost certain our planet would warm by over 1.5 degrees Celsius – the impacts of this warming would be catastrophic. In order to prevent the coinciding drought, floods, extreme heat and ill-health that would come with going beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius, we need to take big steps to reduce our emissions by 2030 – just 11 years from now.
People around the world are listening to these kids and developing plans like the Green New Deal, “a bold and far reaching plan to cut emissions in half in 11 years in line with Indigenous knowledge and climate science, create more than a million good jobs you can support a family with, and build inclusive communities in the process.” Recently, hundreds of communities across Canada held Green New Deal Town Halls, and the people are developing the Deal to improve our future.
These Town Halls contained brainstorming for both blue line ideas and green line ideas – the blue line ideas represent individual actions we can take, like talking to our neighbours about the impacts of climate change, reducing/eliminating the use of plastic, or composting. The blue line ideas are big picture/policy ideas and the results from this line are the ones that can make the big difference – fair taxation to fund a transition to renewable energy, creating nationalized public transit, re-training for affected fossil fuel workers, ending fossil fuel subsidies, or getting involved in CUPW’s Delivering Community Power initiative.
The SEIU-West YWC knows you need to take both individual and systemic action to address our climate crisis, so in recognition of World Environment Day, the SEIU-West is hosting a challenge and by entering, you’ll be entered to win some awesome prizes!
Tell us: what ideas do you have to create the big change we need to address climate change (green line)? And what steps have you made or are currently making at home or at work that will help to improve our planet (blue line)?
Send [email protected] your green blue/green ideas for your chance to win:
- Frontier Days Swift Current:
- 4 June 26th Passes: (Includes general admission, Fresh Air Cinema Dumbo Movie in the Grandstand)
- 2 June 28th Passes: (Includes general admission, Rodeo, Colter Wall & Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
- 2 June 29th Passes: (Includes general admission, Mini Chuckwagon & Heavy Horse Pulls)
- 2 rodeo Passes
- A large gift basket (pictured here)
- One of two $50 giftcards to Rock Creek Tap and Grill
Deadline to enter: June 16, 2019
And please visit the Saskatchewan Environmental Society and/or Climate Justice Saskatoon for more information – these organizations are always looking to grow! It is also important that you support workers affected by climate action. Please visit Iron and Earth, an organization of oil sands workers who want to transition into renewable energy development. If you know someone who works in the oil sands, please share this initiative with them in the hopes we can have a similar organization in Saskatchewan!
Each June, SEIU-West celebrates Pride Month to support all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two spirit, questioning and queer people in Saskatchewan and around the world! As a union that strives to achieve a more just society for all, we ask that you join us in celebrating the contributions to social justice the LGBT2Q+ movement has achieved.
This year is a particularly momentous Pride Month as 2019 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a historic uprising that is widely considered to be a vital event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern struggle for LGBT2Q+ rights in North America. Within two years of the Stonewall uprising, LGBT2Q+ rights groups were formed all over America, Canada, Australia and Western Europe. Today, the legacy of the Stonewall Riots lives on around the world in every pride march, celebration, and struggle to achieve LGBT2Q+ equality and justice.
In recognition of Pride Month, we encourage you to join Pride Month activists around the province - check out Saskatoon Pride, Queen City Pride and in rural communities, check out Saskatchewan Pride Network’s events for more information on what’s happening around Saskatchewan.
And if you’re interested in marching in the Saskatoon Pride Parade, let us know by emailing [email protected]! SEIU-West will have a group of purple to show our pride at this event on June 22.
In recognition of Pride Month, we are also holding a SEIU-West Pride Contest! In order to be entered to win, here’s what you have to do:
- Send a selfie of you at a local Pride event to [email protected] OR
- Write a few sentences why or/and how you celebrate Pride Month
- BONUS: do both 1 and 2 to get two entries into the draw!
Those who participate will be entered to win one of the following:
- Frontier Days: Swift Current (sponsored by the SEIU-West Young Workers Committee!)
- 4 June 26th Passes: (Includes general admission, Fresh Air Cinema Dumbo Movie in the Grandstand)
- 2 June 28th Passes: (Includes general admission, Rodeo, Colter Wall & Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
- 2 June 29th Passes: (Includes general admission, Mini Chuckwagon & Heavy Horse Pulls)
- 2 rodeo Passes
- A large gift basket (pictured here)
- One of two $50 giftcards to Rock Creek Tap and Grill
Deadline to enter: July 14, 2019
Good Luck!
Members who work in Chinook School Division are celebrating after ratifying their latest collected agreement! The agreement includes general wage increases totaling 4% over 3 years, as well as a signing bonus of up to $675 for all employees. In a climate where we’re hearing rollbacks are inevitable for public sector workers, our union’s strength demonstrates our ability to resist and achieve gains. We’re stronger together!
Saskatchewan – Community workers represented by SGEU, SEIU-West, and CUPE Saskatchewan are asking Saskatchewan people to lend their voices in support of their call on the Saskatchewan government to provide multi-year funding to our province’s Community-Based Organizations (CBOs).
SEIU-West is proud to acknowledge the incredible work of those who work in Paramedic Services as we recognize Paramedic Services Week May 26-June 1. Often, they’re the first to care for those who need emergency medical attention, and they do not take this important role lightly.
The Paramedic Services team works in a stressful and demanding environment; our members respond to calls that range from heart attacks to collisions – in every situation, immediate medical attention is required. It is therefore vital for those who work in Paramedic Services to function well under pressure and be highly organized.
Members who work in Paramedic Services must also have a reliable, supportive team. By working with partners, the Paramedic Services team can count on each other for assistance in providing a safe work environment, as care is being provided to the person(s) in need.
Our communities depend on those who work in Paramedic Services and their ability to ensure quick, calm and competent care under pressure. Thank you for providing such a fundamental service within the health care team!