Last year, SEIU created a survey for members about climate change and the impact on your lives.
Pinned
June is National Indigenous Peoples Month. This is a time to honour the rich history, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. It is an opportunity to reflect on historical and current injustices and commit to true reconciliation in Canada.
The First Nations, Métis and Inuit Committee would like to share some events and resources with you and encourage you to participate in events in your area.
SEIU-West is hosting our first Asian Pacific Islander Summit in Saskatoon on September 24-26, 2026 — an event to bring together workers from across Canada and the U.S.
Being an API member in Canada or the U.S can sometimes feel isolating. You might not have seen yourself in leadership. You may not have always felt seen or understood. But you can find a home with us. We believe in you. We see you. And most importantly, you belong.
Welcome home.
There is currently a vacancy on the SEIU-West Executive Board for members that work for the Community Based Organizations Sector.
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.
Day of Mourning 2018: April 28 Events
Support Workers Expand Withdrawal of Service
SEIU-West developed a new course for members who have never participated in any SEIU-West training before, called Unionism 101. Over the last few weeks, many members in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon joined this one-day training opportunity and we’re happy to report the course received rave reviews! Members highlighted the importance of getting to know the benefits of belonging to SEIU-West, and enjoyed learning about the social justice issues SEIU-West advocates for.
It’s certainly a win when members become engaged in their union, and we’re excited for the next Unionism 101 course in Swift Current next week!
Over the course of 2017, hundreds of SEIU-West members reached out to government officials at various levels to share their experiences of the impact of health care funding cuts to their patients, residents, themselves, their families and their communities.
Your union bargaining committees met this week from Sunday, March 25 to Wednesday, March 28. We continue to remain focused on getting the best agreement possible.
There was a great deal of development work on both sides of the table to review, prepare and respond to proposals. We face many challenges, including grave concerns about short staffing protocols and processes, lack of investment in the provincial health care system, the threat of the -3.5% rollback, and the transition to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). Your bargaining committees are thinking about these and how they impact our members every single day.
There are real bread and butter issues that our members feel passionately about, which we are trying to address through bargaining. These include: recruitment and retention, workload, professional fees, electronic call back, maintaining our Extended Health and Enhanced Dental Plan (EHDP), and creating a joint trusteeship to ensure that the funds of the EHDP are invested for the plan’s long-term access.
We are also looking at long-term goals and strategies that will ease the anxiety of our members and create a sense of stability within the health care system. We are advocating for a formal structure to deal with issues arising from the transition to the SHA; we need to tackle what a provincial health authority means for our members’ ability to bid on jobs, transfer seniority, and maintain their benefits throughout the province.
We hope that the Government of Saskatchewan recognizes that it is health care workers who provide the care, keep the buildings running, and comfort the sick, vulnerable and dying. But health care workers are running on empty, and we need the support and investment from our government to make a difference.
The SEIU-West, CUPE and SGEU bargaining committees want to thank all of you who have written, called or visited your MLA to talk about the work you do and the importance of a fair collective agreement. We are calling on you to continue to reach out to get the message out to the Government of Saskatchewan, which funds health care. Our next bargaining dates are April 5, 6, and 7. So ring those phones, send those emails, and pay a visit to your MLA to tell them health care providers need a raise.
In Solidarity,
Your SEIU-West, SGEU and CUPE bargaining committees
"I enjoy working with the residents to maintain their independence" - Princess.
SEIU-West, SAHO, and the new Saskatchewan Health Authority have reached an agreement with respect to Medical Care Leave, often a grievance issue.
Medical Care Leave will be calculated on a calendar year, rather than a fiscal year. That has been the practice of payroll for several years, which violated the CBA (collective bargaining agreement). The 16 hours will be available to all employees under the SAHO/SEIU collective agreement, including casuals, and will not be pro-rated. Agreement is effective as of January 1, 2018. Way to go!
Opening our door to promote meaningful dialogue
Apply Today! Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan (PAS) Conference
Your health care provider coalition met during the week of March 12-16, 2018 in Saskatoon with SAHO. Negotiations had previously broken off at the end of November of 2017 when we were unable to agree to a set of principles that would set us on a path to achieving a collective agreement.
This week’s round marks the beginning of formal coalition bargaining. We are not bargaining individual union items; we are trying to get down to proposals that will conclude a tentative agreement that meets our members’ needs and that our members will accept.
The bargaining committees have been focusing on professional fees; our Extended Health and Dental Plan; a joint trusteeship agreement; workload issues; recruitment and retention; interpersonal violence; a letter of understanding to address a process for transition issues (as we move to the Saskatchewan Health Authority); and a general wage increase. The coalition Unions’ bargaining committees maintain a no cuts, no concession, no rollbacks position.
Unfortunately, the parties were not able to reach agreement this week, but we have scheduled additional dates to continue working towards a resolve to a new collective agreement for each union.
Many of our members have told each union, the transition issues are “big,” covering: seniority; transfer of benefits and various time banks; co-employment; job postings and biddings, among other things. There is a lot of anxiety and tension among members as we move through the Employer’s transition. We want to assure our members that we are working diligently to address those issues as quickly as possible. In the interim, if you have any questions about this process, do not hesitate to call your union for further information. Remember: do not attend a meeting without a union representative present; talk with your union first.
Continue to watch your union bulletin boards, websites and/or Facebook pages for further updates.
Thanks to all of you for your support. Together, we can achieve a fair collective agreement.
In solidarity, on behalf of your SGEU, SEIU-West and CUPE bargaining committees.