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:
Seiu-West MMC talks: What it was like to come to Canada: Felix
In celebration of International Migrants day on December 18th, Our SEIU-West Multicultural Mentorship Committee (MMC) is sharing their stories of what it was like when they first came to Canada.
Felix is a Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) in a rural long term health facility and is a member of the MMC.
Here is Felix's story:
SEIU-West MMC talks: What it was like to come to Canada: Leta
In celebration of International Migrants day on December 18th, Our SEIU-West Multicultural Mentorship Committee (MMC) is sharing their stories of what it was like when they first came to Canada.
Leta is a Health Records Clerk in an urban hospital and is taking her course to become a Health Information Management Practitioner.
This is Leta's story:
SEIU-West MMC talks: What it was like to come to Canada; Jeanne
Jeanne is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and the Chair of the Multicultural Mentorship Committee.
Here is Jeanne's story:
Extendicare Canada Inc. (ECI) Bargaining Update No. 4
Date: December 9, 2021
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,
Your Extendicare Bargaining Committee has met with the Employer and has reached a memorandum of settlement.
Benefits Eligibility Following a Leave of Absence
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women 2021
The December 6 National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women marks the anniversary of the murders of 14 young women at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989.
We recognize this day to remind us that there is still work to do to eliminate violence against women in Canada so that one day gender-based violence will end.
The SEIU-West Young Worker Committee (YWC) encourages you to do your part in raising awareness on violence against women and to demonstrate your solidarity for those who provide support to women in need.
Stories from the Front Line: Felix 2021
We couldn't be more proud of our members and the work they do for the people of Saskatchewan. Felix is one of those members.
Celebrating Multiculturalism Week: A recap of our meeting with the Saskatoon Open Door Society
The Multicultural Mentorship Committee (MMC) recently hosted a “Coffee Break” zoom meeting with the Saskatoon Open Door Society. We invited members, their families, and their communities to attend.
We wanted to share with you some of what we learned.
Stories from the Front Line: Manu
November 20-28, 2021 is Saskatchewan Multicultural Week. This year, the Multicultural Association of Saskatchewan is asking us to celebrate Saskatchewan Multicultural week by having residents share stories with the hashtag #TogetherWeMakeSaskatchewanStrong.
We couldn't be more proud of our members, so we are highlighting some of our multicultural members this week. Meet Manu.
SEIU-West Family of Nursing Conference
The SEIU-West Nursing Care Committee is pleased to present the first-ever SEIU-West Family of Nursing Conference.
This one-day virtual event will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, December 7 from 9:30-4:30.
There will be a variety of speakers and activities, with a focus on care workers' mental health during and after the pandemic.
It is open to SEIU-West members who are LPNs, CCAs, ORTs, or who have similar caregiving jobs in group homes and care homes (e.g. DCW/DSW).
Space is limited to 50 participants. You can apply to attend by filling out the online Expression of Interest form.
Deadline for applying is Monday, November 22 at 9:00 AM. The Nursing Care Committee will review all applications, and will notify you on or before November 25 whether or not you have been selected to attend.
SFL Committees: Expression of Interest
Every two years, afterh their convention, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) Executive Council restructures their Standing Committees.
Unions Question Government Claims About Hiring of Continuing Care Assistants
For Immediate Release
SGEU, SEIU-West and CUPE – three Saskatchewan unions representing health care providers – are concerned by the legitimacy of a recent statement by Premier Scott Moe who claimed his government has followed through on a commitment to hire additional Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) positions for home care and long-term care services.
Earlier this month, the government issued a news release and the premier claimed on Twitter that his government has filled 95 of the 108 CCA positions they committed to hiring in the 2020-2021 provincial budget. These additional health care staff were meant to address understaffed home care and long-term care services across the province but were far less than the 300 new CCAs Moe promised during the 2020 election campaign.
“The Premier wants people to believe that he’s recruited new CCAs into home care and long term care,” said Barbara Cape, President of SEIU-West. “But, the latest numbers the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) supplied to SEIU-West show that this is simply not true. In fact, most of the new hires were already working as CCAs in the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), often in the same facility or program, and the vast majority of these new positions are designated as temporary and/or part-time.”
“The province’s health and long-term care systems have struggled for many years due to understaffing and the government’s continuing mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused even more strain,” said Tanya Schmidt, Acting Chair of the SGEU Health Providers Bargaining Committee. “Now, instead of hiring new staff, the government is trying to squeeze a few extra hours out of an already overworked CCA workforce and that isn’t going to solve the problem for staff or the residents, clients and patients in their care.”
“The government needs to get serious about addressing a staffing crisis that has plagued Saskatchewan’s health and long-term care systems for over a decade,” said Bashir Jalloh, President of CUPE 5430. “Some people thought the premier was finally acknowledging the staffing problem in the system when he promised to hire 300 additional CCAs during the 2020 election campaign but that commitment was watered down to 108 positions in the last budget. Now, we aren’t convinced any meaningful action will occur since we can’t even confirm the existence of the new positions the government claims to have hired.”
“Sadly, due to the provincial government’s inaction, the situation in our health and long-term care systems has become untenable,” Cape added. “In many long-term care facilities today, seniors are not receiving even the most basic levels of care without assistance from their family members because of inadequate staffing levels. It’s unacceptable for Premier Moe to pat himself on the back by claiming to have hired dozens of new staff when that can’t be verified by any of the three unions representing health care providers.”
SGEU, CUPE and SEIU-West represent over 30,000 health care providers working in
acute care, home care, public health and long-term care across the province.
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To download a PDF of this release, please click here.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tria Donaldson, CUPE 306-531-6247 | Christine Miller, SEIU-West 306-477-8733 | Carolyn Rebeyka, SGEU 306-519-2903