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:
President Barb Cape's Message: June 30, 2021
Apply Now! SFL Convention 2021
The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) will hold its annual convention virtually on October 20-22, 2021.
The SFL represents over 100,000 hard working union members in Saskatchewan, from 37 national and international unions. Its goal is to improve working people’s lives throughout the province, whether organized or unorganized, and regardless of affiliation to the SFL.
Letter To The Editor:
Where is our world heading?
We are leaving a dark, ugly and hateful world behind us for our children and grandchildren to live in if we don’t stand up and speak up against the realities in our world.
Letter To The Editor: Saskatchewan's health-care system is in peril
As the virus embedded itself in the province, our health-care system immediately began to suffer. Elective procedures were postponed, non-critical services closed, and the brutal short-staffing issue, which existed long before COVID-19, was compounded. Patients coming into hospital who would have otherwise been admitted are being treated on an outpatient basis, leaving the patient’s health potentially at risk.
Applications Due: Activist Training Camp 2021
Are you outgoing, friendly, approachable, and energetic? Are there social and political issues you are passionate about sharing? If so, Activist Training Camp may be for you!
The goal of this one day course is for participants to learn, understand and engage on:
• Anti-oppression and building an inclusive front
• Skills-share opportunities with other activists around the Union
• Strategic thinking/planning about your activism
• Activities to enhance your organizing, communication, and leadership skills
You will be reimbursed for lost wages or will be provided with an honorarium for your attendance on days not scheduled to work. If restrictions permit the training to proceed ‘in-person’, your union will cover travel, hotel, and meal expenses. Otherwise, the training will be online and understandably these three costs would not be required.
The deadline for applications is July 16, 2021 at noon.
Letter to Brad Redekopp, MP, Saskatoon West by Janine Lazaro
Political Action and Awareness Committee (PAAC) member, Janine Lazaro, engaged with the CLC (Canadian Labour Congress) campaign, Jobs and economic recovery for working families by writing her Member of Parliament, (MP) Brad Redekopp as a constituent.
If you want to join an of the CLC campaigns click here.
Below is Janine's letter and Brad's response.
Application Deadline: Member Facilitator Training 2021
SEIU-West is in the process of recruiting up to four facilitators for our internal membership training programs. The successful applicants will excel in communication and leadership skills and will gain valuable knowledge around their union’s practices and the greater labour movement.
Are you outgoing, friendly, approachable, and energetic? If so, this facilitator training opportunity may be for you!
The facilitator training, which is tentatively set for the fall of 2021, is a four day workshop that will deliver on several components that are key to creating a well-balanced and engaging learning environment for SEIU-West members, such as:
- popular education
- public speaking
- active and unbiased listening
- understanding class/group dynamics
- diffusing situations
- time management and agility
- acquiring resources and basic online training skills
- quality session prep
Applicants must be available to attend all four days of training (dates TBD).
You will be reimbursed for lost wages or will be provided with an honorarium for your attendance on days not scheduled to work. If restrictions permit the training to proceed ‘in-person’, your union will cover travel, hotel, and meal expenses. Otherwise, the training will be online and understandably these three costs would not be required.
Applicants will need to fill out the online Facilitator Training Expression of Interest Form by July 30, 2021.
Extendicare Canada Inc. (ECI) Bargaining Bulletin No. 1
Date: June 21, 2021
Greetings Sisters and Brothers at Extendicare,
Your Extendicare Bargaining Committee met on Friday June 11, 2021. The committee membership has changed. The members now are Lynette Pinfold – Moose Jaw unit chair; Colleen Watson – Elmview unit chair; Lisa Virtue – Sunset unit chair; Marlene Thomson – Parkside unit chair and Lori Klus – Preston unit chair. Union representatives are Tracy Goodheart and Katelyn Almen. Chief spokesperson will be Bob Laurie, director of Contract Bargaining & Enforcement for SEIU-West.
Statement on announcement of unmarked graves at Cowessess First Nation
Apply to join the Joint Regional
Duty to Accommodate/
Return to Work Committee
Return to Work Committee
SEIU-West is looking for three members to volunteer to be our representatives on the Joint Regional SEIU-West/former Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) DTA/RTW Committee (Duty to Accommodate/Return to Work).
You must work within the former SHR.
2021 National Indigenous Peoples Day
For generations, many Indigenous peoples and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near the summer solstice, marking its significance as the longest day of the year. Since 1996, Canada has celebrated June 21 as National Indigenous Peoples Day, to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, distinct languages, spiritual beliefs and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
While there is so much to celebrate, we must also acknowledge the collective grief and anger of Turtle Island after the recent discovery of the remains of hundreds of children in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops) residential school, as well as other former residential school sites across Canada. While that grief and anger cannot be ignored, we can collectively work to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and other efforts to recognize the rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in Saskatchewan.
These rights have been internationally codified in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).
We acknowledge that before reconciliation, there must be truth. Truth is critical.
We know we must do better, every day of the year.
We must commit to continuing to learn, and unlearn, as much as we can about the culture, heritage and true history of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Listen to their voices. Build connections with Indigenous Elders, colleagues, leaders and communities. Engage in meaningful dialogue. And do your homework, if you have not already:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
A few of today's events:
The Office of the Treaty Commission has posted a list of virtual and in-person events being held across Saskatchewan.
The City of Regina is hosting its ninth annual celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day through a livestreamed event on its Regina National Indigenous Peoples Day Facebook page. Running from 10 to 11:30 a.m., the event includes a lineup of drumming, song, spoken word, a powwow performance, greetings dancing and more.
The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is celebrating Indigenous culture and art through a livestream from its ethnology collection. At 1:30PM join Indigenous programming specialist Theresa Walter, conservator Victoria Kablys and Métis artist Holly Aubichon as they walk through the items in the museum’s Indigenous Studies Collection, including beadwork, quillwork and leatherwork.
SaskMusic and FACTOR Canada are presenting a special online concert in honour of National Indigenous History Month, airing 7 p.m. on Thursday June 25 on SaskMusic’s Facebook and YouTube pages. More than a local dozen artists from different musical styles have been paired with video mentors to create unique music videos over the past weeks. Following June 25, the concert will also be available to watch on SaskTel maxTV Local on Demand.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is premiering Kevin Settee’s four-part series of short films, The Lake Winnipeg Project, at Indigenous Cinema, the NFB’s online collection of Indigenous-made films.