SEIU-West is entering into a process to review the Local’s constitution.
Pinned
COVID Reopening Plans
Even though public health orders have been lifted effective July 11, 2021 in Saskatchewan, we all should remember that the pandemic is not ‘over’.
Recent Contest Winners
Congrats to our recent contest winners!
Over the past month, we celebrated Paramedics, Disability Service Professionals and Unit Support Workers/Unit Assists.
KALAYAAN – INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION OF THE PHILIPPINES 2021
SEIU-West's Multicultural Mentorship Committee, (MMC) is showcasing an article from FILCAS, (Filipino-Canadian Association of Saskatchewan) on what Independence Day or Araw ng Kalayaan is.
Please take a moment to learn about this very important day!
Deepest Regrets on London, Ontario Attack
SEIU Canada stands in solidarity and grief with the people of London and with the Muslim community everywhere who were attacked by this act of terror.
Generations of role models were robbed of life and we share our hearts with everyone whose heart has been broken by hate and Islamophobia.
A beautiful young boy deserved the touch of his family and now our nation must prove to him and all Muslim children that the future will bring change.
We must live up to the example of this beautiful family, to end hate in our communities, and learn to fill pain with love.
SEIU members at Ritz Lutheran Villa mourn for their healthcare colleague who everyday served our elderly with excellence and compassion.
Unit Support Worker/Unit Assist Week 2021: Steph
Steph has been a Unit Support Worker (USW) for two years now and has been in healthcare for five. She works in an acute care setting in recovery.
Her typical day at work consists of helping her nurses with patients. Shet takes her patients to where they need to be and makes sure they are comfortable. She keeps the unit clean and stocked of supplies.
What she loves most about her job is the people she works with. She has an amazing team!
Steph was inspired to work as a USW because of her Grandpa. He was the Chief of Surgery for Providence Hospital and Union Hospital in Moose Jaw.
Shelly Banks Above & Beyond Awards 2020 &2021
Congratulations to our Above & Beyond Award winners for 2020 and 2021!
Cheryl and Jason have both received their awards. We anticipate a picture from Jason in the coming days.
2021 Young Workers' Conference!
Unit Support Worker/Unit Assist Week 2021: Linda
Linda has worked as a Unit Support Worker (USW) both in acute care and in detox for three years. She loves her job because she gets to watch people transition from a place of pain to a place of hope and faith.
CONTEST TIME! Unit Support Worker/Unit Assist Week 2021
Unit Support Workers ensure that the unit has all the necessary supplies, people go where they need to be, the environment is clean and everyone is happy. They are essentially the parents of the unit!
To celebrate USWs and UAs, we have a contest!
Tell us how many patients you porter in a day or what type of equipment you use the most! Email [email protected] by June 17th for your chance to win a gift card!
Celebrating Filipino Heritage Month 2021
To Celebrate Filipino Heritage Month, SEIU-West’s Multicultural Mentorship Committee interviewed Fay Santos-Vargas from Filipino Heritage School in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Here is their interview.
Media Release: SEIU-West demands “back to normal” SHA plan include supports for health care workers
SEIU-West demands “back to normal” SHA plan include supports for health care workers
(Regina, Sask) – After reviewing Wednesday morning’s release of the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA’s) “recovery plan”, SEIU-West president Barb Cape expressed the Union’s dismay that the plan is full of ambiguities and ignores the opportunity to proactively address critical staffing issues within the health care system.
“This is not a plan, it’s a prayer,” says Cape. “It begs SHA staff to once again accept uncertainty and confusion as the SHA pivots, once again, to a different way of providing health care.”
“The word “recovery” would suggest to most people that the problem has been identified and a clear path back to “normal” carved out to follow, but that is not what this is. Their first mistake is not acknowledging that normal should not be ignoring the staffing crisis that was present before and during the pandemic or the mental health crisis that will be our next challenge,” she adds.
SEIU-West is demanding, an actual plan. A plan that will provide health care workers with the confidence, faith and will to carry on working in an environment that today remains dangerous to their very lives.
“Health care providers across the province have all committed the same extraordinary effort in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Our members, who are on the front line of this fight and have been in the direct line of fire, deserve at the very least a clear plan to support their mental health needs, as they emerge from this unprecedented health care crisis,” continues Cape.
What this “plan” tells us, and what SEIU-West members already know, is that the health care system, which was broken before, is going to embark on another grand health care experiment, very similar to “LEAN”, rather than getting back to normal. Instead of details, the Saskatchewan public got nothing more than the same tired lines and lip service we’ve heard over and over again, not just for the past fifteen months, but the past ten years or more.
“Frankly, I feel like we’ve all read this plan a dozen times already over the last year, because whether it was another weak attempt at preserving the Saskatchewan economy or its health care system, this government has lurched from reopening to reopening since a few weeks after the pandemic was declared,” said Cape. “It seems what certain aspects of this plan suggest, in fact, is not getting back to normal; but instead reductions in health care services to rural Saskatchewan.”
Cape pointed to the “Health Networks” detailed in the plan as one example.
“That’s not about reopening the health care system, it’s about restricting services in rural Saskatchewan,” she explains. “Now, instead of having reasonable access to a doctor and health care options where you live, rural Saskatchewan residents will have to wait until it’s their turn for the “Network” to show up in town. Just because there is no brick and mortar building to close doesn’t mean the Sask Party government won’t find a way to cut rural health care even more.”
Service Employees International Union West (SEIU-West) represents over 13,000 people across Saskatchewan. They include people who work in health care, education, municipalities, community-based organizations, retirement homes and other sectors. They are joined by one colour – purple – and one union – SEIU-West. Visit PurpleWorks.ca to find out more about SEIU-West members.
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For more information, contact:
Christine Miller, Communications
306-477-8733
To download and print a PDF version of this release, click here.
APPLY TO BE ON A COMMITTEE FOR 2021-2023 TERM
The Expression of interest process for SEIU-West Committees closed on June 30, 2021.
Thank you to everyone who applied. Members who applied before the deadline will receive notification as to which Committee they are on when the selection process is complete.
Canadian Blood Services: Bargaining Bulletin No. 6
Click here to download the printable PDF of this Update.
Date: May 31, 2021
Location: Saskatoon
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,The Union and the Employer met on the May 12, 13, 18, 19, and 20 to bargain with the assistance of a conciliator from the Department of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety. The Union’s committee did a lot of hard work and made some hard concessions in order to try to achieve a collective agreement. However, no matter how hard we tried and despite the best efforts of the conciliator the Employer refused to offer anything except a statement that CBS employees would be provided the same pay increases that CUPE members working in provincial health care get.