In addition to Education Week this week, SEIU-West is proud to recognize and celebrate Facilities and Engineering Week!
The work of our members in Facilities and Engineering is crucial to the success of the health care team and positive outcomes for those they care for. We need heating, water and lighting systems to be well-organized and operational; this is required to support quality health care environments that patients, residents, visitors and staff rely on. The SEIU-West members who make up the Facilities and Engineering department ensure our health care environments are safe, comfortable, and efficient.
Members who work in Facilities and Engineering work in a variety of fields including: Building and Energy Maintenance, Construction, Waste Management, Groundskeeping and Landscaping, and Clinical and Plant Engineering.
SEIU-West Facilities and Engineering workers are a vital part of efficient health care work environments – none of us could successfully complete our jobs without them! So in honor of our members who work in Facilities and Engineering, we are holding a contest and you can nominate a member of the Facilities and Engineering team who really makes a difference in your workplace. It could be their positive attitude, their awesome work, or the way they support the whole health care team.
Please send in your nominations, along with a sentence or two as to why they deserve to win to [email protected] by October 27, 2019. Your nominee could win one of several great prizes!
Put Kids First: By Barbara Cape, President of SEIU-West
As the school year continues on, we have an opportunity to celebrate Education Week (October 20 – 26. 2019) and to put kids first. But this is no mere platitude, rather a call to recognize the value of education and the impact on our province.
Saskatchewan has undergone some dramatic changes in the past ten years. Our provincial government boasts an increase in population and a strong economy. Our Premier publicly states that he is standing up for Saskatchewan. We need to engage on this undertaking with him – is he really standing up for our younger generation? Is he standing up for education?
We lost approximately 350 Education Assistant jobs during the boom years. This was followed up by the 2017-18 budget, where the education sector experienced deep cuts to the tune of 54 million dollars; in the 2018-19 budget funding was restored but only to the extent of 30 million dollars. In our current budget year school operating grants were reduced by 31.5 million dollars. This leaves us struggling at significantly reduced budget levels. The real world impact of those funding cuts has been larger classroom sizes; reduced services in maintenance and infrastructure; further cuts to all staff who work as Librarian and Education Assistants, Administrative Assistants, and Maintenance, among others. When classroom sizes balloon and resources are stripped, it is the students who suffer. With a growing population, the program cuts for English as an Additional Language and supports for students with special needs are particularly concerning…our kids need our support!
Your voices and collective wisdom can make the difference in the decision of the government to ensure that we have more staff: Teachers, Education Assistants, Maintenance, Administrative and Library Assistants. Our province depends on the education that we can provide: high quality education is a silver bullet that can promote prosperity and progress for our future society.
The time is now – during Education Week – reach out to your MLA and ask them to put kids first – end understaffing. Our children deserve a safe, comfortable and well supported learning environment.
SEIU-West members who work as Pharmacy Technicians are a vital part of our public health care team; they prepare, check and distribute medications and pharmacy supplies to ensure people are safely supplied their prescribed medications or over the counter medicines. They also help share relevant patient information with other health care professionals when requested.
Pharmacy Technicians assist Pharmacists, patients, residents and clients requiring medications which in turn, makes our communities healthier places to live and work. Thank you Pharmacy Technicians for your valuable work!
To celebrate Pharmacy Technician Day, SEIU-West asks that you to participate in the Pharmacy Technician Day Contest!
With the election around the corner, Pharmacare is a big election issue. As many health care providers would agree, it is essential for people to be able to access their prescribed medications. However, without a universal drug plan, many people cannot afford their medications and end up skipping or splitting their medications. This leads to worsened health and often, with more people in the emergency room. So in recognition of the importance of Pharmacy Technicians and the work they do to provide prescribed medications, tell us: why is Pharmacare important to you? Email your answers to [email protected] by October 22, 2019 for your chance to win a great prize!
SEIU-West members who work in MDR, Security and the CLXT classification are necessary to the health care team because they help to ensure safe and quality health care provision.
Health care providers who work in MDR protect and strengthen patient safety by ensuring health care equipment is dependable, clean and effective. They inspect, assemble, sterilize, and decontaminate health care equipment – they must therefore be highly detailed in their work and meet great physical demands. Through the hard work of those who work in MDR, health care patients can expect excellence in their care.
Health care workers who work in Security are at the frontline when it comes to patient and staff care. As in any health care setting, unexpected situations can occur – Security Officers are there to provide and ensure a safe environment. Security Officers must be attentive to detail because part of their job is preventive patrol and inspection as this helps to determine whether conditions are normal. They must also be well-prepared and have the ability to respond quickly and appropriately to any number of security emergencies occurring within a health care setting.
CLXTs are vital to the success of quality and safe health care. By performing X-ray exams, Electrocardiograms (ECG) and Holter monitoring, these hard working health care technicians ensure patients receive the best care available. The role of a CLXT is to provide diagnostic tools that the entire health team relies on because they assist in the proper diagnosis and treatment of patients. CLXT’s will procure and analyze specimens, and prepare patients before any lab and x-ray procedures.
It is evident that health care providers who work in the MDR, Security, and CLXT departments are essential to safety and quality care. To recognize their value, SEIU-West is happy to announce a recognition contest!
Complete the MDR, Security, and CLXT Week Wordsearch by October 21 for your chance to win a great prize! Email your completed wordsearches to [email protected] – good luck!
The members of SEIU-West who work in Food Services are central to ensuring patients, residents, and clients have their nutritional needs met when receiving care. They also make sure all staff and visitors have access to their delicious meals that are prepared with high-quality hygienic standards.
In a health care setting, various resident and patient needs must be taken into account – our professional Food Services members make sure that food allergies and dietary needs are taken into account to safeguard against possible complications that can cause set-backs in recovery and impact a person’s overall health.
It’s clear those who work in Food Services are a vital part of the health care team and in recognition, we’re launching our Food Services Week contest!
With Fall in the air, people are increasingly in the mood for comfort foods and warm meals. So for this contest we ask you to tell us: what’s your favourite comfort food? Bonus points for sending a picture of a comfort meal made by a member in Food Services!
By entering, you could win a gift card or movie pass!
Email [email protected] to enter – the deadline is October 15!
And don't miss our CTV ad airing this week across Saskatchewan in celebration of Food Services Week! You can check out that ad on our YouTube page here.
International Day of Older Persons takes place on October 1st each year, and SEIU-West is proud to celebrate our senior community.
Many of our members provide care to seniors, and view them like family. Patients, residents, and clients are a big reason as to why people work in health care – it’s about bringing joy and improved wellbeing to those that require care, many of whom are older persons.
On the International Day of Older Persons, we must continue to advocate for the needs of our senior community. Initiatives like safe staffing in the retirement home sector is a must because we it’s vital we ensure the care needed as our population ages. Be sure to add your voice in the call to end understaffing in Saskatchewan health care at www.EndUnderstaffing.ca
With the election around the corner, it’s also important to ask your candidate what they’ll do to support older persons. Initiatives like Pharmacare are essential for seniors to be able to afford the medications they need. Visit www.purplevotes.ca for more information.
To learn more about what initiatives older persons are focusing on and to add your voice, visit https://seniorsvoice.org/about-us/.
Therapy Assistants who are members of SEIU-West typically work as Occupational Therapy Assistants and/or Physiotherapy Assistants (OTPT). These members of the health care team work to improve their client’s quality of life by supporting their ability to maximize movement, which contributes significantly to their client’s everyday activities. This vital part of their job rehabilitates their clients to their peak abilities. Another key skill that Therapy Assistants must have is their ability to communicate. Many of their clients have diverse needs, so it is important for Therapy Assistants to recognize these differences and accommodate accordingly.
Therapy Assistants utilize a variety of tools to assist their clients such as tilt tables, parallel bars and lifts, as well as pools due to the benefits of physical movement under water.
The work of Therapy Assistants is fundamental to the health care team as they help improve the confidence and lives of those who they care for.
To show our appreciation of the valuable contributions Therapy Assistants makes to our health care team, we are launching our Therapy Assistants Contest!
To enter, tell us why Therapy Assistants are important to you – whether you’re a coworker or a client, there are so many reasons Therapy Assistants bring value to our lives! Email your answers to [email protected] by September 26, 2019 for your chance to win one of several awesome prizes!
For the week of September 8-14, SEIU-West is proud to celebrate Environmental Services Week!
Environmental Service Workers (ESWs) have a vital role on the health care team. They provide professional services that ensure our health care environments are clean and safe. ESWs understand the importance of infection control for patients, clients, residents and staff, especially in a health care setting. They therefore have the skills to provide quality housekeeping while following infection control practices to reduce the risks to all those who live, work, and visit a health care environment.
The daily responsibilities of ESWs also involves heavy lifting and the use of dangerous substances. They know how to safely handle these everyday challenges while protecting themselves and those around them. We are proud to celebrate the health care heroes that are ESWs and in recognition, we are holding a contest so that you can nominate an ESW who really makes a difference in your workplace. Maybe it is the way they brighten everyone’s day, the incredible job they do, or the care and concern they demonstrate to residents, patients or co-workers.
Please send in your nominations, along with a sentence or two as to why they deserve to win to [email protected] by September 19, 2019. Your nominee could win one of several great prizes!
This President's Message will be featured in the Star Phoenix and Leader Post as a special feature for Labour Day.
What does Labour Day mean to you?
For some people, this is back to school time; for others, it’s an unofficial end to summer; but for me, I reflect on the work of our members and the people we serve. I also reflect on the history of our labour movement – where we were, where we are today and what we want to do in the future.
Lately, it’s been a little too easy to vilify unionized workers. I think that’s a cheap and easy target. And it needs to stop.
The benefits that unions have negotiated didn’t happen overnight but over decades. And we work to ensure that the benefits we have negotiated are shared with those who don’t yet have a union: weekends; sick leave; disability insurance; domestic violence leave; improvements to minimum wage… all of these things (and so many more) come from years of negotiations and lobbying by unions of every stripe. All working people put their maximum effort into their job and that needs to be recognized and respected.
Today, all workplaces are changing. There are efficiency efforts; automation; downsizing; or ‘transformational change’ that affects everyone’s ability to bring home a pay cheque, support our families, or even simply to have meaning to our lives. Change is inevitable, but it needs to be thoughtful. Working people are not widgets but they are invested in their workplaces and loyal to their employers. We need to remember that they are a vital resource that is being overlooked in many cases; there needs to be consultation with front line staff who are the experts in their area and can provide valuable insight into improvements.
Trade unions must embrace new forms of technology and new forms of worker organizations to create space for the gig economy and a changing demographic. As a union leader, I believe that there is a way to celebrate and acknowledge our historical work, while embracing a more culturally diverse and technologically advanced workforce.
The future of our province and our labour movement is in the hands of working people. We have an opportunity to join together, have a voice in our workplaces, lobby for improved safety legislation and to improve the minimum wage for both young workers and the under employed. The principles of solidarity, understanding and being our brother’s and sister’s keeper need to be re-affirmed by all of us. These are core values of the labour movement, and the province of Saskatchewan.
I’m personally inviting you to join us in our efforts to improve the lives of working people and their families. Help lead the way to a more just and humane society that welcomes all people, champions dignity and respect, and allows everyone to have a voice on the job and in society.
We’re Stronger Together.
Happy Labour Day!
In solidarity,
Barb Cape
SEIU-West health care providers in Swift Current are organized a food and donation drive for their local food bank and crisis centre in late August. Our members not only provide care to those in need, they volunteer their time to support organizations that address the gaps for access to basic needs due to the vast inequality that exists in our society – it’s vital that we join together because when unions and community work together for social, environmental, and economic justice, we can achieve our common goals in making our communities better places to live and work.