Each year International Youth Day is recognized August 12 and SEIU-West is proud to share that we stand with young workers in our union and communities. We know they are experiencing soaring rent, tuition, inequality, and the growth of precarious work among many other struggles. Our Young Workers Committee is very active in raising awareness and taking action on these issues - we're proud of the work they do and are excited for their future efforts! Check out the Young Workers Committee page to read their latest 'Shining A Light On' articles which focus on issues like mental health: https://www.seiuwest.ca/young_workers
This letter was written by SEIU-West member, Lyse. She was one of the lucky members to be selected as a delegate to the 2019 Prairie School for Union Women - you can read about her wonderful experiences below:
Prairie School for Union Women (PSUW) is something all women should have the privilege to attend. A strong objective of the school is gaining knowledge in many different areas, it is also a place where women support and raise each other up in a safe environment.
My experience started when I picked up a union sister in Regina. It was refreshing to connect with someone who was not only involved in her union, she was also very positive. Our journey continued to Saskatoon where we met the PSUW bus that would be taking us the school in Waskesiu Lake, located in beautiful Prince Albert National Park.
After checking in and meeting my roommate for the next four nights, we made our way to the community for dinner and the official opening of this year’s school. I was amazed to see many enthusiastic women of all ages and backgrounds.
The following three and a half days, I participated in the session “Women Speaking Up”. As someone who lacks confidence to share her ideas and speak up, this session was a great fit and allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and take part and something that I would normally avoid, Public Speaking.
At the end of each day I was able to connect with many of the participants along with participating in all that the location had to offer. From an interactive talk about bison, to a pontoon tour of some lakes and even the viewing of a yet to be released movie about the strike in Winnipeg that occurred 100 years ago. There was always something valuable to do.
The closing banquet was held on the last evening. It was great to see all the women participating and cheering each other on. It was a very emotional and an empowering evening. Besides my experience with Girl Guides, I have never seen an environment where women support each other at that level.
I thank SEIU-West for this opportunity. From the great arrival package provided to the great women I was able to meet from our union, I am truly appreciative. Moving forward I can’t wait to see the opportunities in learning, networking and supporting what SEIU-West has to offer.
Your Union Sister,
Lyse
Be sure to look out for 2020 Prairie School for Women opportunities!
Our Summer 2019 Member of Distinction is Brenda Coben!
Brenda is a long- time member of SEIU-West. She works as a Continuing Care Assistant at the Elrose Health Center. She is the current Unit Chair and does a fantastic job of representing and engaging her co-workers. She is also an important part of our member facilitator team who delivers our internal training program for SEIU-West members.
Recently, Brenda was approached by one of the current Elrose Town Councillors and asked if she would run in the by-election. Brenda was no stranger to community involvement as a former School Board Trustee and volunteering with the local Lioness Club but had never thought about being a Town Councillor. She credits her involvement with the Union, especially facilitation, for giving her the confidence to “give it a shot”. Not surprising to us, she was overwhelmingly elected in the by-election held March 27th and is already serving in this new role. Brenda will definitely be rolling up her sleeves soon because she was appointed to two committees at her first town meeting!
The town of Elrose will benefit from Brenda’s enthusiasm to branch out and learn new things. We are sure she will prove to be a great asset to the Town Council. Congratulations Brenda! We are proud of you.
Do you know a Member of Distinction? Email: [email protected].
SEIU-West is proud to recognize the vital role Unit Support Workers (USWs) and Unit Assistants (UAs) have on our health care team.
USWs, like SEIU-West member Indira, provide assistance to a Unit or Department by portering patients and residents, maintaining inventory, and ensuring the area is clean. They
ensure supplies are well stocked by both ordering and organizing supplies – this responsibility is crucial to the success of the provision of good care. Cleaning patient/resident equipment and disposing of unsanitary items is also required as health care environments must be as sanitary as possible to prevent infection. Indira especially loves interacting with patients and families from all walks of life – she appreciates the daily learning she gains from these interactions. It is clear USWs have a role that everyone in the Unit or Department relies on, and we can’t thank them enough for their incredible work on the health care team!
UAs, like SEIU-West member Wanda, are often the first people you see when members of the public enter a Unit or Department in a health care environment. UAs will greet you and answer the telephone when you call. They often book appointments and provide travel coordination for patients. UAs process physician orders as well, such as sending paperwork or filing requisitions. UAs are excellent multi-taskers as they perform many levels of clerical duties such as report distribution, the maintenance of various health care manuals, and data entry. They are regularly called to help with cleaning, ordering supplies, and portering as well. Wanda especially loves the clerking part of her job, and appreciates the work she does with to support doctors. Thank you for your daily efforts to ensure our health care environments are well taken care of!
In recognition of USW/UA week, we encourage you to participate in our contest! Tell us why USW’s and UA’s are important to you – email your answer to [email protected] by June 17 and you’ll be entered to win some amazing prizes:
- Frontier Days: Swift Current (sponsored by the SEIU-West Young Workers Committee!)
- 4 June 26th Passes: (Includes general admission, Fresh Air Cinema Dumbo Movie in the Grandstand)
- 2 June 28th Passes: (Includes general admission, Rodeo, Colter Wall & Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
- 2 June 29th Passes: (Includes general admission, Mini Chuckwagon & Heavy Horse Pulls)
- 2 rodeo Passes
- A large gift basket (pictured here)
- One of two $50 giftcards to Rock Creek Tap and Grill
SEIU-West is proud to acknowledge the incredible work of those who work in Paramedic Services as we recognize Paramedic Services Week May 26-June 1. Often, they’re the first to care for those who need emergency medical attention, and they do not take this important role lightly.
The Paramedic Services team works in a stressful and demanding environment; our members respond to calls that range from heart attacks to collisions – in every situation, immediate medical attention is required. It is therefore vital for those who work in Paramedic Services to function well under pressure and be highly organized.
Members who work in Paramedic Services must also have a reliable, supportive team. By working with partners, the Paramedic Services team can count on each other for assistance in providing a safe work environment, as care is being provided to the person(s) in need.
Our communities depend on those who work in Paramedic Services and their ability to ensure quick, calm and competent care under pressure. Thank you for providing such a fundamental service within the health care team!
It’s an honour to take a moment to show our appreciation for the thousands of front line members of the health care nursing team. While a whole team of professionals contribute to our health and well-being, during this week we recognize the nursing team.
On May 9, 2019, communities, organizations, and people around the world are joining together for the annual international day of celebrating and honoring Youth Workers on Thank a Youth Worker Day!
SEIU-West is proud to join the festivity of Thank A Youth Worker Day – we know how hard our members work to improve the lives of the youth they care for.
The dedicated SEIU-West members who care for our community’s youth and children often work in emergency or schools settings – their role is to ensure children and youth experiencing crisis situations are cared for in a home-like setting, or to provide personal care to students who require extra assistance. For youth in either of these situations, comfort and support is essential, and that is what our Youth Workers are trained to provide.
Our communities’ youth rely on encouraging environments to thrive, and Youth Workers help facilitate personal growth and empower youth to transition from dependence, to independence.
It is clear Youth Workers are vital to the success of our communities so please, join SEIU-West in thanking our incredible members who work as Youth Workers!
In celebration of THREE incredible assets to our team, SEIU-West is proud to recognize the health care providers and workers who work in Medical Laboratory, Administration, and Linen Services!
This week is Medical Laboratory Week, and we want to honour the work of those who work in the Lab as Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs) and Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLAs). Quality control is central for the work of MLTs and MLAs – cleanliness and safety are key. Troubleshooting and standardizing equipment are also an important aspect of a well-functioning lab. MLAs are responsible for specimen collection and pre-analytical specimen handling/processing. MLT’s are able to detect, prevent and manage physiological and pathological conditions. These steps are vital to ensuring a correct diagnosis and resulting treatment for the patient. Needless to say, MLAs and MLTs are fundamental to the health care team – thank you for your vast contributions to the health care team!
Administrative Professionals are a shining example of commitment to a working team. Communication and organization are what drives a good team, and Administrative Professionals are largely responsible for efficient and clear communication within our education, community based, and health care teams. These skills are a must for Administrative Professionals as they are often responsible for staff scheduling and for ensuring the team is running to its best abilities. Thank you for your incredible work, Administrative Professionals!
Members who work in Linen Services are critical for the functionality of the health care team – health care services rely on clean, sanitary, and on-time materials to ensure patients, residents, clients, and staff can function properly in healthy environment. SEIU-West also represents members who work at Canadian Linen & Uniform Service, one of the largest uniform rental and linen supply companies in Canada. They provide linen products to the automotive, industrial, hospitality and health care sectors so we know our members work hard every day to ensure these important industries get what they need – we can’t thank our Laundry Service Workers enough for their amazing work! 
Now let’s put your skills to the test! Enter to win the Medical Laboratory, Administrative Professionals, and Linen Services Week Word Search for your chance to win some awesome prizes:
- Rush Tickets: SEIU-West has 25 tickets to give away for the Saturday, April 27th Rush vs. the Colorado Mammoth game. This game is themed as “Heroes Night” so it’s a perfect way to recognize those who work in the Medical Lab, Administration, and Linen Services!
- Long Day’s Night Music Festival in Swift Current June 20-22: Celebrate four of the longest days of the year with great music and lots of fun under a big-top tent at the Long Day’s Night Music Festival.
- Regina Folk Festival Tickets and Saskatoon Jazz Festival Tickets: Regina Folk Festival is held on the weekend following the long weekend in August, and the Saskatoon Jazz Festival takes place June 21-30!
Enter the contest by April 30 (or April 25 if you want to go to the Rush Game!) for your chance to win! Send your complete crosswords to [email protected]
By Cameron R. Goodfellow, Registered Technologist Nuclear Medicine (RTNM) & Member of SEIU-West
By day I work alongside many of you in Saskatoon as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist. I recently became more involved with our
Union as a Shop Steward and I put my name forward to be the SEIU-West representative on the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) Pride and Solidarity Committee. In my spare time, I volunteer on the Board of Saskatoon Diversity Network (SDN), the group that plans the local Pride Festival in Saskatoon.
At the beginning of February, I had an opportunity to attend the Fierte Canada Pride (FCP) Conference in Ottawa. FCP is an organization of Pride Festivals across Canada from coast-to-coast-to-coast that hosts an Annual Conference. This year, Ottawa played host and also enabled Pride Organizations a day of meeting MPs on Parliament Hill to advocate and lobby for strengthening the role of the LGBTQ+ Secretariat. The conference itself consisted of panel discussions on various topics but a first for the FCP Conference was a panel discussion on the Role of Labour and Unions with Pride. Though very Ontario-centric, UFCW and OPSEU were invited to give presentations on how Labour and Pride are not separate entities. Rather, the rights for one are the rights for all.
The one takeaway that I want to stress is how important an annual conference like the FCP is. It is an opportunity for Prides to come together and share their experiences and you learn a lot of different things. Montreal actually has the largest budget in the country, Vancouver gets charged excessive municipal fees, and Saskatoon has one of the better relationships with police in the country.
Personally, I would love to see more involvement of Saskatchewan unions in Pride events this year. Saskatoon Pride Festival takes place June 14-22, 2019. Email [email protected] for more information.
Member of Distinction Spring 2019: Corrine Dale
It is always a pleasure seeing the compassion SEIU-West members possess each and every day; not only in the work that they do 
but in their private lives as well. They give back to their community in so many ways. We were reminded of that again when I was in Humboldt. Corrine Dale is an example of an everyday hero in SEIU-West. She donated a part of her liver to help a young boy whom she did not know or had any previous connection with. She only understood the need and responded with a part of herself so as to enhance someone else’s life. The courage this took is just another example of the kindness our members share in the community. The world is a better place because of Corrine. Thank You!