SAHO/SEIU-West Bargaining Bulletin (2nd edition) No. 20

Click here to download a printable PDF file of SAHO/SEIU-West Bargaining Bulletin (2nd edition) No. 20.

Date: January 18, 2021

Greetings Sisters and Brothers,

Between January 11, 2021 and January 15, 2021, SEIU-West members who work for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) or an Affiliate voted on the question of whether to accept or reject the tentative agreement reached between SEIU-West and SAHO.

Q&A No. 5: SAHO Tentative Agreement Information Sessions

Q&A No. 4: SAHO Tentative Agreement Information Sessions

Q&A NO. 3: SAHO TENTATIVE AGREEMENT INFORMATION SESSIONS

Q&A No. 2: SAHO Tentative Agreement Information Sessions

Media Release: Tentative Agreement Reached - SEIU-West Members to Vote

For Immediate Release - November 20, 2020

Tentative Agreement Reached – SEIU-West Members to Vote

Saskatoon – After over 1300 days without a new collective agreement, SEIU-West members achieved a tentative agreement (TA) with SAHO and the Employers late on Thursday November 19^th.

“Our members have been engaged and vocal and active in sending letters to decision makers and local papers; signing and submitting petitions to the government; holding physically distanced public #DoneWaiting demonstrations; and meeting with their MLAs (prior to the pandemic). All of these actions have made a difference in getting us to this point,” says Barbara Cape, President of SEIU-West. “Bargaining in the midst of a worldwide pandemic has been challenging. For the SEIU-West bargaining committee, ensuring the work our members do on the front line of this pandemic is recognized has been our priority."

President's Message: November 20, 2020

SAHO/SEIU-West Bargaining Bulletin (2nd edition) No. 19

Click here to download a printable PDF version of SAHO/SEIU-West Bargaining Bulletin (2nd edition) No. 19

Date: November 20, 2020

BARGAINING UPDATE

Greetings Sisters and Brothers,

Your SEIU-West Bargaining Committee was scheduled for conciliation talks with SAHO on November 16 and 17 together with Pete Suderman, the Conciliator appointed by the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety. These dates extended into November 18 and 19.

At the end of a number of late nights, we reached a tentative agreement that we will bring to our members for ratification. Details of the tentative agreement will be shared first with our members, before they are shared more widely.  

Unfortunately, because of the public health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we aren’t able to meet our members in their facilities. To ensure our members get an opportunity to review the contents of the agreement so everyone voting can make an informed decision, we are preparing the following:

• A document for members to review that will outline the changes and improvements.
• Numerous video conferences and virtual town halls to provide every member with ample opportunity to ask questions and understand the impact of the agreement.
• Multiple opportunities for members to meet the bargaining committee virtually to ask questions.

In addition, our voting process will be done electronically, rather than by paper ballot within the facilities.

We will have up to 60 days in which to complete the voting process according to The Saskatchewan Employment Act (SEA).

If you would like an electronic copy of the tentative agreement, please use the ‘contact’ link on SEIUWEST.ca. Provide your name, mailing address and facility so that we can cross reference you on our member database and we’ll send you an electronic copy.

There will be a number of questions along the way and we strongly recommend that members look for answers by attending our bargaining presentations or through the Member Resource Center (MRC) by phone 1-888-999-7348 ext. 2298 (or the contact form on SEIUWEST.ca) – we will not be answering questions through social media.

In Solidarity,

Your SEIU-West SAHO Provincial Bargaining Committee:

CHR: Janice Platzke (SEIU-West Treasurer) • FHHR: Brenda Berry; Donna Gallant • HHR: Colleen Denniss • SHR: Judy Denniss; Rick Brown; Carla Saworski; Kim Wyatt; Charlene Sarafin; • Staff: Bob Laurie (Dir. of Bargaining and Contract Enforcement); Russell Doell (Deputy Dir. of Bargaining and Contract Enforcement); Cam McConnell (Negotiations Officer) • President: Barbara Cape

Media Release: Take Politics Out of COVID

For Immediate Release - November 13, 2020

Let’s Take the Politics out of COVID

Regina – Today the Government of Saskatchewan announced they were introducing new public health measures to address Saskatchewan’s rising number of COVID cases. The measures are a patchwork of weak rules driven more by the political needs of the Sask Party than by science or the experiences of front line health providers.

Media Release: Strasbourg and Watrous Health Care Providers are #DoneWaiting for Fairness

For Immediate Release - November 12, 2020

Strasbourg & Watrous – Still in search of a fair collective agreement after over 1300 days, SEIU-West health care providers are showing their communities their frustration with the lack of progress in negotiations with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO). This is due to the Saskatchewan Party government’s refusal to fund a fair deal.