Author Archives: Grain and General Services Union

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: Local 1 (Viterra) car loading and standby issues subject of meeting

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GSU president Jim Brown and general secretary Hugh Wagner are meeting with Viterra management on Aug. 10 to discuss issues related to on again/off again train loading directives and the strain imposed on country operations employees.

“It seems as though operations management expect employees to be at their beck and call to load trains that are seldom spotted when forecast. This happens all too frequently and we’re working with GSU members to come up with relief and solutions,” said Jim Brown. “This meeting is another attempt to find a fix and we’ll issue a follow up report.”

If you need some advice about how to approach management with a problem, don’t hesitate to call your GSU staff rep. No problem is too small and sometimes a brief comment, email, or meeting is all that’s needed to address a situation. Call us when you think there is a problem to be fixed.

 

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: GSU contacts employers, province regarding National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sept. 30)

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GSU contacts employers regarding National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

GSU has written to all of the employers of members of the union to ascertain whether they intend to adopt Sept. 30 as a statutory holiday to be known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. So far three federally regulated employers have confirmed that they will be honouring the new statutory holiday and applying it to their employees. Two provincially regulated employers have advised that they will not be adopting the new statutory holiday and several others have said they are studying the matter.

“In Canada we have a mix of federally and provincially regulated employers and sectors. It would be nice to have a single progressive set of labour standards, but such is the nature of Canada,” Wagner said. “We’ll keep pushing.”

Wagner urges province to adopt the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

In a meeting of the advisory committee to the Saskatchewan Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner urged the province to follow the lead of the federal government and adopt Sept. 30 as a statutory holiday called the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“I think such a day and the time for conversation and reflection with our Indigenous sisters and brothers is long overdue, so I urged the Minister to impress upon his colleagues the importance of taking clear steps to begin the work we all have to do,” said Wagner. “A commemorative day is a small, but important step.”

If you need some advice about how to approach management with a problem, don’t hesitate to call your GSU staff rep. No problem is too small and sometimes a brief comment, email, or meeting is all that’s needed to address a situation. Call us when you think there is a problem to be fixed.

Congratulations to our 2021 GSU scholarship recipients

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Our scholarship committee met last week to select this year’s GSU scholarship recipients. Congratulations to these five deserving students:

Joel George – $2,000 Dependent Scholarship
Taylor Quest – $2,000 Dependent Scholarship
Leah Weinkauf – $2,000 Dependent Scholarship
Mark Graeme – $2,000 Member Scholarship
Amy Martin – $2,000 Member Scholarship

Our recipients will be featured in an upcoming Tuesday Members’ Memo.

Thank you to GSU’s executive committee president Jim Brown and vice presidents Michelle Houlden and Curtis Cousins for reviewing the applications and selecting our scholarship recipients.

You can learn more about GSU scholarship program here.

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: Filing a WCB claim

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Staff rep Steve Torgerson is guiding a member through questions and the process of filing a WCB claim.

“We can assist with Workers’ Compensation Board appeals and other problems with claims,” Torgerson said. “Members should always feel free to call us when they have a question or concern, and that includes asking simple questions, too. There really is no problem that is too small to ask about.”

Call us toll-free at 1.866.522.6686 or 1.855.384.7314. Our services are provided to you as part of your union dues and there is never an additional charge for assisting you.

If you need some advice about how to approach management with a problem, don’t hesitate to call your GSU staff rep. No problem is too small and sometimes a brief comment, email, or meeting is all that’s needed to address a situation. Call us when you think there is a problem to be fixed.

Renovations continue at the GSU Regina office building

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The stucco work has come to a halt while we await the arrival and installation of new windows. Roughly 80 percent of the building has been covered in a scratch coat, with the final 20 percent awaiting window installation before the remaining scratch coat and stucco can be cleanly and precisely applied.

It’s been an interesting process, particularly when the aged wooden soffits were torn down. GSU staff watched dirt, straw, substantial dust bunnies, newspaper, and even a pair of old dress shoes fall past their windows.

Undertaking renovations during a global pandemic has proved interesting as manufacturers struggled to get supplies and keep their reduced workforces safe with COVID protocols, and that slowed down and sometimes stopped the flow of products. We remain hopeful that our window company is able to get our windows put together and shipped to us by mid-August so the stucco project can be completed by early autumn.

In the meantime, if you are missing your old dress shoes, let us know.

Too hot to work? Too cold to work? Here’s what you need to know about working in extreme conditions in Saskatchewan

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GSU members can face many weather-related challenges, whether it’s working in a confined space in the heat of the summer months or diving into frigid water in the winter.

If you work anywhere other than a climate controlled office, check out your employer’s policy on working in extreme conditions. Your employer may also post relevant workplace policies on an employee information board.

Information links on extreme weather and Saskatchewan workers are linked below. Check it out, but be aware that your employer’s extreme temperature policy may go beyond this legislation.

Legal overview of what covers whom
www.ccohs.ca – temperature_legislation

General fact sheets and Information for all workers
www.ccohs.ca – temperature

Information on thermal stress Canada Labour Code (Federal)
www.canada.ca – thermal-stress-work-place.html

Hot Conditions – Worksafe SK
www.worksafesask.ca – Hot Conditions Guidelines_2021_v3

Cold Conditions Worksafe SK
www.worksafesask.ca – Working in Cold Conditions-Fact-Sheet_v4

As always, don’t hesitate to contact a GSU staff rep if you have questions or need assistance.

Grievance action results in pay boosts for several GSU members working in Local 1 (Viterra)

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Persistence has paid off for several GSU members working in Viterra country operations and maintenance. They will soon see pay boosts as a result of GSU grievance action on their behalf.

The grieving members questioned the fairness of their rates of pay following implementation of the 2021 wage increase provided in the collective agreement between GSU and Viterra. Grievance action was taken and arguments were made in support of the affected employees’ complaints. And, while Viterra did not concede the merit of the grievances, the employer did conduct a local labour market assessment resulting in mid-year adjustments to the employees’ rates of pay. As a result the grievances were resolved/withdrawn.

“Each individual grievance on pay rates or pay increases brings its own set of facts to bear and this is what we work with to secure a better result for the member or members involved, ” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “These particular grievances were resolved and a couple of others are headed to arbitration.”

“A fair wage and recognition for employees’ labour is one of the pillars of being represented by GSU,” said Wagner.

If you need some advice about how to approach management with a problem, don’t hesitate to call your GSU staff rep. No problem is too small and sometimes a brief comment, email, or meeting is all that’s needed to address a situation. Call us when you think there is a problem to be fixed. Our services are provided to you as part of your union dues and there is never an additional charge for assisting you.

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: We’re hearing from GSU members having problems with vacation requests

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Summer is here and it’s vacation season for those who love to be out in the heat and sunshine. As is the case every year, GSU is hearing from members who are having problems booking or receiving their requested vacation time.

“Confirmation of your vacation approval is important,” said GSU staff representative Steve Torgerson. “Don’t just assume your leave is approved. If you haven’t heard back from your supervisor, be sure to follow up and seek approval – even if that means sending an email reiterating confirmation of your vacation request or saying unless you hear otherwise you will assume it’s okay to take the requested time off.”

If you are having problems with your vacation request, contact us toll-free. We’d be happy to help you.

If you need some advice about how to approach management with a problem, don’t hesitate to call your GSU staff rep. No problem is too small and sometimes a brief comment, email, or meeting is all that’s needed to address a situation. Call us when you think there is a problem to be fixed. Our services are provided to you as part of your union dues and there is never an additional charge for assisting you.

Congratulations to our Clear Bag contest winners

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Thank you to everyone who entered our stadium bag contest last week. Here are our five lucky winners:

  • Glenda Hunter-Craig (Viterra)
  • David Barrett (Viterra)
  • Heather Wiebe (Nutrien)
  • Mark Lannigan (Nutrien)
  • Tarah Buo (Viterra).

Hopefully there are many opportunities to give away and use clear bags as we get back out in the world and make some memories at concerts, sporting events, and more.

Stay well, stay safe!

Canada Day 2021 – What is the appropriate and respectful way to celebrate … or should we be celebrating at all?

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There has been considerable debate about Canada Day celebrations.

The tragic discoveries of unmarked graves at Canada’s Residential Schools sites has left many of us unsure how to appropriately and respectfully celebrate Canada Day, and if Canada Day 2021 is a day we should be celebrating. Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme’s shared his thoughts on the upcoming statutory holiday when he was interviewed on CBC’s The National on June 27.

“I would never tell somebody what to and what not to celebrate. You know, in 2021, we all inherited this. Nobody today created residential schools. Nobody today created the Indian Act. Nobody today created the Sixties Scoop. But we all inherited this. And if we want to say we’re proud Canadians, then we will accept the beautiful country we have today, and we will accept what we all inherited.

And what I would challenge is: Everybody on Canada Day in this country, if you say you’re a proud Canadian, read the Truth and Reconciliation ‘Calls to Action.’ Over 100,000 residential school survivors told their story – including my parents – and they created the Truth and Reconciliation ‘Calls to Action.’ Bring that into your personal life, your social life, your business life. And read the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls ‘Calls to Action.’ There’s 231 Calls to Action. If we can all own those a little bit in this country, in one generation we would overcome so many challenges today, that our next generation won’t inherit this. We will make them more as Dreamers.”

You can watch the complete interview with Chief Delorme starting at :36 in the clip, above.

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: Members seek union assistance to address unsanitary lunchroom issues

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When GSU members felt unheard and frustrated about lunchroom conditions that made them want to lose their lunch, they turned to the union for help.

The first step to solving a problem is to check in with supervisors and managers to bring the problem to their attention and request a resolution. Ideally, situations are met with a quick fix, a good reason why things are the way they are, or an agreement to find a solution. Other times, concerns aren’t acknowledged or addressed and it’s time to call the union for backup.

After problems remained and even worsened despite their repeated requests for action, GSU members contacted GSU staff rep Steve Torgerson for assistance with their nasty lunchroom. Torgerson filed a complaint with company management and is awaiting a response.

“A lunch room should be a clean and sanitary area where employees can take a break from work and enjoy their lunch,” Torgerson said. “Preparing and eating your lunch in a room that isn’t as clean as your physical work area is definitely a problem.”

If you need some advice about how to approach management with a problem, don’t hesitate to call your GSU staff rep. No problem is too small and sometimes a brief comment, email, or meeting is all that’s needed to address a situation. Call us when you think there is a problem to be fixed. Our services are provided to you as part of your union dues and there is never an additional charge for assisting you.

Office facelift underway at the GSU Regina office

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GSU’s Regina office is receiving some much needed work. The aging brick exterior needed some TLC and the options were to repoint it or change things up with stucco. The decision was made to do latter.

“The building is owned by GSU, and that means we aren’t paying a mortgage or monthly rental for office space and parking,” said GSU’s assistant general secretary Lynn Woods. “There has been discussion in the past whether it was better to rebuild, move to a rented location, or maintain the building we own. Ultimately, the benefits of the current office and it’s location made it desirable to do the needed upgrades and stay put where we are.”

As with any project, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right, and new windows will replace the wooden sliders now in place. The old flashing on the building was also cracking, bent, and failing, and stucco allows new flashing to be properly installed and that is welcome news as some water was starting to find its way into the building.

Regina’s Artistic Masonry & Stucco is busy doing their preliminary work in preparation for the window installation in August and the stucco application shortly after. It is expected the renovations will be complete by early autumn.

With COVID restrictions lifting we are able to welcome members back into the office again, so if you find yourself in Regina, drop by and see us at 2334 McIntyre Street. We’d be happy to show you around.

GSU’s executive committee meets, reviews recruiting process for staff rep vacancy, office renovations

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GSU’s executive committee comprising president Jim Brown, vice presidents Michelle Houlden and Curtis Cousins along with general secretary Hugh Wagner held a conference call meeting on June 17.

 The committee received an update on renovations to GSU’s office in Regina, considered proposals for donation requests, and covered other administrative matters including the process for recruiting a GSU staff representative to fill the vacancy created by Dale Markling’s retirement. Plans were also made for an in-person meeting of the union’s Joint Executive Council (board of directors) and a union education day in mid- to late September.

 Subject to approval by the Joint Executive Council, GSU will issue an advertisement of the staff representative vacancy in mid-August.

We’re accepting expressions of interest from GSU members wanting to become a GSU Defense Fund director

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The board of directors of the GSU Defense Fund  is responsible for overseeing the administration and investment of the Fund assets (currently $5.3 million). The primary purpose of the Fund is to provide income protection and assistance to GSU members who are engaged in a strike or lockout.

The board of directors meets three times a year by conference call and at least once per year in person. Time off work for directors to attend to Defense Fund business is paid for by GSU along with directors’ travel, meal and hotel expenses.

Members who are elected to the Joint Executive Council of GSU are not eligible for election to the Defense Fund Board of Directors. Of the five Defense Fund Directors, three are required to be from Local 1 (Viterra Ops/Maintenance) and/or Local 2 (Viterra Head Office) and/or Local 14 (Richardson) and/or Local 15 (Nutrien).

The current vacancies on the board are open to be filled by a GSU members in good standing who are employed in any certified GSU bargaining unit.

If you are interested in becoming a GSU Defense Fund director or learning more about the responsibilities of a director, contact GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner at Hugh@gsu.ca

Deadline for receipt of expressions of interest is July 30, 2021.

 

There have been staff responsibility changes at GSU. You can check them out here.

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The retirement of GSU staff rep Dale Markling has spurred a number of changes to staffing assignments and a redistribution of responsibilities for member service locations for the remaining staff.

A list of the current locals/sub-locals with locations and GSU staff assignments is available here.

It is anticipated that the vacant staff rep position will be filled in the autumn. In the meantime, GSU’s Saskatoon toll-free number has been routed to Regina and is still available for use by members. If you have any questions, contact us toll-free at 1.866.522.6686 or 1.855.384.7314.

GSU services are provided to you as part of your union dues. There is no additional charge for assisting you.