Author Archives: Grain and General Services Union

Mayo Schmidt named president, CEO of Nutrien

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The board of directors of Nutrien Ltd. has appointed Mayo Schmidt as president and chief executive officer effective April 18, 2021. Mr. Schmidt was serving as chair of Nutrien’s board of directors since May 2019. He had previously joined the board of Agrium in 2012.

Many GSU members will recall Mr. Schmidt’s tenure as CEO of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and then Viterra before departing after the Glencore takeover.

“Congratulations to Mr. Schmidt on being named to his new position,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “We look forward to a fruitful collective bargaining relationship with Nutrien Ag Solutions.“

More information is available here.

ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVED: Grievance secures severance pay for GSU member

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A GSU member is relieved after grievance action secured their right to receive severance pay from Viterra after a layoff of more than 12 months.

“I don’t think there was ever any doubt about the member’s right to severance pay of two weeks’ pay per year of service, “ said GSU staff representative Donna Driediger. “However, it took grievance action on behalf of this individual to close the loop.”

“It is not unusual for differences to arise in relation to interpreting and applying the terms of a collective agreement, and the grievance procedure is an effective means for resolving matters,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “Some cases take quite a lot of time to get squared away, but this case came to a successful close fairly quickly.”

“Know your collective agreement rights and engage GSU’s representation process to your best advantage,” Wagner said. “Quite often problems can be resolved without a formal grievance, but the process is always there if things can’t get settled informally.”

Contacting GSU does not mean you are obligated to file a grievance.

If you have questions or think there is a problem to be fixed, contact us. We will work with you to answer your questions and find a solution that works for you.

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

ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVED: Member to receive pay increase

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A GSU Local 2 (Viterra Head office) member received a position elimination notice on Dec. 2, 2020 with the 120-day notice period expiring on April 1, 2021. When the member inquired whether they would receive the salary increase that was effective Jan. 1, 2021, initially they were told they weren’t eligible for the increase. That’s when the member contacted the GSU office in Regina.

A quick intervention with Viterra’s HR Director by GSU resolved the matter in favour of the union member who will receive a salary increase retroactive to January 1, 2021, notwithstanding the fact that their last day of employment was April 1.

Sometimes a brief comment, email or meeting is all that is needed to rectify a situation.

Contacting GSU does not mean you are obligated to file a grievance.  Call us when you think there is a problem to be fixed and we will work with you to answer your questions and find a solution that works for you.

Car loading, hours of work issues raised at WESTAC roundtable

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GSU general secretary Wagner attended a virtual roundtable with Saskatchewan’s Ministers of Highways and Agriculture on March 31. The roundtable meeting was hosted by the Western Transportation Advisory Council  (WESTAC) and provided an opportunity for transportation industry players to present updates on current issues an update on issues from their perspective for the benefit of the two provincial cabinet ministers.

 Wagner used the opportunity to raise awareness about the pressure and sacrifice forced on workers in grain terminals as a result of shorter and shorter loading times for unit trains compounded by erratic railcar delivery service from the railways.

 “I thought it important to speak about the difficulties so many terminal elevator workers face when juggling their personal lives against the constantly changing demands around loading unit trains,” Wagner said. “With provincial government, railway and grain company representatives present, the roundtable presented a rare opportunity to acquaint those in suits with the practical effects of their management decisions.”

 “Change won’t happen overnight, but it is important to use every available forum to advocate for a better deal for the workers who make the system work. When business and government leaders speak of their desire for even greater efficiency in the supply chain they fail to account for the impact on workers, and one of GSU’s responsibilities is to set the record straight.”

 WESTAC is a unique tri-partite organization comprising the four western provincial governments, the federal government (via Transport Canada), business leaders in transportation and logistics, and labour unions representing workers in the industry. GSU has been a contributing member of WESTAC since 1978.

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: Bad weather has been leading to time loss isssues

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Weather-related work interruptions on March 29 have resulted in confusion for GSU members working in Viterra grain handling facilities as their employer has told affected employees to use banked time or vacation to cover missed work. Employees who have contacted GSU do not think the employer’s response is fair or reasonable, and GSU agrees.

“The wild storm that blew through parts of Saskatchewan on March 29 caused a number of GSU members to miss work or leave work early as a result of treacherous driving conditions,” said GSU staff representative Dale Markling. “In one instance the employer closed the facility, but the common problem is Viterra’s position that affected employees should dig into their overtime bank or vacation time to cover the lost hours.”

“GSU doesn’t agree that it is right or reasonable for employees to be penalized for events beyond their control,” Markling said. “We will be arguing that Viterra should absorb the cost of the lost time and charge same to pressing necessity leave.”

A similar situation arose in November 2020 and GSU has an executive grievance going to arbitration over the question of using pressing necessity leave under the collective agreement between the union and Viterra. Dates for the arbitration are being scheduled.

Did you experience time loss as a result of the March 29 storm?

Members working for any of our employers who were hit with time loss as a result of the March 29 storm are urged to contact GSU  to provide the details of their situation.

April 7, 2021 is the day the average Canadian female worker’s earnings since Jan. 1, 2020 match their male co-worker’s earnings for the 2020 calendar year

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It’s finally here. April 7 is Equal Pay Day in Canada

 April 7, 2021 is the day the average Canadian female worker’s earnings since Jan. 1, 2020 match their male co-worker’s earnings for the 2020 calendar year. You read that correctly. On average, it takes Canadian women an extra three months and seven days to earn what the average Canadian male made in a year doing similar work.

The numbers don’t lie, and they are appalling.

Today – in 2021 – women overall make 75¢ for every dollar made by men. That gap is even wider for women who fall into the marginalized groups.

According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation,  the following is how, on average, different women fare compared to white men born in Canada:

  • Indigenous women make $0.65 for every dollar,
  • women living with a disability earn $0.54,
  • racialized women make $0.67, and
  • women who are new to Canada make $0.71 compared to men who are also new to Canada.

Wage discrimination is real. 
Equal work deserves equal pay. 
It’s common sense.

GSU’s Joint Executive Council has released its 2020/2021 report to members

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The 2020/2021 Annual Report to GSU members by the union’s Joint Executive Council (board of directors) is available to be read and downloaded.

The Annual Report contains important information for GSU members about the business of your union, including the 2020 audited financial statements. 

“GSU prides itself on practicing democracy and transparent administration on behalf of the union’s members,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner.

Members can receive a hard copy of the Annual Report by contacting GSU at 1.866.522.6686 or by sending an email to gsu@gsu.ca .

If you have questions, comments or concerns about this report, don’t hesitate to contact a Joint Executive Council member
or your GSU staff representative.

Understanding aggregate salary increases at Viterra and Nutrien

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By GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner

Around this time each year, GSU receives numerous contacts from union members working for Nutrien and Viterra complaining that they received a salary increase that is lower than the X percent aggregate salary increase referred to in the collective agreements with their employer. 

While employees are justifiably upset that their salary increases are too low, it is important to remember that the collective agreements with Nutrien and Viterra refer to aggregate  salary increases of X percent.  

What this means is that the overall total salary increase must be the agreed upon percentage of payroll, but it does not mean that each individual employee will receive a salary increase equal to that percentage figure.

For example:

Imagine a work unit in which there are two employees and the employees in the unit are promised an aggregate salary increase of 2 percent. In this example employee “A” receives a salary increase of 3 percent and employee “B” receives a salary increase of 1 percent. While each employee received a salary increase different than 2 percent, the aggregate salary increase of the two-employee unit in this example is 2 percent (i.e. 3 + 1 divided by 2 = 2%).

This is one of the numerous bad features of the so-called pay for performance system that came as a plague on Viterra employees in 2008 and was adopted by Nutrien in 2013. GSU’s leadership vigorously warned about this negative feature of Viterra’s bargaining proposals and final offer at the time of the 2008 collective bargaining dispute and strike at Viterra.

In the absence of sufficient support to maintain the strike action commenced by Local 2 members of Viterra’s Regina head office, and a handful of Local 1 Viterra Operations and Maintenance members, GSU was not able to block the incursion of the so-called pay for performance pay system and its aggregate salary increase. Since then, GSU has proposed to end the unfair system whenever bargaining with Nutrien and Viterra, but so far we’ve not succeeded.

One day we will reform this broken pay system, but only if union members band together and make it a priority they are prepared to fight for, even if that means walking the picket line until the job is done.

The Saskatchewan government introduced a three-hour leave for employees to get COVID-19 vaccination

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The Government of Saskatchewan announced that effective March 18, 2021, workers are entitled to three consecutive hours leave during work hours  to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Workers do not lose any pay or other benefits while receiving their first COVID-19 vaccination.

Contact your GSU staff rep if you are experiencing difficulty receiving time off work to get your vaccination.

GSU CONVENTION UPDATE: Delegates make the best of new convention format to take care of union business

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GSU delegates gathered in Regina and online March 18 and 19 to participate in GSU’s 14th biennial policy convention. The convention was originally scheduled for March 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While GSU conventions are known for being in person, highly interactive and social, this year’s convention observed government regulations for gatherings with an option for delegates to participate via Zoom if they preferred. The usual getting-to-know-you session, educational component, banquet and accompanying social were set aside this year in favour of a lean agenda which strictly addressed required business and kept meeting time to a minimum.

Delegates made the best of the new convention format by patiently and diligently working through the business of the union, including approval of the Joint Executive Council’s annual report* to members, the union’s audited financial statements, and a budget estimate for 2021. A wide variety of resolutions were also considered and approved, and election of GSU’s top officers and five directors to GSU’s Defense Fund took place. Serving GSU members for the next two years are:

President – Jim Brown
Vice Presidents – Curtis Cousins / Michelle Houlden
General Secretary – Hugh Wagner
Defense Fund Directors – Wilfred Harris, Barb Healey, Doug Kampman, Darryl Knelsen, and Sheldon Reiss.

“The conditions for holding a convention were unusual and they made things cumbersome to say the least,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “We played the cards we were dealt and it wouldn’t have been possible to conduct the essential business of GSU without the patience, participation, and support of the convention delegates.”

“We are looking forward to a return to our familiar convention format in 2023.”

*The Annual Report of the Joint Executive Council with accompanying audited financial statements is being prepared for distribution to GSU members. Contact your GSU staff rep if you would like additional details about the work accomplished at GSU’s convention.

GSU convention delegates gather in person, via Zoom to debate resolutions, approve reports, and tend to union business

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GSU delegates gathered in Regina and online March 18 and 19 to participate in GSU’s 14th biennial policy convention

The convention was originally scheduled for March 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While GSU conventions  are known for being in person, highly interactive and social, this year’s convention observed government regulations for gatherings with an option for delegates to participate via Zoom if they preferred. The usual getting-to-know-you session, educational component, banquet and accompanying social were set aside this year in favour of a lean agenda which strictly addressed required business and kept meeting time to a minimum.

Delegates made the best of the new convention format by patiently and diligently working through the business of the union, including approval of the Joint Executive Council’s annual report* to members, the union’s audited financial statements, and a budget estimate for 2021. A wide variety of resolutions were also considered and approved, and election of GSU’s top officers and five directors to GSU’s Defense Fund took place. Serving GSU members for the next two years are:

President – Jim Brown
Vice Presidents – Curtis Cousins / Michelle Houlden
General Secretary – Hugh Wagner
Defense Fund Directors – Wilfred Harris, Barb Healey, Doug Kampman, Darryl Knelsen, and Sheldon Reiss.

“The conditions for holding a convention were unusual and they made things cumbersome to say the least,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “We played the cards we were dealt and it wouldn’t have been possible to conduct the essential business of GSU without the patience, participation, and support of the convention delegates.”

“We are looking forward to a return to our familiar convention format in 2023.”

*The Annual Report of the Joint Executive Council with accompanying audited financial statements is being prepared for distribution to GSU members. 

Contact your GSU staff rep   if you would like additional details about the work accomplished at GSU’s convention.

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: GSU files executive grievance challenging denial of sick leave benefits to employees age 65+

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March 16, 2021 TMM

GSU has filed an executive grievance challenging Richardson Pioneer over the denial of sick leave benefits to employees age 65 or older.

The grievance was filed with company representatives on March 10 and a grievance meeting will be held on April 8 or 9.

“Paid sick leave has always been an important benefit and should be available to every employee regardless of age or other restrictive criteria,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “In my opinion, denial of sick leave on the basis of age is a violation of the “no discrimination” provisions of the collective agreement as well as human rights legislation.”

“GSU will present its position to Company management at the April grievance meeting and I’m hopeful that we can sort this out relatively quickly,” Wagner said. “If the matter isn’t resolved through the grievance procedure, arbitration is the next stage.”

Updates will be reported as the grievance moves forward.

March 9, 2021 TMM

An inquiry from a member of Local 14 (Richardson Pioneer) led GSU to dig into the issue of paid sick leave benefits for employees who are age 65 or older.

 “Our position is that anyone who continues working under a GSU collective agreement that provides for paid sick leave benefits should have access to the benefits regardless of age,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “In this instance there is some old language about sick leave payments not continuing past normal retirement age, but there isn’t a normal retirement age any longer and there hasn’t been one for years.”

GSU has raised this matter with the employer and will be pursuing grievance action if the matter cannot be resolved through discussion. GSU is also reviewing other employers’ policies to determine whether the same issue is present elsewhere.

Identifying problems as soon as they arise benefits everyone.  Contact GSU  when you think there is a problem to be fixed.

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: Boot inspections, Local 1 (Viterra)

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Some Local 1 (Viterra) members have been the subject of employer boot inspections to assess the quality of their boots for working on concrete and snow. After the inspection, members are advised of boot options and how much extra they can expect to spend over the $175 boot allowance outlined in the collective agreement in order to get new boots. 

From what we understand, none of the new boot options from the employer are priced within range of the current boot allowance.

GSU staff rep Donna Driediger has reached out to the employer requesting confirmation of what happens next when an FOM or AOM advises an employee that their boots should be upgraded. Specifically, Driediger has asked whether a new pair of boots will be supplied, if an additional boot voucher will be issued to employees, or if a top-up for boots can be expected by Local 1 members who have been advised their boots are not meeting the mark. 

Happy International Women’s Day!

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#ChooseToChallenge

A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.
Let’s all choose to challenge.
How will you help forge a gender equal world?
Celebrate women’s achievements. Raise awareness against bias.
Take action for equality.

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

Learn more here.

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: GSU members receiving lower rate of pay than new employee in same job classification with less experience

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GSU is assisting a number of GSU members who are receiving a lower rate of pay than a new employee in the same job classification with less experience. The actions on behalf of the senior GSU members in question is based on the principles of equity and fairness and seeks to raise the senior employees’ rate of pay. In fulfilling pay equity principles an employer cannot reduce higher paid employees’ pay in order to reach an equitable standard. 

 Actions in favour of pay equity and fairness are possible for GSU members without a lot of red tape and complicated processes as a direct benefit of union representation and a collective agreement.

Identifying problems as soon as they arise benefits everyone. Contact your GSU staff rep when you think there is a problem to be fixed.