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Author Archives: Grain and General Services Union
WE’RE WORKING ON IT: GSU members receiving lower rate of pay than new employee in same job classification with less experience
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.
GSU CONVENTION 2021: Delegates to elect GSU president, two vice presidents, general secretary and the five-person board of the GSU Defense Fund
Delegates to GSU’s biennial policy convention will elect the union’s president, two vice presidents and general secretary as well as the five person board of directors of the GSU Defense Fund. Accordingly convention delegates who wish to be a candidate for any of these offices are asked to be guided by the following procedure approved by GSU’s executive Committee:
- Candidates for president, vice-president and general secretary must be delegates to the GSU biennial policy convention where the elections are being held and may be nominated by another delegate or they may nominate (volunteer) themselves for office and need not have a nominator.
- Candidates for the GSU Defense Fund board of directors need not be delegates to the GSU policy convention, but they must be GSU members in good standing. Candidates may be nominated by another GSU member or they may volunteer themselves for office and need not have a nominator.
- Since GSU’s 2021 policy convention will consist of in-person delegates as well as delegate participating remotely via a video link, the following election and voting process has been adopted for the 2021 GSU policy convention.
- Delegates to the 2021 policy convention who wish to be a candidate for an elected office(s) are asked to do the following:
– to announce their candidacy ahead of time,
– to identify the office(s) they are running for,
– to provide a brief bio, and
– to provide a photo of themselves.
Candidates who wish to have their information distributed to convention delegates ahead of time are asked to send their announcements and information to GSU’s Assistant General Secretary by email to Lynn@gsu.ca for arrival by March 10, 2021.
Candidate information received by March 10, 2021 will be circulated to all of the delegates in advance of the convention call to order on March 18, 2021.
- Candidates who do not announce in advance will still be able to declare their candidacy during convention on March 18 at 4:00 p.m., but they will sacrifice the advance opportunity to connect their information with delegates.
- Since the 2021 policy convention consists of in-person and video link delegates, all voting in the elections will be conducted electronically. This will allow instant and confidential tabulation of results.
- Beginning with election of president, the delegate chairing the convention session at 4:00 p.m. on March 18, 2021 will declare nominations to be open and will identify the candidates who have announced their intention to run for the office in advance of convention.
- The chairperson will ask if there are any additional candidates and will then ask each candidate to confirm that they are running for the office in question.
- Each candidate will be given an opportunity to speak to convention delegates for two minutes before the election process proceeds.
- If there is only one candidate for an office they will be asked to confirm their candidacy and, after ensuring there are no other candidates, the candidate will be declared elected by acclamation.
- If there are two or more candidates for an elected office there shall be an election in which delegates cast a secret ballot in favour of the candidate(s) they choose.
- In elections with three or more candidates for the position(s) in question the candidate with the lowest vote total will drop out of the next round of voting.
- An election will be declared once a candidate(s) has received fifty (50) percent plus one of the votes cast.
- The elections will be conducted in descending order starting with the office of president. The election for each office will be completed before moving on to the next.
WE’RE WORKING ON IT: members being asked to work outside Saskatchewan
GSU staff rep Donna Driediger is monitoring a situation where GSU members are being asked to work outside the province.
Interprovincial travel is permitted for Saskatchewan residents, but public health recommends limiting interprovincial travel, if possible.
If you need advice about how to handle a workplace situation, call your GSU staff rep.
We will work with you to find answers to your questions, recommend what course of action to follow, and find the solutions that work for you. Our contact information is available here.
Grievance update on storm stayed employees
On Nov. 9 a number of GSU Local 1 (Viterra) members were prevented from going to work as a result of a severe snow storm that affected communities in south west and west central Saskatchewan.
In response to inquiries from union members who missed work as a result of the snow storm, GSU intervened with Viterra management to urge use of pressing necessity leave to cover absences from work. After a couple meetings, Viterra declined to consider the absences as falling under pressing necessity leave. GSU commenced grievance action and the matter has now passed through Step 2 of the grievance procedure under GSU’s collective agreement with Viterra.
“Step 3 is the final meeting in the grievance procedure where yet another effort will be made to convince management to change their stance,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “If the situation doesn’t change at Step 3, the next decision is whether to send the grievance to arbitration by a neutral arbitrator.”
“Although this grievance has moved slowly it is still better than the alternative of accepting the employer’s word as final,“ Wagner said. “Amongst many other advantages, being unionized means employees get to challenge, question, and test their employer’s response to real life situations.”
“While not every challenge or grievance is successful, the net impact is to make the workplace a little more democratic and highlight issues that need to be addressed at the agreement renewal bargaining table,” said Wagner.
Further updates will follow.
Would you like to be a GSU Defense Fund director? Learn more here
GSU convention delegates will elect five Defense Fund directors
When delegates to GSU’s biennial conventions meet they elect five union members to two-year terms on the board of directors of the GSU Defense Fund.
The elected directors oversee the administration and investment of the GSU Defense Fund assets (current market value of $5.2 million) and set policy for payment of strike/lockout pay for union members engaged in collective bargaining disputes. The board meets three or four times a year (or more often, if required) to review the Fund’s financial position, investment strategy and other administrative matters. Most meetings are held via conference call or video technology and paid union leave is arranged for participation in the meetings.
Every GSU member in good standing is eligible to be a candidate for a seat on the Board of Directors, although three seats are reserved for members from GSU Locals 1 (Viterra), 2 (Viterra), 14 (Richardson) or 15 (Nutrien). Union members who represent their Local on GSU’s Joint Executive Council cannot also be a director of the Defense Fund .
Candidates do not have to be delegates to the GSU biennial policy convention where the elections are conducted.
“It is useful to have knowledge of financial markets, but the main criterion to be on the board of directors of the GSU Defense Fund is a commitment to support union members’ welfare and collective bargaining rights when they get into a dispute with their employer,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “Over the years GSU members have built up a sizeable resource to defend their interests, and the responsibility of Defense Fund directors is to ensure the money is managed well so it’s available when needed.”
Would you like to be a director on the Defense Fund Board?
GSU members who want to be candidates for the board of directors of the GSU Defense Fund are asked to notify assistant general secretary Lynn Woods by email to Lynn@gsu.ca.
Local 14 (Richardson), Local 15 (Nutrien) board members meet, receive Local updates, elect officers
GSU Local 14 (Richardson Pioneer) and Local 15 (Nutrien) delegates met separately via Zoom on Feb. 3 to elect the Locals’ representatives to GSU’s Joint Executive Council (board of directors). Reports on Local issues were also given.
In addition, Local 14 delegates had a preliminary discussion about preparing for agreement renewal bargaining this coming autumn and a late summer/early autumn delegates meeting geared to prepare for agreement renewal bargaining with Richardson Pioneer. Members at the Local 14 meeting also received an update on paid sick leave for employees age 65 or older. A decision on that matter is pending.
Congratulations to the following newly elected officers on GSU’s Joint Executive Council:
- Local 14 (Richardson) Jerid Clark (White City), Justin Shauf (Langenburg).
- Local 15 (Nutrien) Brian Cowan, Curtis Cousins, Lynn Shaw, David Jones.
Should employers be exempt from giving employees at least 24 hours’ notice of change to their work shifts? A copy of GSU’s submission to government officials is available here.
A copy of GSU’s submission is available here.
Should employers be exempt from giving employees at least 24 hours’ notice of change to their work shifts? GSU doesn’t think so.
GSU has submitted a brief opposing exemption of grain handling and milling companies from the application of section 173.1 of Part III of the Canada Labour Code.
Section 173.1 of the Code requires employers to give employees at least 24 hours’ notice of a change to their work shift. Since the improvement to federal labour standards came into effect in September 2019 the grain industry has been lobbying to be exempted from most of the employee-friendly improvements to the law.
“GSU, along with other unions in federal jurisdiction, has vigorously opposed any exemptions for employers,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “We’ve succeeded in backing the industry off on most of the exemptions they were seeking, but now it’s come down to section 173.1.”
“Requiring employers to give at least 24 hours’ notice of a shift change is just common decency, “ Wagner said. “Why should workers do all the bending and twisting to make good on the lucrative contracts their employers make with their business partners, such as the railways? It seems that all of the giving is done by the workers and all of the taking is done by their employers.”
GSU’s brief was filed on Feb. 3 with officials of the the Labour Program of Employment and Social Development Canada which administers the Canada Labour Code. A copy of the brief is available here.
Local 5 (Western Producer), Local 6 (Wild West Steelhead) collective agreements now available online
You can find these and all GSU agreements by hovering your mouse over the COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS tab in the menu at the top of this page.
Direct links to these agreements are available here:
The terms of recent tentative agreements have been incorporated in both these draft versions of new collective agreements. Both agreements are being shared with employer representatives for review and signature and, once the agreements have been signed, GSU will make collective agreement booklets for distribution to members.
All GSU agreements are available on our web page. If you have questions about your collective agreement, contact your GSU staff representative.
GSU Defense Fund ends year with new high
The Defense Fund is an important component of union members’ resources. The primary purposes of the GSU Defense Fund is to ensure and provide for the continued operation of GSU and to provide strike/lockout pay to members of GSU in the event they strike or are locked out.
The market value of GSU Defense Fund investments reached a new high-water mark of $5.2 million at the end of December 2020.
The overwhelming amount of the Fund is invested with RBC Dominion Securities. A cash account with Affinity Credit Union is also maintained to receive dues revenues.
The overall 2020 return on the investments with RBC was 5.36%. US investments far outpaced Canadian investments in 2020 at a 14.01% return compared to 3.54%.
At their most recent meeting in December, the Board of Directors authorized shifting the RBC asset mix from an approximately 60/40 split in favour of fixed income securities to 60/40 in favour of equities.
In March, GSU convention delegates will elect the directors of the GSU Defense Fund for two-year terms of office.
Would you like to be a director on the Defense Fund Board?
Learn more here.
If you are interested in applying or learning more about what the position entails, contact GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner at Hugh@gsu.ca.
Is there something you would like to see GSU doing differently? Submit your recommendation as a resolution to the GSU convention
GSU’s biennial convention is where important policies, plans, and changes are discussed, debated and implemented. If you have a suggestion or see something you would like implemented or done differently within GSU, let us know. Contact your GSU staff rep and they can assist you in preparing a resolution to submit to convention.
You don’t need to attend convention in order to submit a resolution.
Send your resolutions to us at gsu@gsu.ca.
ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVED: Access to personal family leave to attend to emergent situation
Bitterly cold weather created unanticipated furnace issues for a GSU member.
GSU staff rep Donna Driediger assisted a member who thought they were required to take a vacation day or use banked time off to deal with their furnace when it stopped working overnight. The already stressful situation was made worse when the member realized they had nothing left in their vacation bank and no banked time.
Donna directed the member to Article 13.9 of the Local 1 (Viterra) collective agreement which gives members access to personal family leave to attend to emergent situations requiring their immediate attention. This time is charged to the employee’s sick bank and allows them to prepare a plan or tend to the situation.
The member was obviously relieved to hear that when their furnace died, they were not also going to be out a day’s wages.
“Personal family leave can cover issues that are health related, family related, or anything of an urgent nature that you have to deal with,” Donna advises. “In this case it was a broken furnace. Another example could be learning you had a serious health issue and wanting to attend a session with a nurse practitioner to learn more or receive instructions.”
If you have questions about personal family leave or what may qualify, contact your GSU staff rep.
Contacting GSU doesn’t mean you are obligated to file a grievance. We will work with you to answer your questions, recommend what course of action is best to follow, and find the solutions that work best for you.
These services are provided to you as part of your union dues. There is no additional charge for assisting you.
Local 1 (Viterra) delegates, Local 2 (Viterra Office) executive members meet, approve salary schedule changes, and elect officers
GSU Local 1 (Viterra Operations/Maintenance) delegates and the Local 2 (Viterra head office) executive committee members have agreed to a proposal from Viterra management to make modest increases to most of the minimums and maximums of the salary structures in the collective agreements covering country operations and maintenance and Regina head office employees.
The increases to the minimum salaries in the Local 1 collective agreement range from 1.17% to 2.46% while the increases to maximums range from zero to 2.51%. In the Local 2 collective agreement, increases to the minimum rates of pay range from 1.06% to 2.16% and increases to the maximum rates of pay range from zero to 2.16%. The changes, effective Jan. 1, 2021, were proposed by Viterra following a market survey conducted by their HR department.
“GSU is not about to say no to improvements to rates of pay no matter how modest, but at the same time we urged Viterra to give every employee a wage increase of at least 2.0% effective January 1,“ said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “It was pointed out to management that the current so-called pay for performance system is grossly unfair and undervalues employees.”
“While making arguments for better pay in this situation, we are also aware that the collective agreement is not open for bargaining until the autumn of 2022,” Wagner said. “An examination of rates of pay shows there is a lot of work to do at the bargaining table and it will take a very strong push by GSU members to get rid of or reform the current pay system at the next round of bargaining.”
When the Local 1 delegates met on Jan.20 to discuss Viterra’s proposals, they also elected Jim Brown (Balgonie) and Gaylyn Kennedy (North Battleford) to be Local 1’s president and vice-president. Glenn Outram (Moose Jaw), Matt Denomie (Kindersley), and David Barrett (Gull Lake) were elected to the Local 1 executive committee.
GSU Local 2’s executive committee is comprised of Sheila Tran, Howard Wilson and Kaylee Kruger. They met and approved the changes to the salary ranges on Jan. 22.
If you have questions, contact your GSU staff representative.
WE’RE WORKING ON IT: New hire gets higher rate of pay than those already working in the position
GSU staff rep Dale Markling is assisting GSU members who filed grievances after a new employee was hired into the same position as the grievors, but at a higher rate of pay than existing employees at the location.
If you have a question about a workplace issue, call GSU
Contacting GSU doesn’t mean you are obligated to file a grievance. We will work with you to answer your questions, recommend what course of action is best to follow, and find the solutions that work for you.
These services are provided to you as part of your union dues. There is no additional charge for assisting you.
Local 6 (Wild West Steelhead) members vote to accept memorandum of settlement
Monday evening’s stormy weather made the journey to vote difficult, but Local 6 members came out in force to cast their ballots and ultimately vote to accept the terms of the Jan. 12 memorandum of settlement.
GSU staff rep Dale Markling has notified the employer of the results of the vote and he is preparing the new collective agreement booklet for distribution to members.
Thank you to bargaining committee members Amber Pearson, Pasha Mughal, Amanda Pearson, and Dale Markling for their hard work in reaching a settlement with the employer.