The GSU Local 4 (Grain Millers) and Grain Millers Canada Corporation bargaining committees reached a memorandum of settlement during their May 29 and 30 bargaining session.
Additional information will be available to members soon.
This information was sent to members by email on June 5. If you are a Local 4 member and you did not receive a copy of the email, we don’t have your email address in our database. Contact GSU staff Steve Torgerson at Steve@gsu.cato update your contact information.
On May 22, Local 4 members working for Grain Millers in Yorkton voted to reject the company’s May 13, 2019 Final Offer and to authorize strike action.
The Local 4 bargaining committee reached out to company representatives requesting both sides meet to continue negotiations.
As a result, the two sides will meet and resume negotiations on May 29 & 30.
Bargaining Survey (June 3 to 30, 2019)
A GSU survey is being developed for Local 15 (Nutrien) members to identify their bargaining priorities and workplace concerns. The survey will be emailed to Local 15 members in early June and will remain open for responses until June 30. Paper copies will also be distributed to work locations for members who prefer that method.
Workplace Visits (June 3 – 30, 2019)
GSU staff will visit Local 15 (Nutrien) locations in June. The main purpose of these visits is to start discussion about assembling bargaining proposals to present to Nutrien management when agreement renewal bargaining begins this Fall.
If you have any questions or concerns the location visits will provide an opportunity to chat with a GSU staff representative, you can also contact your GSU representative by phone or email if needed.
Local 15 Delegate Call (week of June 10, 2019)
In mid-June we will be asking GSU members in each Local 15 (Nutrien) Sub-Local to nominate delegates to attend a GSU bargaining preparation meeting this autumn where the bargaining priorities identified by members will be consolidated into a set of proposals to present to Nutrien management.
This delegates meeting will include round-table discussion for members of Local 15 to share and learn what is happening throughout the province and share thoughts, ideas, and concerns from their locations. Meeting delegates will also elect a committee to represent members and conduct agreement renewal bargaining with Nutrien this autumn.
Talk to co-workers in your location and Sub-Local about bargaining proposals, what is important in your workplace, and who will attend the Local 15 (Nutrien) delegate meeting and represent you this fall. Union leave with pay and expenses will be arranged for members who agree to serve as delegates and attend the autumn meeting.
Contact work with members of GSU Local 15 (Nutrien Ag Solutions) will get underway in the near future. Initially, GSU staff representatives will begin contacting union members to start the dialogue and identify agreement renewal bargaining priorities. The collective agreements between GSU and Nutrien expire on December 31, 2019.
Notice to bargain can be provided not more than 120 and not less than 60 days before the agreement expiry date. Members of Local 15 are urged to have discussions at their work locations and identify the top items they want GSU to take to the bargaining table with Nutrien this fall.
It is anticipated GSU will issue a bargaining priority survey to Local 15 members in addition to direct contact through meetings and location visits.
On May 17 members of GSU Local 16 working for Lake Country Co-op (P.A. and district) narrowly voted to accept an agreement renewal bargaining final offer from their employer. After the secret ballot vote was counted the employer’s offer was accepted by a majority of one vote.
The employer has been notified of the members’ decision and work to implement a settlement and renewal of the collective agreement will begin.
In the near future GSU’s elected officers will vote to elect a new director. Please let us know if you are interested in being a candidate.
Details are available, below.
Contact the GSU office in Regina if you are a member of GSU Local 1 (Viterra Country Operations & Maintenance) or Local 2 (Viterra Regina Office) or Local 14 (Richardson) or Local 15 (Nutrien) and you are interested in being a candidate to fill a vacancy of the board of directors of the GSU Defense Fund.
On behalf of union members, the board of directors of the GSU Defense Fund is responsible for overseeing the administration and investment of the Fund assets of $4.5 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.
The Joint Executive Council (board of directors) of GSU met in Regina on May 15 to review GSU’s 2018 audited financial statements, related financial reports, and other union business. In addition, Council members received a financial report covering union operations for the first quarter of 2019 and approved an operating budget estimate for the current year. Council also reviewed GSU’s donations policy, adopted an annual report to the members and discussed succession planning in relation to GSU’s leadership.
GSU’s Joint Executive Council is comprised of elected representatives from the union’s Locals. It is responsible for overseeing the administration and finances of the union.
The 2018/2019 annual report of the Joint Executive Council of GSU will be published on the union’s web site and be made available to union members in early June.
Saskatchewan will be offering paid leave to victims of domestic and sexual violence who require time off from work. According the government officials, the employees can use the leave to move, obtain support services, get medical help and attend court appearances.
The legislation has been passed and it is expected to take effect this month.
The change means employees who were previously entitled to take 10 unpaid days of leave can now take five paid days and five unpaid days off.
Justice Minister Don Morgan says he hopes the change means victims can get the help they need without worrying about money. The Opposition NDP has been pushing for the government to introduce paid leave for domestic violence victims and presented a private member’s bill last year.
To read more stories about the recent announcement check out these links:
If you are are a victim of domestic violence and need assistance, contact your GSU staff rep.
The right to strike is an important part of belonging to a union. Withholding labour is one of few options for an employee who is in a dispute with their employer.
Making the decision to strike against your employer is not made easily. And being on strike is something that is difficult to fully appreciate until you have been a member of a picket line fighting for something that was important enough you were willing to forgo the stability of going to work and receiving a paycheque.
GSU’s Solidarity Fund supports striking workers, and when GSU members have been on the picket line we have been on the receiving end of donations from other unions and supportive organizations. During the recent UFCW 1400 dispute with Saskatoon Co-op, GSU showed its support through donations of cash, food, and picket line support.
The strike has ended, and on May 16 we received a letter of thanks from UFCW 1400. In addition to expressing a sincere appreciation for support, the letter provides some insight into what it was like to walk on their picket line this past winter and how much it really means when picketers receive support from fellow union members and unions, like GSU.
“I remain impressed by the dedication of [UFCW 1400] members, who endured a lot during their bitter six-month strike as they picketed for issues that didn’t even directly affect them,” said GSU vice-president Michelle Houlden. “Those striking workers embodied everything we believe in as a labour movement and I am proud that GSU was able to send direct financial support, food and people to walk the picket line.”
You can read the letter from UFCW here or below.
Grain Millers Canada Corporation has made a Final Offer to Local 4 members following the negotiations with GSU Local 4’s bargaining committee on May 1-3.
This information was sent to members by email on May 16. If you are a Local 4 member and you didn’t receive a copy of the email, we don’t have your email address in our database. Contact GSU staff Steve Torgerson at Steve@gsu.ca to update your contact information.
This year’s camp will be held at the Shekinah Retreat Centre (near Waldheim, SK).
This popular camp empowers young people through learning. Young people aged 13-16 who are children of union members (like GSU) are eligible to attend. The camp is a fun, safe environment where campers experience active learning based on cooperation, equality, and social justice.
The camp always fills up quickly, so don’t miss out! Act now to save your camper a spot.
Contact your GSU staff rep to learn more about a GSU sponsorship for your camper or how to register.
Do you remember the feeling you got in the pit of your stomach when it came time for your teacher to hand out report cards? It didn’t matter whether you were expecting a good or bad one. You just weren’t entirely sure of what he or she thought of your work until you saw it in writing. The same is true of your annual performance review from your employer. Even if you are confident of doing a good job, feeling stressed out about it isn’t uncommon. After all, this single evaluation may have profound effects on your career.
Employers often base their decisions about raises and promotions on performance reviews (sometimes called employee evaluations or performance appraisals). They may even use them to decide whether or not to fire an employee. Truth being told, often many managers dislike performance reviews as much as you do. Most managers would prefer to offer regular feedback, but organizations often require formal reviews.
A performance review makes workers feel helpless because the person writing it wields a lot of power. His or her opinion of what you’ve done over the past year-not necessarily an unbiased account-goes into the report and therefore into your permanent file. While you don’t have a lot of control over this situation, you do have some. Having a strategy for dealing with the review will alleviate some of your stress and could even improve the outcome.
To read the entire article at the Balanced Careers follow this link: Mastering Your Performance Review
May 1 is celebrated in many countries as a traditional springtime festival and as an international day honouring workers.
If you are in Saskatoon, consider attending the May 1 at 1:00 p.m. ceremony in Friendship Park (19 Street E. (Spadina Crescent E.), Saskatoon).
Workers in the Regina area are invited to attend the May 1, 2019 May Day Parade in Regina. If you are interested in attending, join the line-up between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. at the Regina Union Centre (2709 – 12th Avenue, Regina.) At 6:00 p.m. sharp, participants will begin their march to the Legislative Building for a rally.
All of the membership meetings have been completed and the ballots cast to date by GSU Local 1 and 2 members on Viterra’s April 2, 2019 final offer have been tallied. The results of the voting are as follows.
Local 1:
59.53 percent of members who cast ballots voted to accept Viterra’s final offer. 40.47 percent voted to reject the final offer.
Local 2:
61.54 percent of member who cast ballots voted to accept Viterra’s final offer. 38.46 percent voted to reject the final offer.
The results of the vote are preliminary for GSU Local 1 since there might be one or two absentee ballots in the mail. Nonetheless, any outstanding absentee ballots will not affect the final outcome and the union bargaining committee will proceed to finalize a new operations/maintenance collective agreement based on Viterra’s April 2, 2019 final offer.
The results of the vote are final for GSU Local 2 and the union bargaining committee will proceed to finalize a new Regina office collective agreement based on Viterra’s April 2, 2019 final offer.
“Whether members voted in favour or against the final offer they engaged in workplace democracy that is unique to union representation,” said GSU president Jim Brown. “There were a significant number of votes to reject the final offer and that reflects the dissatisfaction members have with the Viterra’s pay system.”
“Even though the new collective agreements will be based on the final offer, GSU’s leadership team will continue to advocate and press for reform of the pay system,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “Thank you to everyone who participated in the vote.”
Questions? Comments? Contact your GSU bargaining committee representatives.
Every year on April 28, the National Day of Mourning commemorates workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards and occupational exposures.
Canada’s unions continue to call for better enforcement of related legislations. They also call on employers and governments to do more to prevent such fatalities from happening in the first place.
You can help by sending an email to your labour minister, calling on your government to:
• Enforce the laws that keep workers safe, including Occupational Safety and Health requirements in every jurisdiction and the Westray provisions in the Criminal Code of Canada.
• Focus on prevention. Investing in prevention the best way to save lives. Pro active inspections, a robust enforcement regime, strong health and safety committees, and a systemic approach to prevention are needed.
• Ensure meaningful worker participation in developing and monitoring the systems that will make workplaces safer. A strong, effective health and safety committee is a powerful tool for making workplaces safer and protecting the lives and health of workers.
• Punish the bad actors. When employers do not fulfill their duty to ensure a safe workplace, there must be consequences. Otherwise, workers lives will continue to be put at risk.
• Call on your federal counterpart to reinstate the previous, stronger definition of danger in the Canada Labour Code. The right to refuse unsafe work is one of the three basic rights at work in Canada.
Learn more and send your email here.
SOURCE: Canadian Labour Congress