A pensioner contacted GSU staff rep Dale Markling to find out how to change his pension deposit to different financial institution. Dale directed him to the pension plan administrator and provided a contact number to request the necessary forms.
Do you need assistance? No problem is too small. Contact your GSU staff rep with your questions and concerns.
Your inquiry will be treated with strict confidentiality. Contact information for our staff reps is available here.
There are major problems with partial privatization.
If 10% or more of a Crown corporation is privatized, the corporation will have to pay federal taxes.
Crown corporations that are fully publicly-owned are exempt from federal taxation.
Paying taxes forever should be discounted from the selling price – which means much less money to pay down debt or use for other public purposes. The current federal tax exemption means that more money stays in the province to serve the public interest.
Retaining 51% ownership of the Crown corporation does not mean that the public interest would prevail over the private interests of the minority shareholders.
As a matter of corporate law, the majority cannot oppress the minority shareholders by ignoring their interests, and there is a legal duty on the members of the board of directors to manage the company in order to maximize the return to investors, that is, profits.
The public interest is to provide services to everyone in Saskatchewan, regardless of where they live. For example, selling part of SaskTel would likely mean that rural and northern people would have to pay more than they do now for phone service, internet, etc.
SOURCE: OwnIt! Plebiscite on The Future Of Our Crown Corporations, “Frequently Asked Questions”
A member of GSU Local 15 (CPS) was notified that her job was being eliminated. Since the member was on maternity leave, the effective date of the position elimination was delayed until her maternity leave ceases. However, Article 24 – Position Elimination of GSU’s collective agreements with CPS Canada stipulates that employees whose jobs are being eliminated are entitled to 120 calendar days’ notice or pay in lieu.
In the particular circumstances of this case, paid notice or pay in lieu of notice could not be made until after the member’s maternity leave ends. The problem was that the notice of position elimination made no mention of paid notice or pay in lieu of notice. Upon being alerted to the anomaly in the notice of position elimination, GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner raised the issue with CPS management on several occasions but did not receive any response. As a result, he commenced grievance action on August 24 and the matter was resolved the next day. The member in question will receive her paid notice of position elimination or pay in lieu when her maternity leave ends.
“This matter was probably more about miscommunication on the employer’s part as opposed to a disagreement over the application of the members’ rights under the collective agreement,” Wagner said. “The grievance procedure was used effectively to make sure the matter was clearly resolved in a timely manner. A formal grievance is not a declaration of hostilities. As the outcome of this case demonstrates, it can be an effective means to assist in resolving workplace issues.”
Contact your GSU staff rep for assistance with questions or concerns.
A GSU member has requested clarification on the “Temporary Performance of Higher Duties” provision of their collective agreement. The employee feels they are performing duties that are above the job description set out for their position.
When employees are assigned to do duties that are above their job description, they are entitled to be paid the proper rate of pay for the period they are assigned to the increased responsibility. GSU staff rep Lawrence Maier is looking into the matter and will be communicating with the member before any further action is taken.
Contact your GSU staff rep for assistance with questions or concerns.
Your inquiry will be treated with strict confidentiality. Contact information for our staff reps is available here.
According to the second quarter portfolio report, the GSU Defense Fund had assets of $3.8 million invested with RBC Dominion Securities in addition to $317,000 in cash on deposit at Affinity Credit Union. Total assets currently stand at $4.117 million.
“This is a new high in terms of the market value of the Defense Fund investments,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “The main purposes of the Fund is to provide members with income support in the event they are on strike or locked out in a collective bargaining dispute and to defend the collective bargaining and union representation rights of GSU members.”
Each year since 1996 GSU members attending annual union meetings have voted to continue to pay additional dues of $10 per member per month into the GSU Defense Fund. Continuation will be voted on again at the fall 2017 annual meetings of GSU Locals and Sub-Locals.
If you are over 40 and able to celebrate an extra-long weekend, you may find you are more productive than usual next week. Research found that older and middle-aged workers show their sharpest cognitive skills when they work 25 to 30 hours a week.
Learn more here: People over 40 are way more productive when they work part-time.
An employee was told to take a client on a day-long customer service event. When the employee subsequently found out they weren’t being paid for the day and brought it to the attention of the company, it was suggested to the employee that a vacation day be used.
The employee contacted the union office for clarification and GSU staff rep Steve Torgerson is working to resolve the issue.
Contact your GSU staff rep for assistance with questions or concerns.
Your inquiry will be treated with strict confidentiality. Contact information for our staff reps is available here.
Editor: The following article from GSU legal counsel Ronni Nordal provides valuable information for GSU members
“Do I still have to hire her if she’s pregnant?”
Do employees still need assistance protecting their rights in 2017? You bet they do.
Recently I received a cold call (an inquiry from someone who is not a client). The person calling was a small business owner and before I could explain that I represent employees – not employers – he blurted out his question:
“Last Week I offered someone a job and sent them the formal job offer. Yesterday she told me she was pregnant. Do I still have to hire her?”
My response: “YES. To revoke the employment offer would be discrimination.”
This employer was adamant that he had been lied to, as during the interview he asked whether “there were any health conditions he should know about” and the potential employee replied “no”. The employer felt he had been lied to and should not have to hire the person.
Response from me: “If the potential employee had told you she was pregnant, would you have hired her?”
Employer response: “No.”
It may be 2017, but employees still need assistance in having their rights protected – particularly employees with disabilities.
Ronni Nordal, LL.B.
NORDAL LeBlanc Law Office
nordalleblanc.ca
When a stat or general holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday employees are entitled to a day off in lieu, such as the Friday before the holiday or the Monday following.
When a stat or general holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday employees who are required to work on the day as part of their regular shift are entitled to time-and-a-half for all hours worked – even though they get a day off work in lieu as was the case this year when Canada Day fell on a Saturday.
A number of GSU members working at the Viterra terminal elevator in Saskatoon (GSU Local 1) were assigned and did work on Saturday, July 1. They received Monday, July 3 as a day off in lieu. However, it appears the payroll system might not have appropriately compensated them for working on the actual stat holiday.
The affected union members contacted GSU and general secretary Hugh Wagner raised the issue with Viterra HR. After some initial communication back and forth, Viterra HR advised that it was going to review how the payroll system had handled the situation and any employees who were not paid in accordance with Article 22 of the collective agreement will have their pay adjusted. As this article is being written the situation is still being reviewed and a resolution is expected in the near future.
“It is always important for union members to assert their rights whenever they believe they are being short changed. The initial contact and conversation are essential to making sure employees receive the full benefit of the collective agreement bargained with their employer,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “One of the basic tenets of working in a unionized workplace is the right to union representation in dealings with the employer.”
Contact your GSU staff rep for assistance with questions or concerns.
Your inquiry will be treated with strict confidentiality. Contact information for our staff reps is available here.
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has issued a public condemnation against the recent violence in Charlottesville and confirmed that Canada’s unions stand in solidarity with the victims of this deliberate and hateful violence.
The CLC is calling on labour, community, political and business leaders, regardless of partisanship, to work together in solidarity to take on this challenge, and to help stamp out the hate, discrimination, and oppression being visited upon minorities and vulnerable persons here in Canada.
If you consider yourself to be a hat aficionado, we want to hear from you. Colour, style, rise … tell us what takes a hat from good to great.
Have a look at the hats on the website below and let us know what styles catch your eye. If you have design suggestions, send us those, too.
You can email your style preferences, favourite product numbers and other design suggestions to gsu.regina@sasktel.net.
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GSU staff rep Lawrence Maier is helping a GSU member prepare and file a claim with the Workers’ Compensation Board. The member contacted GSU for assistance after receiving the results of a hearing test and an audiologist’s recommendation that he file a sick leave claim with WCB.
Contact our GSU staff reps for assistance with company management, insurance companies, or government agencies like EI and Workers’ comp.
Your inquiry will be treated with strict confidentiality. GSU staff rep services are provided to you as part of your union dues and there is no additional charge for assisting you. Contact information for our staff reps is available here.
GSU staff reps regularly assist members who have been asked to learn a new skill or take on extra duties, responsibilities, or a higher-paid job.
“It’s great when your manager sees how valuable you are to the company and provides you with an opportunity to become an even more valuable employee,” said staff rep Steve Torgerson. “It can be a good experience if you go into it with your eyes open and clear expectations, so there are a number of considerations and questions that need to be answered before employees agree to take on extra duties.”
If you have been asked to take on new responsibilities, consider the following:
Whether extra goals are added to your expectations for the year or you are being asked to take on additional tasks or responsibilities, talk to your manager and have a written record of what is expected.
If you need assistance or have questions, contact your GSU staff representative.
GSU staff reps will answer your questions and offer advice so you can talk to your manager effectively. At your request, your staff rep can also assist by working with the company to ensure that your best interests are looked after.
Your inquiry will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. GSU staff rep services are provided to you as part of your union dues and there is no additional charge for assisting you. Contact information for our staff reps is available here.
Alix Rejean (CPS Moose Jaw) and Leon Martineau (Richardson – Maple Creek) will be at Mosaic Stadium to cheer the Riders on when they face the BC Lions on August 13.
Last week’s web page contest asked for your favourite vacation spot in Saskatchewan.
Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who played along and entered last week’s web page and Tuesday Members’ Memo Rider ticket contests. There were so many interesting and entertaining entries that we shared a few of our favourites below.
Watch your email inbox this week for a GSU survey. Complete the survey by the deadline date and you could be one of two lucky winners of two tickets to the upcoming Labour Day Classic.
Contest entries:
First summer jobs:
My first summer job was washing dishes at the local restaurant. The best thing about my job besides finally getting a pay check was all the free food I would get.
My first summer job was working for a farmer. There were two good things about this job. #1 – His tractor had a cab back in 1969. #2 – If I remember right I was making $4.00 per hour!
My first summer job was yard maintenance. My brother and I did it all, grass cutting (we would haul the clippings home and feed them to the horses), shovel the manure and sell it back to them for the gardens. Worked, sowed, weeded gardens and flower beds. Trimmed hedges and cut trees, raked leaves. The best part of the job was we didn’t have to learn anything as we did it all the time at home and we got to spend the summer together. Worst part of the job was having to work while your friends were out having fun in the sun!
My first summer job was working in a food booth at the Western Development Museum’s “Those were the days” in the summer. Worst thing about the job was the heat from the summer and the food being cooked in the booth. Best thing was eating the funnel cakes!
My first summer job was at the family farm sweeping out grain bins. The best thing about this job was that I got to work with my family. The worst thing about this job was that I had to work with my family.
My first ‘summer’ job was at the Hudson’s Bay Mining & Smelting Company (HMB&S) in Flin Flon, as an Electrician’s helper. This was in June, 1969 after high school. Pay was $2.34(?) / Hr. Pretty good wages at that time. Made enough to pay for the following year tuition at University, and residence, as well.
First summer job was roofing. Worst thing about the job was the heat; best thing was when it was over.
My first summer job was working as a waitress. The best part about it was the friends I made while working there, the worst part about it was cheap tippers lol
My firs summer job was working at a drive in, cooked food and served ice cream. The best part about it was that I got one free ice cream every day that I worked, and the worst thing about it was having to get a ride into work cause I wasn’t quite old enough to drive!
First Summer Job? Vet clinic
Best thing? Working with animals and learning about their anatomy
Worst thing? Washing surgical equipment/ livestock pens
Favourite holiday destination:
The best place to vacation in Saskatchewan is a little lake somewhere south nowhere. Its got it all, great fishing, a nice beach, wild blueberries, you name it. Unfortunately, not even free rider tickets could convince me to tell you what its called or where to find it.
A GSU member contacted GSU regarding an issue with benefits. The employee had given notice of termination, but in the week leading up to their retirement date they used their benefits for medical issues. The insurance company rejected the claims. Lawrence Maier contacted the employer and, after going through all of the facts, it was determined that all of the bills were for the period during which the member was still an employee. The correct payments were sent to the employee.
Make sure you take full advantage of your benefits before retiring or terminating your employment. Don’t wait until the last minute, as this can create problems. And for those with a Health Care Spending Account, don’t forget to claim what is allowed under the plan.
Do you have questions about retiring or terminating your employment?
Call a GSU staff rep.
Your inquiry will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. GSU staff rep services are provided to you as part of your union dues and there is no additional charge for assisting you. Contact information for our staff reps is available here.