Category Archives: general interest – GSU members

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: Questions about lunch break arrangements

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We're working on it!

If you’re unsure whether a concern is too small to reach out about, don’t hesitate to contact us. GSU staff reps are here to assist with a wide range of questions, big and small. For example, you can call us to help clarify your lunch break arrangements.

“Depending on which employer you work for, your collective agreement may specify different setups for breaks, such as being paid for lunch if you’re available at your desk, taking lunch nearby to return to work if needed, or heading offsite,” said GSU staff rep Donna Driediger. “There are a number of variables to consider and if you aren’t sure about your situation, call us and we can help sort things out.”

GSU is there when you need backup. Contacting GSU does not mean you are obligated to file a grievance. Our services are provided to you and paid for by your union dues. There is never an additional charge for assisting you and there is no limit on the times you can seek advice or assistance.

Thank you to every GSU member who voted in our Oct. 28 provincial election

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Thank you to all our GSU members who voted in this year’s provincial election on October 28, 2024. Your participation shows the power and influence we have as union members when we make our voices heard in our communities.

This year, GSU has focused on encouraging political involvement, recognizing that our collective actions in politics help shape the future for working people. Through articles and stories in our Tuesday Members’ Memo and here on our website (below), we’ve shared insights into the importance of engaging with candidates, understanding the issues, and learning how to cast your vote. Our recent guide aimed to help members speak with their candidates, get clear answers to their questions, and navigate the voting process easier. I hope these resources have helped you feel more informed and at ease when voting.

GSU is nonpartisan and does not support any political party. Our focus is on encouraging our members to identify issues that affect workers and participate in the political process.

In solidarity,

Political Engagement (and why it’s important)

 

What is Political Engagement?

Political engagement is simply being involved in decisions that affect your community, country, or workplace. It’s easier than it sounds, and you’re probably already doing it. For example, when you vote in elections, whether it’s for government leaders or representatives in your union, you’re helping to choose the people who make important decisions and set policies that affect your life and work. If you’ve ever shared your opinion about a local issue or signed a petition, that’s political engagement, too.

It’s really just about speaking up and taking part in shaping the world around you.

Why GSU Members Should Engage in Politics

As a unionized worker and a Grain and General Services Union (GSU) member, you are part of a powerful collective that can shape your workplace and the political landscape in your city, province, and country. GSU is a democratic organization that thrives on member engagement and participation—just as our society does. Your voice as a worker carries significant weight in municipal, provincial and federal politics, and your involvement and political engagement helps ensure that the values and priorities of working people¾just like you¾are upheld by the leaders who represent you and all of us.

Political engagement by workers is really important because the decisions made by governments directly impact the rights, safety, and well-being of workers and their families. By actively participating in politics, you can advocate for candidates who will champion unions, support collective bargaining, and advance public policies that protect workers and their families.

How to Talk to Candidates

When engaging with political candidates, it’s important to ask the right questions and listen carefully to their answers. Here are some practical tips to help you get the most out of your conversations with candidates on worker issues:

Do Your Research

Before meeting a candidate, find out their track record on labour issues. Have they supported or opposed legislation that affects workers? What is their stance on unions and collective bargaining?

Ask Direct Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask specific questions, such as: “What is your position on collective bargaining?” or “If elected, how will you support workplace safety and workers’ rights?”

Look for Consistency

Pay attention to whether a candidate’s past actions align with their promises. A strong supporter of unions and working people will have a track record that matches their words.

Attend Town Halls and Debates

These events offer a great opportunity to see how candidates handle questions and interact with voters. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or voice your concerns.

Discuss Union Goals

Grain and General Services Union has clear goals and values that benefit from strong political support. Make sure the candidate understands the key aims of trade unions, like GSU, as they represent the interests of working people. Ask the candidate how they plan to promote or protect these goals:

  • Protecting Workers’ Rights
    Ensuring that workers are treated fairly, and their legal rights are respected in the workplace.
  • Collective Bargaining
    Ensuring unions can negotiate with employers for better wages, benefits, working conditions, and job security.
  • Improving Working Conditions
    Advocating for a safe, healthy, and respectful work environment.
  • Ensuring Job Security
    Fighting for protections against unfair dismissals, layoffs, and promoting stable employment.
  • Promoting Equality
    Ensuring equal opportunities and fairness in pay, promotions, and treatment for all workers regardless of gender, race, or background.
  • Advocating for Worker-Friendly Legislation
    Lobbying for laws and policies that benefit workers, such as minimum wage increases, better safety regulations, or healthcare access.

Evaluate Their Commitment

After hearing their answers, do your research, talk to other candidates, and evaluate how each candidate measures up to your priorities.

GSU delegates attend Sask. Federation of Labour convention in Saskatoon

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Our GSU delegates are attending the 2024 SFL convention in Saskatoon from October 23-25. So far, they have been taking part in reports and some important discussions, including talks on worker solidarity, fighting privatization, and 50 years of occupational health and safety in Saskatchewan. Day Two is ending shortly, and convention highlights to this point have included addresses from Lily Chang of the Canadian Labour Congress and Carla Beck, Sask. NDP Leader, along with a special tribute to workers who were killed on the job.

WE’RE WORKING ON IT: Prioritizing family during trying times

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A collective agreement helps balance work and your life away from work, ensuring you can prioritize your family in trying times.
 
GSU staff rep Donna Labelle recently assisted a member who was navigating compassionate care leave while caring for a critically ill family member. After the family member’s passing, Donna helped to ensure the member was able to transition seamlessly to bereavement leave.
 
Having the terms and conditions of your employment in a legally binding agreement gives you the support you need to put your family first, knowing you can balance work and personal life in good and trying times.
 
“We help GSU members bargain strong collective agreements. Make sure you are familiar with your collective agreement so you are aware of the provisions available to you,” Labelle said. “When it’s time for collective agreement renewal, it’s important to participate in the bargaining process to preserve, enhance, and strengthen it.”

Questions for your political candidate

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As the provincial and municipal elections approach, it’s important to be prepared when candidates come to your door asking for your support. Engaging with them gives you an opportunity to ask questions that matter to you, your family and your community. Informed voting is a cornerstone of democracy, and asking the right questions ensures that the issues most important to you are addressed.

To help prepare for these conversations, we’ve provided a list of questions in the attached document. We’ve focused on topics such as workers’ rights and other key concerns. However, we encourage you to think about additional questions that reflect your own priorities and make notes in the attached document, so you’re ready to engage and you don’t miss asking an important question when candidates arrive at your door.

A bargaining survey has been sent to our Local 15 (Nutrien) members

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The Local 15 Board of Delegates has been rolling out their plan to maximize member engagement as we near serving notice to bargain with their employer, Nutrien Ltd.

A bargaining survey has been sent to members, asking them to provide information about their workplace, its conditions, and compensation issues. If you didn’t receive your copy of the survey, contact Mason@gsu.ca

Contact: Mason Van Luven (bargaining co-spokesperson/GSU staff).

GSU’s governing body meets, reviews financials and policies

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As the union’s governing body between policy conventions, the Joint Executive Council meets in person twice each year. On Sept. 19 they met in Regina, SK where they discussed financial reports, addressed unexpected expenses, and emphasized the importance of careful budgeting for future events. Attendees received the General Secretary’s report and they reviewed past meeting minutes and draft policies—including a resolution to the membership regarding continuation of the additional Defense Fund dues at their current rate.

The upcoming 2025 GSU biennial policy convention was a focal point, with a call for involvement and member resolutions.

GSU remains committed to responsible financial planning, organizing efforts, and ongoing member service and training initiatives.

If you have questions about the Joint Executive Council, contact GSU general secretary Steve Torgerson.

Level 2 Shop Steward Training

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We’re building strong leaders with our Level 2 Shop Steward training

The role of shop stewards in unionized workplaces is an important one. In addition to providing a union presence among members, they also help ensure that issues are addressed promptly.

When GSU shop stewards are onsite they are the first point of contact for workers, addressing concerns and ensuring rights are upheld. While union staff are also available to provide support and guidance, shop stewards are the ones on the ground, directly representing members and fostering communication between workers and management.

If you have previously attended our new officer training and are interested in our Level 2 training, contact us at GSU@gsu.ca to learn more or to register.

 Details

WHEN: GSU Level 2 Steward Training – November 7 & 8, 2024 [9:00 a.m. Nov. 7 start | 3:30 p.m. Nov. 8 end]

WHERE: Saskatoon, SK [location to be determined].

WHO: Officers who have attended the new officer training are invited to apply to attend and will be given priority for enrollment. Other officers who are interested are also encouraged to apply.

OVERVIEW: This two-day training session is designed to deepen your understanding of collective agreements and equip you with practical skills to support your Local.

Participants will learn how to read and interpret a collective agreement, identify potential contract violations, and gain confidence in engaging in tough conversations with both members and managers. You’ll also explore the grievance process and discover how enforcement of the collective agreement ties directly to bargaining. By the end of this course, you’ll be ready to serve as an early warning system for your members and Local by spotting and addressing issues before they escalate.

Regular expenses covered. Meals will be provided or the usual GSU meal expenses provided.

AEA/GSU Local 8 members vote to accept company’s final offer

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On Sept. 12, after 26 days of steadfast picketing, AEA/GSU Local 8 members ratified their new collective agreement.

 

Our members never wavered in their commitment to the cause, even when faced with a callous employer. During this strike, they discovered their true allies—the ones who stood beside them on the picket line, walking with them in solidarity. These are defining moments, and we’ll always remember those who stood by us. We will be there for you, just as you were for us. Your fight is our fight.

 

“Strikes aren’t just about getting everything we demand—they’re about standing up for what’s right. When employers don’t respect their workers, workers push back,” said GSU general secretary Steve Torgerson. “Employers rely on the labour and skills of their workforce to generate profits and keep their companies running. GSU members have the power to withdraw their work, and we will be here to support them whenever they do.”

 

Thank you to bargaining committee members Doug Murray, Doug Kampman and Scott Weisenberger for their strong leadership throughout the entire process.

AEA/GSU Local 8 initiates Strike Action against Advance Tank after failed negotiations

Aug. 8, 2024

(L-r) GSU Local 8 executive member Doug Kampman, GSU president Jim Brown, and ILWU president Rob Ashton on the picketline in Regina.

Following extensive negotiations and mediation efforts between the union, Advance Employee Association/Grain and General Services Union Local 8 (AEA/GSU), and the employer, Advance Tank Production Ltd./Advance Tank Centres Ltd. (Advance), members of AEA/GSU Local 8 walked off the job on Aug. 8, initiating strike action.

Negotiations began in January 2024. Despite numerous attempts to engage the employer in respectful and productive bargaining, the company consistently failed to honour its commitments. As a result, the members of AEA/GSU Local 8 voted unanimously in favour of strike action, with 100% of the over 75 members authorizing the strike.

AEA/GSU Local 8 members are now on the picket line to voice their frustration and demand basic respect, fair pay, and adequate benefits. These dedicated workers have remained loyal through the company’s bankruptcy and tough times. Now that the company is performing better, they deserve a fair deal.

“We approached negotiations with an open mind, and the company initially agreed to discuss issues and solutions in the months leading up to formal negotiations,” said Doug Murray, President of AEA/GSU Local 8 and a member of the bargaining committee. “However, we were met with mixed messages, contradictory answers, and a lack of genuine intent to reach an agreement. It became clear that the company did not want to negotiate in good faith.”

“We aren’t seeking to regain all that we have lost during the past tough times,” Murray continued. “We simply want a reasonable deal that acknowledges our skills, our commitment to the business, and health benefits that reflect the physical toll of working in an industrial environment.”

A fair settlement can only be reached at the bargaining table. AEA/GSU Local 8 is prepared to return to negotiations at any time. Until then, our members will continue to walk the picket line until the company engages in meaningful dialogue and reaches a fair agreement.

GSU members, officers and staff gather at Sept. 7 anniversary of SWP strike

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Commemorating the 1994 Strike with an evening of Reconnection and Reflection

On the evening of Sept. 7 in Regina, SK, GSU hosted a come-and-go event to commemorate the 1994 strike against Saskatchewan Wheat Pool (SWP).

The gathering brought together a diverse group of attendees, including original strikers, former and current officers, union staff, and friends of GSU and the broader labour movement.

The evening was filled with lively conversations as participants shared both new and old stories, reminisced about the past and caught up on the present. The atmosphere was warm and nostalgic as everyone reflected on the significance of the 1994 strike and the enduring bonds it created.

As often happens during get-togethers, we were so busy reconnecting that we forgot to capture photos until the night was done. We extend our apology to those who aren’t included in this group photo.

Thank you to everyone who dropped by to share the evening. The memories and camaraderie we shared will remain with us.

GSU LOCAL 8 STRIKE: A message of support from ILWU Canada national president Rob Ashton

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Another day longer, another day stronger for our GSU Local 8 members who are on the picket line in Regina, SK, fighting for a fair deal.

Thank you to president Rob Ashton and our brothers and sisters in ILWU Canada for their support.

Farewell to the remarkable Jane McAlevey, who lost her battle with cancer at age 59

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By GSU staff rep Mason Van Luven

I was fortunate enough in April 2022 to have a quick yet impactful exchange with the remarkable woman, organizer, and trouble-maker, Jane McAlevey (‘Mac-a-levee’), who recently lost her battle with cancer at the age of 59. 

A close friend and mentor of mine lent me a copy of Jane’s first book, “Raising Expectations and Raising Hell” (2012) which laid bare how she organized private healthcare workers in Nevada against hostile corporations, their sympathetic politicians, and the power struggles she had within her own union. It was evident that these workers were underpaid, overworked, and expected to provide quality healthcare in a company that made billions cutting costs to maximize profit.

Back then, I was not a union staffer. I was, however, beginning to think more deeply about working-class struggles, and how so few of us were ever told that we have the power to demand more. Looking back, her book – and the strategies she took to organize these workers – made me realize how contradictory organizing for power can be: on one hand, it is as simple as setting aside our differences and standing together to improve everyone’s lives, but on the other an almost herculean task bringing many people with differing interests together for the same goal. She was successful, so I guess that makes her an Organizing Hercules.

Some years later, I received a notification that I could register for Jane’s “Organizing 4 Power” course; a six-week intensive course on her methods to organizing working-people, with a network stretching across the globe. I applied, and was later grouped with people I had never met before. We then spent six weeks doing homework together, holding each other accountable, and talking about our own struggles at work. During one of those calls, Jane made a quick appearance to say hello, and to prod about what we had been discussing. In seconds she cleaned up our messy conversation, before fluttering back to do the same to another group.

I was starstruck. Her prose was direct, and she was open about her time in the movement. Nicknamed “Hurricane Jane”, as effective as she might have been as an organizer, her approach ruffled the feathers of her superiors in the movement who felt like she was going against the grain and outside her mandate. She was supposed to fly in, clean up a struggling local, and fly out. Instead, she organized en masse a chain of hospitals, made national news, and stirred the pot. The consequence of her leadership was that hundreds of workers saw an increase in pay, patient-to-staff ratios, and a whole host of dignity enriching benefits.

Apart from praising her impact on the labour movement (as well as bragging that I virtually met her), I want this article to entice people to Google her name. The sad reality is that the vast majority of workers in unions or not do not know her name. That is a shame, and indicative of a broader concern that workers do not know their own history. The struggles and conflict which led workers to organize in an economic and legal climate not too dissimilar to the one we live in today. It is because of them we have some semblance of balance between working most of our lives, and being able to live outside of work. Yet here we are considering having children return to the workforce, or re-introducing a 6-day work week[1].

She realized that, and acted accordingly.

She was an inspiration, an intellectual, and deserving of all the praise she ever got and will get.

If you are interested in reading McAlevey’s A COLLECTIVE BARGAIN book, contact the GSU office. 

https://jacobin.com/2024/07/jane-mcalevey-labor-movement-obituary

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/07/business/jane-mcalevey-dead.html

https://thebaffler.com/latest/raising-hell-jaffe

[1] Quote from the article: “Unions in Canada fought to institute a shorter work week in 1872 and Lander said the five-day work week has not dampened productivity”, as rhetoric around economic growth and making workers work more has been around for centuries, even when the evidence is in the contrary.

GSU Defense Fund Board meets

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(L-r) Wilfred Harris, Barry Zimmer, GSU’s general secretary Steve Torgerson and Accounting and Payroll Administrator Rebecca Forness, Lynn Shaw, Doug Kampman and Craig Reiman.
On June 20, the Board of Directors of the GSU Defense Fund met in Regina to conduct its business and ensure that the Defense Fund remains healthy. This group of elected officers meets several times throughout the year to review the growth of the fund, policies and guidelines necessary to manage the fund, and address requests from GSU Locals to access fund support during collective agreement renewal negotiations. The directors know that members’ money in the Defense Fund is important to balance the power of employers over employees during contract negotiations, and they work diligently to ensure the Defense Fund is there to help GSU members today and in the years to come.

This meeting marked the last for director Barry Zimmer, who has since entered retirement. Barry was a great asset to the board and his absence will be felt. We appreciate his service to his fellow GSU members and wish him a long, happy retirement.

The Board’s directors are elected at GSU’s biennial policy conventions. Interim appointments to fill vacancies are conducted by the GSU’s Joint Executive Council as required between policy conventions, and Council will address the vacancy created by Zimmer’s retirement when they meet in the fall.

Global Women’s Strike – June 2024

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Protesting is a powerful way to bring people together, shine a spotlight on issues we feel strongly about, and work toward creating meaningful changes.

June 24, 2024 has been designated by women’s groups globally to visually demonstrate the contributions of women in the world. Different groups are focusing on different topics, but the overarching theme is working toward a world where women’s rights are recognized as human rights, every woman is able to achieve her full potential, and where women have access to all resources and are represented in decision-making positions on an equal basis with men.

Organizers of some protests are asking that women strike by not going to work or to school, and that they do not spend money (even one penny!) to demonstrate what a world looks like without the contributions of women. Those who cannot strike are being asked to wear red, encourage other women to do the same, and spread the word.

When an issue is important to us, it’s crucial that we fight for what we believe in to create meaningful change. Find opportunities to make your voice heard and be part of the changes you want to see.

Our Welcome Booklet for new GSU members will be available soon

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Becoming a union member can be confusing, especially if you’ve never belonged to a union before. Even if you have previous experience working for a unionized employer, union structures and administration can vary widely.

Our new booklet will help new members navigate membership in GSU. We plan to have the final version at the printer next week and back in our hands before the end of the month.

If you need new-member booklets in your workplace, or if you or a co-worker are new GSU members and would like a booklet, please let your staff representative know.