Recently a number of members have contacted GSU to inquire about their rights with respect to banked overtime. Apparently, the individuals were being pressured by local management to take time off instead of being paid out or waiting for a time more to the member’s liking.

It is important for members to remember that using banked overtime as time off work with pay is subject to mutual agreement. In other words, the employer can’t force an employee to take banked time. Furthermore, ahead of all else it is the employee’s right to insist that they be paid for baked overtime.

“Some employers have urged employees to take banked overtime to cover all or part of a layoff due to shut down,” said GSU staff representative Steve Torgerson. “Before accepting this approach employees should check into their eligibility for supplemental employment benefits under their GSU agreement since by taking banked time to delay the impact of the layoff they might actually be subsidizing the employer’s costs.”

If a member happens to be laid off they can also request a payout of banked overtime without affecting their EI claim.

Need clarification? Contact your GSU staff rep

We’re here to answer your questions, and no question is too small. Our services are provided to you as part of your union dues. There is no additional charge for assisting you.

GSU has a layoff organizer brochure available in hard copy or by email. Contact Steve Torgerson for your copy.

On April 30, 2021 GSU will be saying farewell to Brett North who is retiring as an Assistant Manager at Viterra’s Moose Jaw terminal after 29 years’ service.

Brett recently stepped down as a GSU vice president after five years’ service. He previously served GSU members as president of the Local at the Moose Jaw terminal, a representative on the union’s Joint Executive Council, a member of the Local 1 board of delegates as well as a member of many bargaining committees.

“Brett is a loyal trade unionist who also represented GSU on the executive council of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “His counsel and commitment to union principles will be missed.”

“Retirement is claiming another strong voice for GSU and working people generally,” said GSU president Jim Brown. “I have never doubted Brett’s commitment to the betterment of the welfare of GSU members and of working people. Even though GSU is losing Brett’s strong voice in the workplace, it is heartening to see union members retire and carry on enjoying life. On behalf of the members, officers and staff of GSU, we wish Brett a long, healthy and happy retirement.”

The Covid pandemic is preventing us from holding a farewell gathering at the moment, but we will organize a proper send-off for Brett as soon as we are able.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Members attending GSU’s annual general membership meetings were asked to vote on amendments to GSU’s constitution and whether to continue paying dues  into the GSU Defense Fund. Meetings have concluded, the results of the votes have been tabulated.

Majority approve continuing Defense Fund dues

In the closest results on a continuation of Defense Fund dues vote to date, a majority of 63.82 percent of GSU members attending annual meetings voted in favour of the motion to continue paying additional dues of $10 per employee/member per month into the GSU Defense Fund. Accordingly, the additional dues will continue for 2021 and the question of continuation will be voted on again at the autumn annual GSU meetings.

“This question has been voted on every year since 1996 and, while the margin has fluctuated from year to year, the ultimate outcome remains the same,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “After 25 years it may be time to ask whether the Defense Fund has reached a sufficient size, suggesting a new approach. I expect this will be a topic at GSU’s policy convention scheduled for March 18 to 20, 2021.”

Overwhelming majority approve GSU constitutional amendment

A 98.59 percent majority of GSU members attending annual meetings this autumn voted in favour of amending the union’s constitution to change the holding of biennial policy conventions to every two years in odd numbered years. The first GSU policy convention under the amended constitution is scheduled to be held from March 18 to 20, 2021.

Questions? Comments? Contact your GSU staff rep.