We asked you for advice you would give a younger you before your first job and you didn’t disappoint. We got some great answers and amazing insight, so much so that we will share a few of the best ones below. 

Congratulations to Leanne Ulmer at Richardson Pioneer in Melville and Nick Anderson at Viterra in Raymore who entered and ultimately won our draw. Leanne and Nick each won two tickets to see Garth Brooks in Regina on August 9.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Watch for more contests and draws throughout the year. 

What advice would you give a younger you the day before you started your first job?

• My advice to the “younger me”, would be not to take it too seriously.
• Be your true-self no matter what, and always remember not to bring work home to your family life. When you hear “you need a work/life balance,” take the advice
• To have more confidence and be ready for all challenges.
• I would tell my younger self that hard work and dedication truly pay off, and to never give up on pushing yourself to be something better that what you set yourself out for. I would tell my younger self to never feel like you’re going to fail, keep your thoughts positive and take the high road, there’s less traffic up there.
• Advice to my younger self … accept and use constructive criticism and ignore petty comments that are not constructive
• I would tell myself to be patient and enjoy the opportunities that are given to me. There is plenty of time to figure out what career path to take as an adult so take your time finding what you love.
• My advice to my younger self would be to wear the most conformable shoes possible and dress in layers because the office is always cold!
• Never stop learning and taking advice.
• My advice to new employees just entering the work force is don’t get in a rush to perforce your tasks, take the time to do it safely and ask questions when you have concerns or doubts. Also, don’t get yourself into to thinking you need to do crazy long hours in your career to get ahead, you need to take time for yourself, family and friends!
• The first day of your first job is a very exciting and nerve racking day.  Listening is the most important thing to do during those first few days.  Always be willing to do what is asked of you and never think you are above any task.  This job may be a life-long career or it may open your eyes to something else you might like to do.  Never burn any bridges, always think of your boss, manager or co-workers as future references.  Working hard and being loyal and honest will take you far in life!
• My younger self before starting a new job!  I would say … Have self confidence. No one starts out knowing everything! 
• Work hard and be fair to others.  Don’t make other people’s problems yours.
• I would of said to myself “Try harder in school and go to school for an education.”
• Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in
• Don’t be afraid of challenges, and getting outside of your comfort zone.  Some of the greatest learning opportunities and getting to know yourself better happen by daring to do what you haven’t done before.  You are capable of more than you realize.
• I would definitely tell me to start planning right there and then for retirement!! Start saving from your first paycheck! Invest, budget, be smart! Freedom 55 would have been a lot better option than “maybe, not quite sure, possibly Freedom 67…69…75…work til the day of my funeral retirement” option!
• One thing I would tell my younger self at my first job is to work hard and people will notice and you’ll go far. Save money and go to school.
• I would say be yourself, positive attitude, be grateful, kind and most importantly do what you love to do.
• What I would tell myself , honestly just worry about you and do your best and always keep positive. Everyone takes time to learn and everyone learns at their own pace. Find the job you find passion in and all will go great. I’ve been at my job for 25 years this spring and I love it and its even my birthday week. Hope you have a great day also whoever reads this message.
• I would give myself the advice never give up on your dream, when one door closes there is always another door that opens. Just because you don’t hit your goals when you think it’s right for you doesn’t mean you won’t later on  
• I would tell my younger self to start apprenticeship for electrical, stick with it, ask questions, and work hard. 
• Work hard, be safe, respect your elders
• I would tell myself to calm down, everything will be fine.
• Be active in looking for solutions.  It can go a long way being a problem solver and helps out everyone in the location
• My advice to my younger self on my first job would be to really think about working for family and the effects it could have on relationships.
• Work hard and don’t get involved in the politics 
• Learn how to play guitar and become a country music superstar.
• Be careful who you say things to at work, don’t give too much free information,  show up 10 minutes early, stay late if you are asked to work late, say yes because if you want something one day they will give it to you.
• Work hard, save your money, and – most of all – be honest. Doesn’t matter what you do – be proud of your job, show pride in your work, be proud of what you do. Do the best job that you can do, learn from your job, and learn from the people around you.
• always be cheerful courteous polite and respectful. Even if you are having the worst day of your life, be cheerful, courteous, polite, respectful. And if you can have fun at work, enjoy work, enjoy life, work and life go hand in hand. Now go out there and take the world as your own and have fun doing it
• As I have said to my own kids, my first job was not my career job, but you need to start somewhere. This was a starting point to where I entered the work force (the world outside of my comfort zone of my mom and dad’s house). I would begin to learn leadership, teambuilding, dealing with different people. Only to find out that not everyone has the same moral values, but as long as I kept true to myself everything would work out, as it did.
• My advice to the younger me, would be to work hard and you will be rewarded. And don’t be afraid to try new adventures.  Make sure you love what you are doing.
• Your job is such a huge part of your life, it’s never worth staying at a job that makes you miserable, no matter what!
• Listen more, talk less, and treat people with respect – no matter their walk of life!!
• Everyone learns their job in different ways, so communicate to your trainer how you best learn.  Take notes at first until you understand your responsibilities by instinct.  If your employer is not invested in you as a worker, then why should you be invested in them.  Show respect for those above you, but never put up with abuse.  Never belittle someone else who may be struggling alongside you.  Instead, step in and help if you see someone struggling (it could be you one day).  Not only will you make a friend, but you exhibit qualities that could benefit you later and draw others to look to you for insight, advise and leadership. The hardest thing to communicate to an employer is that leaders will bring you alongside them and carry you with them to incredible success.  Fools push from behind and then jump to the front when it comes time to take credit for the limited successes they will achieve.  Above all, don’t accept the status quo and don’t let your job define you.  Don’t be employed to just collect a paycheck.  If you cannot see a better future for yourself, then move on.  I have many friends who are new Canadians.  I have learned from them that if you always look for a better opportunity, it will come to you.  They understand that the rewards of their life come later but with greater reward.  They invest in themselves up front and avoid the entrapments of credit.  They sacrifice now, but have a much better future because of it.
• I would tell a younger version of me to start saving money when you first start working. Not all jobs have pensions or benefits. When you get older and want to go on a vacation or buy a new fridge, you might not have the money. Save some from every pay check and you will have a little cushion for things you may want or need!!

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If you are looking for something to do Aug. 9, you are in luck. You could be sitting in the low places of Mosaic Stadium’s Section 115 on Aug. 9 in the company of nearly 40,000 potential new friends.

Whether you are a country music afficienado or not, this will be a memorable Saskatchewan event to be part of.

Enter our contest by sending us your answer to the following question:

With everything you know now and have learned through your years of life and working, what advice would you give a younger-you the day before you started your first job? 

Email your entry to gsu@gsu.ca by Tuesday, July 30 at 10:00 a.m. to be entered to win. Our draw will be made Tuesday and the winners announced in the Tuesday Members’ Memo.

This contest has also been published in our July 23 Tuesday Members’ Memo. Only one entry per member for this contest will be accepted.

We are pleased to announce the 2019 recipients of our five $2,000 GSU scholarships.  

Katelyn Barsi  GSU MEMBER SCHOLARSHIP
Local 1.2 GSU member – Viterra/Moose Jaw terminal
Studies:  Public Fire Paramedic Program 

Austin Kearns  DEPENDANT SCHOLARSHIP
Local 2 GSU member Raelee Kearns – Viterra Head Office
Studies: Combined Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Science Mathematics 

Kacie Morin  GSU MEMBER SCHOLARSHIP
Local 15 GSU member – Nutrien Ag Solutions, Regina
Studies: Education BEd Middle Years (6-9) 

Amanda Tetrault  DEPENDANT SCHOLARSHIP
Local 5 member Sharlene Tetrault – Western Producer
Studies: Medical Administration 

Trevor Zentner  DEPENDANT SCHOLARSHIP
Local 5 GSU member Lila Zentner – Western Producer
Studies: Masters in Finance. 

GSU scholarship committee members Jim Brown (GSU president), Brett North (GSU vice president), and Brian Cowan (GSU council member) were tasked with reviewing applications and choosing this year’s recipients from a competitive pool of applicants. 

“Tuition fees and accommodation costs continue to increase,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “We are pleased to award these scholarships and help these students with their education costs.” 

Congratulations to our recipients and thank you to our committee for their hard work.

The scholarship competition is open annually to GSU members, their spouses, and dependent children who have not previously won a GSU scholarship.

Scholarship applicants must be enrolled in a diploma, degree, or certificate program at a community college, university, trade school, or technical institute as a full-time student in any country.

Learn more about GSU’s scholarship program here.

The new collective agreements have been signed by company and union officials, and they are available for you under the collective agreement tab in the navigation bar above, or here:

• GSU Local 1 (Viterra Operations & Maintenance) collective agreement
• GSU Local 2 (Viterra Head Office) collective agreement

Work will now begin on preparing and printing the agreements into collective agreement booklets for distribution to members.

Need advice about your new agreement or a problem in your workplace?

We are here to help. Contact your GSU staff rep.

Our services are provided to you as part of your union dues. There is no additional charge for assisting you. We will help in any way we can, but we will not contact your employer or act on your behalf without consultation, direction, and approval from you.

GSU members set the direction for the union, so it’s important that you tell us what you would changes to your collective agreement you would like to see your union bargaining committee pursue in the upcoming round of contract negotiations with your employer.

We appreciate the opinions you have shared and the time you took to complete and submit a bargaining survey. We are reviewing and compiling the survey responses you have provided. In addition, the draw for the four $250 survey incentive prizes will be made and announced soon.

Archive:

GSU’s collective agreement covering Local 15 (Nutrien) members is open for agreement renewal bargaining this autumn.

Preparing for agreement renewal bargaining begins with you and your co-workers. Accordingly, GSU’s administration is asking you to provide your input by completing the following survey on or before June 30:

GSU Local 15 (Nutrien) bargaining survey – THIS SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED.

The identity of union members who complete the survey will be kept strictly confidential by GSU.

GSU Local 15 members who complete the survey and provide a personal email address will be eligible and entered in our draw to win one of four $250 cash prizes. Only one survey entry per member is allowed.

The 2018/2019 Annual Report to GSU members by the union’s Joint Executive Council (board of directors) is available to be read and/or downloaded.

• 2018/2019 Annual Report of GSU’s Joint Executive Council

The Annual Report contains important information for GSU members about the business of your union, including the 2018 audited financial statements. GSU prides itself on practicing democracy and transparent administration on behalf of the union’s members.

Members wanting a hard copy of the 2018/2019 Annual Report or wanting a pdf copy via email can call 1.866.522.6686 or send an email to gsu@gsu.ca.

GSU’s Local 18 bargaining committee reached a memorandum of settlement with their employer, and on June 5, Local 18 members’ voted to accept the terms of the memorandum as the basis of their new four-year collective agreement.

If you have questions, comments or concerns, contact GSU staff representative Dale Markling at Dale@gsu.ca.

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.

• Local 4/Grain Millers Canada Corp Memorandum of Settlement [pdf]

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: 

• Saskatchewan introduces 5-day paid leave for domestic and sexual violence victims – Star Phoenix
• Sask. victims of domestic or sexual violence to receive five days of paid leave – CBC
• Sask. government grants 10 days of leave from work to survivors of interpersonal violence – Leader Post

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.