Our survey is now closed. Watch for the announcement of our survey prize winner in our March 8 Tuesday Members’ Memo.

GSU just sent a survey to every member. Now we need your input.

We have come through a tumultuous couple of years which have shone light directly on what works well and what hasn’t worked at all. The value of personal interactions and connections has been confirmed, and we have learned that there are a number of different ways to accomplish the same thing.

As we squeeze out of COVID’s grip, we don’t want to slip back into doing what we have always done simply because it’s familiar. Instead, we are throwing the door wide open, listening closely to what members say is best for them, and preparing to act on it.

This is where you come in.

We have sent a general survey to every GSU member in our database contact list. (If you didn’t receive it, or if you have misplaced it, you can access it here.)

This survey is the beginning of a post-COVID refresh aimed to reflect, review, and improve how we serve you and your fellow GSU members post-COVID. We’re asking you about a wide range of topics including education, member engagement, and communication, and your reply is strictly confidential – meaning none of your information will be shared with your employer.

Your input is important. Tell us what you are thinking, and don’t hold back.

Good or bad, we want to hear from you.

The survey will be open until noon on March 4, so make sure you respond at your convenience and urge your fellow GSU members to respond, too.

As a thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, you have the option of entering our draw to win one of three prizes.

To enter the draw, we will need you to provide the necessary contact information at the end of the survey after selecting which of the prizes you would like to enter to win. The lucky winner of our random draw will be contacted after the survey closes. If you don’t want to enter the draw – or you would prefer your thoughts remain completely anonymous – simply leave the contact information section blank.

Any questions or complications with completing the survey can be directed to staff rep Mason Van Luven by phone or by email (306.552.7987 or Mason@gsu.ca).

Access the survey here: GSU Spring 2022 Survey

The unseasonably cold weather seems to have everyone wishing they could stay home. That may explain why GSU staff rep Steve Torgerson has had a rush of pension and retirement inquiries cross his desk.

Torgerson can answer your questions, such as who needs to contacted when a member is considering retirement, what options are available to retiring members, and where to begin when everything seems so overwhelming. If you are considering retirement or simply planning for the future, don’t hesitate to contact Steve and ask for our retirement guidebook. It’s free, and it will lead you through the process and help you keep everything straight.

Need an answer? No question is too big or small. GSU staff reps are here to assist you, and their services are provided to you and paid for by your union dues. There is never an additional charge for assisting you.

Contact information for GSU staff is available here.

GSU offices will be closed on Jan. 3.

Read this CountryGuide story here: 

Elevators hope mandatory vaccination doesn’t disrupt operations – New regulations will require all federally regulated employees to comply early in 2022

If someone asks if you have donated to help the people affected by flooding in British Columbia, you can tell them yes, you have – through your union.

In response to the widespread hardship resulting from the recent flooding, GSU’s executive committee has approved a $5,000 donation from the union’s solidarity account* to the Red Cross appeal covering the BC floods and extreme weather catastrophe.

“At times like this it is crucial for our society to pull together to help those in need,” said GSU president Jim Brown. “The sheer scale and extent of the devastation caused by the flooding and extreme weather in so much of BC is mind boggling. Hopefully GSU’s donation, along with those of many others, will provide direct help and hope for the people who must do the hard work of recovering.”

*GSU maintains a solidarity account to help those in need by allocating 50 cents per member per month out of the regular monthly dues paid by union members. While primarily dedicated to providing assistance to members of unions who are on strike or locked out, GSU’s solidarity account is also available to respond to humanitarian causes.

The holiday season is just around the corner. Assuming we aren’t sent to our respective corners by another wave of COVID, there will be holiday gatherings and inevitably we will encounter off-colour and outdated jokes and comments that have no place in society.

Whether it’s racist, homophobic, use of the r-word, body-shaming or any other variety of insult, there is no place at work, family gatherings, or anywhere else for comments that put others down or passively-aggressively imply putting them in their place.

Chances are that if you make it clear that you don’t find this type of joke-teller’s sense of humour funny, others may find it easier to speak up and say that they agree with you. Worst case scenario, by voicing your displeasure you will reduce the likelihood of those individuals feeling comfortable enough to make inappropriate remarks or jokes in your presence in the future.

Here are a few hints and responses to let others know that you are not a receptive audience to their outdated slang or attempts at humour:

• Don’t laugh.
• Say “I love you, but that type of comment is not okay,” or “I’m not sure why you think I would find that funny,” or “So, what would your [employer, sister, neighbour, etc.] think about you telling that joke?”
• Say nothing and wait for the speaker to reply next.
• Ask them to step to the side with you and, when they do, you can explain why what they said was offensive.

Learn more here about jokes that aren’t funny and how to respond:

• Can’t you take a joke, Love? Why the banter isn’t funny anymore
• Stand up for something you believe in
• Responding to everyday bigotry

From the Tuesday Members’ Memo – Nov. 30, 2021

Our path to reconciliation includes listening, learning, and creating opportunities for education and participation within GSU. On the last Tuesday of each month we will be sharing a short piece of information in our Tuesday Members’ Memo that we hope will inspire you to learn more about the topic, and ultimately contribute to a shared future of reconciliation.

Treaties

Before Canada existed as a country, what is now Eastern Canada had a two-fold attraction to the land to the west. Like their neighbours to the south, Eastern Canada was keen to expand into the resource and land-rich Prairie Region, and they risked losing it to a rapidly expanding and aggressive United States. Opting for a different path, Central Canada chose a more diplomatic approach, and began the process of signing Treaties. 

Between 1871 and 1921, Treaties one through eleven were signed in rapid succession, forming formal contracts between two sovereign nations.

Before these Treaties were signed, several First Nations lived in what is now modern-day Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Montana, North Dakota, and Alberta. Each of which had a rich history of using Treaties for inter-tribal affairs that were used for trade, safe passage, alliances, and access to resources and shared ancestral land. These relationships were based on reciprocity, respect, and coexistence, and were reaffirmed with ceremonies and protocol. They were to be renewed with regular dialogue, and the original spirit and intent of the agreement were to persist generation after generation. When French, American, and English interests began to collide, potential hostility began to grow. To secure tactical alliances, and to protect their inherited claim to their land, First Nation people used their expertise with Treaties and invited the then English Government to begin a fruitful relationship. 

Stretching from Eastern Ontario to the North-West Territories, the Treaties are often mistaken as symbolic, when they are in fact contracts between two sovereign nations. In return for access to the land (intended for agricultural settlements), the government was to respect their traditions of hunting, fishing, trapping, and to supply medicine, clothing, agricultural supplies, and education. This also kept the United States from encroaching on now newly acquired Canadian-First Nation territory without unnecessary war and violence. 

Learn more here:

• Truth about treaties
• What does “we are all Treaty people” mean, and who speaks for indigenous students on campus
• Canada and the First Nations: A History of Broken Promises
• Aboriginal Treaties
• Treaties in Saskatchewan
• Indigenous Treaty Rights
• The numbered treaties

There is so much more to learn!

GSU is building a truth and reconciliation lending library. If you have resources you would recommend for our library or are interested in borrowing a book, contact staff rep Mason Van Luven at Mason@gsu.ca.

What is more important: How you see someone or respecting how they see themselves?

The third Wednesday of October is International Pronoun Day, and it’s an opportunity to consider how we use personal pronouns.

A personal pronoun refers to a person. Other than our names, personal pronouns are one of the main ways we identify and address people. The personal pronouns we often hear are she, her, hers, he, him, and his. It’s 2021, and in order to be a more inclusive society, they way we use personal pronouns is changing.

The way people look on the outside isn’t necessarily how they identify on the inside. And just like it’s hurtful to be repeatedly called by the wrong name or a nickname you don’t like or appreciate, it’s hurtful to be called by the wrong pronouns.

It may make you feel uncomfortable or awkward to address people with the pronouns they use, and that’s okay. For many people this is a new conversation and that can make us feel uneasy. Let’s listen, learn, and work toward an environment where everyone feels safe and included.