There has been considerable debate about Canada Day celebrations.

The tragic discoveries of unmarked graves at Canada’s Residential Schools sites has left many of us unsure how to appropriately and respectfully celebrate Canada Day, and if Canada Day 2021 is a day we should be celebrating. Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme’s shared his thoughts on the upcoming statutory holiday when he was interviewed on CBC’s The National on June 27.

“I would never tell somebody what to and what not to celebrate. You know, in 2021, we all inherited this. Nobody today created residential schools. Nobody today created the Indian Act. Nobody today created the Sixties Scoop. But we all inherited this. And if we want to say we’re proud Canadians, then we will accept the beautiful country we have today, and we will accept what we all inherited.

And what I would challenge is: Everybody on Canada Day in this country, if you say you’re a proud Canadian, read the Truth and Reconciliation ‘Calls to Action.’ Over 100,000 residential school survivors told their story – including my parents – and they created the Truth and Reconciliation ‘Calls to Action.’ Bring that into your personal life, your social life, your business life. And read the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls ‘Calls to Action.’ There’s 231 Calls to Action. If we can all own those a little bit in this country, in one generation we would overcome so many challenges today, that our next generation won’t inherit this. We will make them more as Dreamers.”

You can watch the complete interview with Chief Delorme starting at :36 in the clip, above.

If you are a Local 15 (Nutrien) member you can expect to receive a copy of your newly-signed collective agreement booklet soon.

GSU staff reps are working through their spring visitation schedule and they are distributing agreements as they go. If a staff rep has already been through your area, we will be sending agreements your way by mail.

If you don’t receive a copy of your agreement in June, get in touch with us and we’ll get one in the mail to you. In the meantime, you can always view or print your agreement online on GSU’s web page at gsu.ca.

According to GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner, June 6 marked the 85th anniversary of GSU.

 “The union was founded by country elevator and Regina head office employees of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool in 1936 at the height of the Great Depression,” said Wagner. “Two of the early rallying points for union members were a pension plan and the eight-hour day.”

 A central current of the unionizing effort was the common desire for dignity and respect in the workplace. Many of the same themes prevail today, even though the working world and how it is organized have undergone dramatic changes in other respects.

 “I often think of the courage and solidarity of the early union pioneers as they undertook a noble cause under less than ideal circumstances,” Wagner said. “We could all use a booster shot of their spirit.”

“The discovery of the remains of 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School struck me with a profound sense of shock, sadness and shame,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “This is a horrific reminder of the genocide against First Nations and Indigenous peoples led and coordinated by the Canadian state.”

“Canada has so much to answer for and the calls to action by First Nations leaders must be heeded,” Wagner said.

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.