February 7 , 2017  

Calendar highlights for February 6 to 10:
  • auditors from MWC Chartered Professional Accountants are in the GSU Regina office this week for our annual financial audit
  • general secretary Hugh Wagner will meet with a GSU member on Wednesday
  • the Tuesday Members' Memo is emailed to GSU members weekly on Tuesday. If you know a co-worker who hasn't received the TMM and would like to, they can call GSU toll-free 1.866.522.6686 or send an email request to gsu.regina@sasktel.net. 
Upcoming events:

GSU Education Forum
March 7 & 8, 2017 ~ Ramada Hotel, Regina, SK
The focus of the forum will be on identifying and filing grievances, the rights of shop stewards and local representatives, representing your co-workers effectively, and being a local leader.
Contact your GSU staff rep to learn more. 

60th Annual SFL /CLC Spring School
April 3 to 7, 2017 ~ Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa, Moose Jaw, SK
Learn more about the school and read the course outline here.

SFL Young Workers' Conference & Youth Action Summit
April 28 & 29, 2017 ~ Ramada Hotel, Regina, SK
Learn more about the conference and summit  here.

Contact your GSU staff rep for more information about these events, GSU's expense policy, or to register. 

GSU's calendar of events is regularly updated and available on GSU's web page - www.gsu.ca.  

 
A GSU member recently contacted GSU staff rep Steve Torgerson requesting information on how time was calculated . Specifically, the member was curious about how overtime worked, how a statutory holiday affects overtime, and how banked time affects earning overtime.

Steve answered each question to the member's satisfaction and no further action was requested or required.

GSU staff reps will work with you to find answers to your questions, recommend what course of action is best to follow, and find the solutions that work for you.  These services are provided to you as part of your union dues. There is no additional charge for assisting you.

Do you have a question or issue in your workplace you need assistance with? 

Contact information for your staff rep is available here.


Legislation could enable government to sell 49 percent of a crown corporation
 
Are you concerned about privatization of our Crown corporations?
 
The recent sale of publicly-owned liquor stores was accompanied by musings on the part of Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and the introduction of legislation which would enable the government to sell up to 49 percent of a crown corporation without submitting the proposal to a province-wide vote.
 
"It's difficult to fathom how the sale of any of our crown corporations would provide us with better services or prices or profits than Saskatchewan people have benefitted from for generations, " said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. "Many GSU members will recall Saskatchewan Wheat Pool's experiment with partial privatization and which resulted a financial collapse, the loss of hundreds of jobs, the formation of Viterra, and eventually the takeover by transnational commodities giant Glencore PLC."
 
If the potential for privatizing our crown corporations concerns you, communicate your views to government. 
  • Visit the www.ownyoursaskatchewan.ca web site to quickly and easily send an electronic letter to your MLA and your city/town council. 
     
  • Attend the Rally for Saskatchewan being held March 8 in Regina. The rally will begin at Regina's Legislative Building at 12:00 noon. More information will be available soon. 

CPS non-union ballots counted, Feb. 3 

On January 9 the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board (SLRB) sent ballots by registered mail to CPS non-union operations employees on the question of being represented by GSU. On February 3, those ballots were counted.

GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner attended the SLRB counting of the ballots as the union's scrutineer. He reports that the majority of ballots cast were against being included in the union bargaining unit and being represented by GSU.

"Although disappointed with the results of the vote, GSU accepts and respects the decision of the majority. We appreciated the opportunity to present the case for union representation," Wagner said. " We welcome continued communication and the possibility to work for their support in the future."
 
Background information can be found by visiting GSU's web site at www.gsu.ca.
  
 

 Bargaining updates and reports are also available on GSU's web page -  www.gsu.ca.

 
Discovery Co-op

Union and company representatives are working to find available dates to meet with conciliator Kevin Eckert prior to the February 28 expiry of his mandate.

When Company representatives previously indicated they weren't prepared to meet until the end of March, the u nion's bargaining committee advised they were not prepared to agree to an extension of the conciliator's 60-day mandate.

The conciliator's mandate can only be extended by the agreement of both parties.

GSU's Local 17 bargaining committee members are  Shelbi Prescesky, Glen Morrison, and GSU staff rep Dale Markling.   

 
Here's why you shouldn't expect to choose your retirement date

You may have retirement plans, but the date you actually retire may not be the date you have in mind. 

In the 2016 Sun Life Canadian Retirement Now Report, only 33 per cent of retirees were fortunate enough to finish their career according to their plans. The majority of remaining retirees credit their unanticipated retirement to health issues and employer decisions. 

Could this happen to you? The statistics in the Retirement Now Report make unscheduled retirement seem like more of a probability than a possibility.  Learn more here:  The most important retirement planning decision we don't get to make .

This article has been printed for entertainment purposes. The views and opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of GSU, its members, officers, or staff.

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