December 11, 2018 

Anything can happen, but here's what we have on our calendars for December 12 to 16:
  • The Tuesday Members' Memo is emailed to GSU members weekly on Tuesdays. If you know a co-worker who doesn't receive the TMM and would like to, have them call GSU toll-free at 1.866.522.6686 or send an email to gsu@gsu.ca 
  • general secretary Hugh Wagner will meet with GSU 's investment advisor today
  • Local 8 (Advance) members will hold their annual general meeting Tuesday in Regina
  • Hugh Wagner and the Local 8 bargaining committee comprising Doug Murray, Steve Holliday, Ron Gerlock and Dion Elliot will meet their management counterparts for bargaining on Wednesday.
  • Hugh Wagner will service as the labour representative during an arbitration on Thursday and Friday
  • staff representative Steve Torgerson will attend a Step 2 grievance meeting on Friday
  • staff representative Dale Markling is recovering from hip surgery and will be absent from work in December. Members who would normally contact Dale at the Saskatoon office for assistance can call the GSU office in Regina toll free at 1.866.522.6686 or send an email to gsu@gsu.ca.
GSU's calendar of events is regularly updated and avai lable on GSU's web page:  gsu.ca



Saskatchewan Rush season will play on: Players, league ratify deal to end labour dispute

As some of you may know the National Lacrosse League 2018/2019 season was delayed as the players and the league were currently in bargaining and had not reached a collective agreement. 

We are happy to report that both sides reached an agreement and the players had the majority of their concerns addressed. Their situation is a tough one as the NLL has been doing quite qwell for a number of years and the players were caught between big business and being part time professional athletes. 

You can read this  story in the Star Phoenix about the recent settlement and new collective agreement for the Professional Lacrosse Players Association.

We are also happy to announce that GSU has purchased 2 season tickets to the RUSH!  

You can check out their full 2019 schedule here

With the first game on January 5, 2019 I'd keep a look out for next week's TMM for a chance to win tickets, hint hint.





Bargaining Update


Local 14 (Richardson) bargaining settlement summary

Richardson settlement summary can be found by clicking on the link to gsu.ca

GSU bargaining committee: general secretary Hugh Wagner, staff rep Steve Torgerson, Local 14 members Dennis Piasta, Dylan Pilon, and Justin Shauf.


Local 9 - Trouw Nutrition

UPDATE:
Bargaining was productive and a proposed settlement was reached. Both sides are now working on the final wording which will become the   Memorandum  of Agreement, and Local 9 members will then vote on ratification in the coming weeks.

GSU bargaining committee: staff rep Steve Torgerson, Kelly Saretzky, and Kevin Clarke. 


Local 1 - (Viterra Operations & Maintenance) & Local 2 (Viterra Head Office) 

UPDATE: 
GSU's bargaining committee representing members of Local 1 (country operations and maintenance) and Local 2 (Regina head office) met with representatives of Viterra to begin agreement renewal bargaining on Dec. 5, 6 and 7, 2018.

The bargaining began with an exchange of proposals to amend and renew the collective agreements between GSU and Viterra. Explanation and initial comments on the respective bargaining proposals followed. On Dec. 7 the GSU bargaining committee met with senior representatives of the Viterra's HR department to receive a presentation on management's proposals for amending the structure of the pay plan and salary grades. Viterra has not yet disclosed its proposals for general wage increases.

The bargaining proposals for GSU Locals 1 and 2 can be viewed and downloaded  here.

Bargaining is scheduled to resume on Jan. 15, 16, and 17, 2019.

GSU's bargaining committee: general secretary Hugh Wagner, staff rep Donna Driediger, Jim Brown, Brett North, Travis Brewer, Wilfred Harris, Sheila Tran, Howard Wilson.


Local 8 - Advance

UPDATE:
Local 8 bargaining to resume December 12
 
Agreement renewal bargaining between AEA/GSU Local 8 and Advance Tank Centres/Advance Tank Production will resume on Wednesday, December 12.
 
The bargaining meeting will fall on the heels of the Local 8 annual meeting where members will take stock of the bargaining situation. When the parties last met on November 21 there were significant differences in relation to severance pay language, serious illness leave, paid sick leave and wage increases including retroactivity. The collective agreement expired on October 31, 2018.

GSU's bargaining commitee: general secretary Hugh Wagner, Doug Murray, Steve Holliday, Ron Gerlock and Dion Elliot



Learn more about the bargaining process and how it works

The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union has done a great job of explaining bargaining in their Bargaining for Beginners web page and accompanying  infographic. You can check those out here




What's in Those Holiday Coffee Drinks?


More calories, fat, and sugars than you'd think. Here, ways to make these festive beverages healthier.

Peppermint mochas, maple pecan swirls, eggnog lattes-'tis the season for tasty holiday  coffee drinks at your corner coffee shop.

They may seem like a harmless seasonal indulgence, but with their high calorie, fat, and sugar content, you may find yourself  putting on weight if you drink too many of them.

Caribou Coffee's Chocolate Caramel Truffle Mocha, for instance, has 870 calories, 53 grams of fat, and 73 grams (about 18 teaspoons) of sugars in a 16-ounce cup. That's almost half the calories some people should have in an entire day; and as much sugar as you'd get in about three Hershey's bars.

To see just how much diet damage these drinks can do, we compared the nutrition numbers on a few 16-ounce holiday coffee drinks ordered straight off the menus with no customization at Caribou Coffee, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, Peet's Coffee, and Starbucks. 



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