February 11, 2020  

Upcoming events:

Local 7 / Heartland bargaining - Regina, Feb. 13
GSU's collective agreement with Heartland expired Dec. 31, 2019. GSU bargaining committee members are Tyler Sherwood, Heather Makay, and GSU staff rep/bargaining spokesperson Donna Driediger.


Local 5 / Western Producer bargaining - Saskatoon, Feb. 25
GSU's collective agreement with The Western Producer expired July 31, 2019. Bargaining committee members representing GSU Local 5 are Sharlene Tetrault, Michelle Houlden, and GSU staff rep/bargaining spokesperson Dale Markling. Learn more here.


GSU biennial convention - Temple Gardens, Moose Jaw, March 19-21, 2020
If you are a GSU member, we want to hear from you. Join us, share your thoughts and experiences, and let us know what you think your union should be doing for members.  All members of GSU are eligible to attend, but space is limited. Learn more and register here.


CLC/SFL Spring School - Moose Jaw, April 20 - 24, 2020 
This is a GSU-sanctioned event*. Learn more by contacting your staff rep or checking out the school brochure here.


Contact your GSU staff rep if you are interested in attending or learning more about an event.

*GSU members who sign up and are approved to participate in GSU-sanctioned events will have their time off work, wages, and expenses covered in accordance with GSU's expense policies (child care included). GSU staff will also assist you with arranging the time off with your employer.


What should the 2020 GSU scholarship essay topic be?

GSU's scholarship season is almost here, and we will be ready to roll out GSU's scholarship applications forms in early March.

As part of the application process, all scholarship applicants are required to submit a two-page essay on an assigned topic. Traditionally, GSU's scholarship committee has come up with an essay topic, but this year they have decided to ask GSU members for their input on a scholarship topic for 2020.

So what say you?

Send us your Scholarship essay topic suggestions.

The scholarship committee will be considering all questions, and if they choose your question for this year's essay topic, we'll give you a shout-out in the Tuesday Members' Memo and give you a GSU shirt.

Get your answers in to us at gsu@gsu.ca by 5:00 p.m. Feb. 21 to be considered for the draw.




 
The 2020 GSU Biennial Policy Convention is coming up on March 19-21, 2020, and we want you to join us for what is shaping up to be a fantastic convention.

We are counting on GSU members - like you - to come to convention, share your thoughts and experiences, and let us know what you think your union should be doing for its members.

We'll have great people, conversation, food, entertainment, and it's all being held at the Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa in Moose Jaw.

All members of GSU are eligible to attend, but space is limited. Approved convention delegates will have the costs of hotel, mileage, food, and wages covered by GSU. 

Learn more about the upcoming convention  here.

Available space is filling up quickly. If you haven't received your acceptance email from GSU, you are not registered to attend. 


Your Executive Committee is issuing a call to all GSU members to, should they so choose, submit resolutions to be voted on at the upcoming GSU biennial policy convention on March 19-21, 2020. 

If there is something you would like to see implemented or changed, consider submitting a resolution to convention.

Almost anything can be the subject of a resolution, such as:
  • GSU issues (such as the GSU Defense Fund, workplace bullying, dues, or union direction or structure),
  • larger provincial issues (such as lobbying the government to ban asbestos, increasing the minimum wage, and improvements to Occupational Health and Safety regulations),
  • local issues in a community (such as road improvement, maintaining rural schools, and support for local organizations).

Resolutions submitted, debated, and adopted by vote at the GSU Convention become GSU policy.


You could win tickets to the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts

You and a friend could be sitting in GSU's seats in Section P of Moose Jaw's Mosaic Stadium to watch the action at the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. 

We have three packages up for grabs*:
  • Package 1
    • Draw 18 Friday, Feb. 21 - 12:30 p.m. - Championship Round
    • Draw 19 Friday, Feb. 21 - 6:30 p.m. - Championship Round
  • Package 2
    • Draw 20 Saturday, Feb. 22 - 8:30 a.m. - Tie Breaker
    • Draw 21 Saturday, Feb. 22 - 1:00 p.m. - Page Playoff Game
    • Draw 22 Saturday, Feb. 22 - 6:00 p.m. - Page Playoff Game
  • Package 3
    • Draw 23 Sunday, Feb. 23 - 11:00 a.m. - Semi-Final
    • Draw 24 Sunday, Feb. 23 - 6:00 p.m. - Championship Final.

Just like curlers work together, you'll need teamwork to enter our draw. 

To be entered in our draw, you must have another GSU member submit your name to  gsu@gsu.ca . 

There is no limit on the number of GSU members who can enter your name, but each member can only submit your name one time. 

Here's how you can enter someone in the draw

Make sure your email submissions include 1) the name and work location of the GSU member you are entering in the draw, 2) your name and work location so we know you are a GSU member. 


Hurry hard and get working on your entries!

Entries must be received by 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 to be entered in our draw. Winners will be notified later that day.


*We will be conducting three draws to determine three winners (i.e., one winner for each of the three packages listed above). Based on contest entries, it is possible that one member may win more than one package .




Have you ever been told to put things in writing so they are properly recorded and understood? It's not as easy as it sounds. Even the best attempts at clearly writing thoughts can result in misinterpretation by others who read them. 

Here's an example:  There are seven ways to interpret the sentence " I never said she stole my money ." 

Hearing the sentence as it was spoken allows the listener the advantage of hearing the tone and emphasis of the speaker. Without that context, reading and interpreting the meaning becomes increasingly difficult. (Read the seven interpretations of the sentence here.)

You can increase the chances of getting your thoughts across in writing by following these simple hints to write clearly:

1. Eliminate useless filler words.
2. Self-edit.
3. Have someone else check your wording and listen to their feedback.
4. Keep your sentences short.
5. Don't hide the main point of your writing.
6. Don't repeat words or phrases unnecessarily.



Please consider the environment before printing this email.

This email and any attachment(s) are confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient please notify GSU, delete this email and do not copy, use or disclose it.