December 4, 2018 

Anything can happen, but here's what we have on our calendars for December 3 to 7:
  • 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 [email protected] 
  • staff rep Steve Torgerson and the Local 9 (Trouw) bargaining committee met with employer representatives for bargaining on Monday and Tuesday in Chilliwack
  • general secretary Hugh Wagner, staff rep Donna Driediger, and the Local 1 (Viterra Ops & Maintenance)/Local 2 (Viterra Head Office) bargaining committee meet company representatives for bargaining on Wednesday and Thursday in Regina
  • 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 [email protected].
GSU's calendar of events is regularly updated and avai lable on GSU's web page:  gsu.ca


Bargaining Update


Majority of Local 14 members approve settlement ( Richardson International Limited)

Ten membership meetings were conducted between November 28 and December 3 to give GSU Local 14 members an opportunity to vote on the terms of a tentative agreement renewal bargaining settlement with Richardson International. The ballots have been counted and a majority of 89.19 percent of Local 14 members who voted have approved the bargaining settlement.

Sixty-six members voted to approve the settlement while eight members voted to reject and three members abstained from voting. 83.7 percent of eligible members participated in the ratification process.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

Work will now begin to assemble and print an amended and renewed collective agreement.
The details of the settlement will be summarized in the next  Tuesday Members' Memo.

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

Bargaining got underway Dec. 3 and 4 when GSU's committee met their management counterparts in Chilliwack.

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

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

GSU's Local 1 and 2 bargaining committee will meet with Viterra representatives on Dec. 5 to begin agreement renewal bargaining to amend and renew the collective agreements that expired on October 31, 2018. Bargaining is scheduled to continue Dec. 6.
 
GSU's bargaining proposals will be published on GSU's website following presentation to company management.

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



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. 


December 6 - National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

On December 6, 1989, 14 women were murdered at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal, simply because they were women. 

December 6 is recognized as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On this day, we also commemorate missing and murdered Aboriginal women, trans-women, and every woman who has been harmed or lost to gender-based violence.

In addition to reflecting on why such a disproportionate amount of violence is aimed against the female gender, we must continue our work toward eliminating violence against women and girls.






Are you sitting down? The benefits of standing desks just might be highly overrated

Admittedly, sitting around all day isn't great for our health, but it seems that standing at your desk all day isn't exactly beneficial either. There are even suggestions that extended hours of standing could double the risk of heart disease and cause varicose veins.

Before you begin examining your legs and reconsidering your summer short-shorts, learn more here: It's Official: Standing desks are the most overblown health fad of all time 


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