April 23, 2019 

Anything can happen, but this is our schedule April 22 to 26:
  • 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]
  • Local 1 & 2 (Viterra) ratification meetings are complete. Check out the story below for results. 
  • general secretary Hugh Wagner met with a company representative on Monday
  • staff representative Dale Markling has a meeting with GSU members on Thursday
  • Questions? Contact a GSU staff rep at either our Regina or Saskatoon office.


Vote Results Released -  GSU 
Locals 1 and 2


April 18, 2019


All of the membership meetings have been completed and the ballots cast to date by GSU Local 1 and 2 members on Viterra's April 2, 2019 final offer have been tallied. The results of the voting are as follows.

Local 1: 59.53 percent of members who cast ballots voted to accept Viterra's final offer and 40.47 percent voted to reject the final offer.

Local 2: 61.54 percent of member who cast ballots voted to accept Viterra's final offer and 38.46 percent voted to reject the final offer.

The results of the vote are preliminary for GSU Local 1 since there might be one or two absentee ballots in the mail. Nonetheless, any outstanding absentee ballots will not affect the final outcome and the union bargaining committee will proceed to finalize a new operations/maintenance collective agreement based on Viterra's April 2, 2019 final offer.

The results of the vote are final for GSU Local 2 and the union bargaining committee will proceed to finalize a new Regina office collective agreement based on Viterra's April 2, 2019 final offer.

"Whether members voted in favour or against the final offer they engaged in workplace democracy that is unique to union representation," said GSU president Jim Brown. "There were a significant number of votes to reject the final offer and that reflects the dissatisfaction members have with the Viterra's pay system."

"Even though the new collective agreements will be based on the final offer GSU's leadership team will continue to advocate and press for reform of the pay system," said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. "Thank you to everyone who participated in the vote."


Have you been accepted into university or tech school? 
Are you a GSU member, spouse or dependant of a GSU member? 
If your answer is YES, you are eligible to apply for a GSU scholarship.


 
GSU is offering five $2,000 scholarships to GSU members, spouses and dependants in 2019

GSU is pleased to offer $2,000 scholarships to five students who demonstrate hard work, a willingness to seek further education to improve themselves, and a drive to inspire positive change in their communities.

The scholarship competition is open to GSU members, their spouses, and dependent children who have not previously won.

Scholarship applicants must be enrolled in a diploma, degree, or certificate program at a community college, university, trade school, or technical institute as a full-time student in any country. 

Learn more about the scholarship program and download your scholarship forms and guidelines here: GSU scholarship program

Deadline for receipt of applications is June 1, 2019.



 

Final Game of the Regular Season

We all know that the RUSH will have a long post season run ending up at the Championship again but the final game of the regular season are always special. 

Congratulations to 
T yler Nieman-Bull  Sub-Local 1.11 - Strongfield (Viterra)
 on having his name drawn and winning the tickets. 

Keep an eye out for Playoff ticket draws in the TMM once the postseason is announced.





April 28, 2019 - National Day of Mourning 
remembering those lost to workplace injury and illness


On the year's this National Day of Mourning, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) joined the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and called on the federal and provincial governments to do more to address workplace violence and harassment.
Every April 28th, unions join workers and their families to mourn those who have been injured or killed on the job. Workplace violence and harassment have also led to worker deaths, as well as significant injuries.

Beyond the Statistics

The most recent statistics from the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) tell us that in 2017, 951 workplace fatalities were recorded in Canada, an increase of 46 from the previous year. Among these deaths were 23 young workers aged 15-24.
Add to these fatalities the 251,508 accepted claims (an increase from 241,508 the previous year) for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease, including 31,441 from workers aged 15-24, and the fact that these statistics only include what is reported and accepted by the compensation boards, there is no doubt that the total number of workers impacted is even greater.
And it's not just these numbers on which we need to reflect. With each worker tragedy there are loved ones, family members, friends and co-workers who are directly affected, left behind, and deeply impacted - their lives also forever changed. 

To learn more about the importance and history of the Day of Mourning follow this link to WorkSafe Saskatchewan or the  Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

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