GSU Local 14 (Richardson) - June 22 & 23, Regina

The agenda will be full when representatives from Local 14 meet in Regina tomorrow and Thursday.

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GSU Locals 1 (Viterra Operations/Maintenance) and Local 2 (Viterra Head Office) board meeting - June 23 & 24, Regina

A portion of the meeting will be assigned to reviewing and refining a proposed bargaining survey before it is distributed to members. 

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SFL Summer Camp – August 5-11, Shekinah Retreat Centre

This year's summer camp will be held at the Shekinah Retreat Centre near Waldheim. Young people between the ages of 13-16 who are children of union members are eligible to attend.

GSU will sponsor up to three GSU campers on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn more below and contact your GSU staff rep to learn more.

Brochure: SFL Summer Camp 2022

Learn More/Register Online: SFL Summer Camp

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SFL OH&S Conference – Sept. 14-16, Regina

This popular conference will be held at the Ramada Hotel in Regina. Contact your GSU staff rep if you are interested in attending.

Brochure: SFL OH&S Conference brochure

Learn More/Register Online: SFL OH&S Conference

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66th Annual SFL Convention - Oct. 26-28, Regina 

The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour is anticipating an in-person convention at Regina's Queensbury Downs this October. The COVID-19 situation will be monitored prior to convention and attendees will be notified in advance of the convention if any health measures are required in order to attend.

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

Brochure: 2022 SFL Convention Call Guide

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Follow these guidelines to stay safe while working in hot weather, high temperatures, humidity

Health and Safety

By GSU staff rep Brian Lark

Working in the heat and humidity can have serious consequences.

Working in high temperatures is not limited to work outdoors. Working indoors near a heat source without adequate ventilation could also put you at risk for heat-related medical conditions. Whether you are outside or inside, the hotter and more humid your surroundings, the more breaks you need to take.

There are different levels of risk when working in higher temperatures and they all have their own symptoms*. 

• Heat rash
• Sunburn
• Heat exhaustion
• Heat Stroke.

*Detailed information is available on our web page at GSU.ca

Use these tips to keep yourself safe:

• Put on clothing to keep the skin covered, including a hat to help shield your body and head from the sun. 
• Use a high-SPF sunscreen on any exposed areas. 
• Drink lots of cool or room temperature water to keep hydrated. Ice cold water may cause stomach cramps and coffee will increase internal body temperature so neither are a preferred choice of fluids during heat exposure. 
• Avoid alcohol, caffeinated and sugary drinks (like juice or soda). These not wise choices for hydration as they are diuretics that actually increase dehydration.
• Take breaks away from the heat - preferably in the shade or inside an air-conditioned building.

Visit our web page at GSU.ca to see a Canada OH&S table regarding high temperature work and humidity rating.  

If you have questions about your rights while working in extremely hot weather or conditions, don't hesitate to contact your GSU staff rep.

We've settled five Local 1(Viterra) grievances

Five grievances of Local 1 members who missed work as a result of a winter storm last November have been settled. A sixth grievance was withdrawn since the employee left their employment.

Travel to and and from work on November 17, 2021 was affected by a storm for the five members in question and each individual missed work ranging from 2.5 hours to a full eight hours. 

The members requested that their missed time be charged to pressing necessity leave under the collective agreement between GSU and Viterra. Initially, the requests for pressing necessity were denied and grievance action was commenced on behalf of each individual.

The grievances worked their way through the grievance procedure of the collective agreement and were referred to arbitration which was scheduled for June 22. However, as a result of further dialogue between union and management, on June 16 the grievances were resolved to the members' benefit on a without-prejudice basis.

Without prejudice means that union and management do not accept the other's interpretation of the collective agreement, but agree to settle the disagreement on a practical basis while reserving their respective positions for the future.

"The grievance process under a collective agreement is unique to employees represented by a union and GSU successfully utilizes the process on behalf of union members regularly," said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. "The process begins with members raising their complaint with a GSU representative either locally or on the union staff. Thanks to the members involved for reaching out and thanks to GSU staff reps Brian Lark and Mason Van Luven for providing their assistance in resolving these issues"

Our services are provided to you as part of your union dues and there is never an additional charge for assisting you. Contact information for GSU staff representatives is available on our web page at gsu.ca.

Local 1 & 2 (Viterra) delegates meeting - June 23 & 24

Bargaining, proposals and the best time to elect a bargaining committee are on the agenda for discussion when the elected delegates of Local 1 and 2 meet this Thursday and Friday in Regina.

Local 4 (Grain Millers) bargaining scheduled for July 20, 21, 22

GSU's bargaining committee members were pleased with a good turnout and productive discussion at their June 13 bargaining update meeting. Now that they have checked in with members, the committee feels prepared for the next round of negotiations in July.

GSU's bargaining committee comprises Brandon Allin, Carter MacKay, Ryan McNabb, Glen Wlasichuk, Brian Lark (GSU staff) and Steve Torgerson (bargaining spokesperson and GSU staff).

Delayed start to Local 5 (Western Producer) bargaining 

By Michelle Houlden – bargaining committee member/Local 5 president 

Following the directives of the members in our recent pre-bargaining meeting, GSU requested to set bargaining dates in early summer with the aim of negotiating a new collective agreement as soon as possible. The company responded that the members of its bargaining team — Erin Romeo, Carla Vipond and Stephanie James — were not available to meet until late October because of farm show and other work obligations. The bargaining team decided to accept the delayed start to bargaining as a show of good faith.

GSU local 5 staff rep Donna Driediger then requested that the company commit to paying any negotiated wage increases retroactively to Aug. 1 when our current contract expires, and also asked that the company provide full financial records to the bargaining team so we could better understand the company's position when we do meet at the table. The company is refusing to agree to either request, citing that neither has been provided in the past. Since there is a provision for a bonus based on financial performance, and despite the company's claim, it did, in fact, provide fairly comprehensive financial information in its quarterly updates to staff prior to Shaun Jessome's arrival as publisher, we are considering more formal action to ensure we have as much information as possible when we meet later in the fall.

Your bargaining team will meet in mid-August to begin a full cost analysis of our bargaining package and to discuss potential strategies when meeting with the company. We will keep you updated as we know more information, and as always you are welcome to contact anyone on the bargaining team or your staff rep if you have questions or concerns.

Negotiations committee members are Michelle Houlden, Sharlene Lark, Laurie Michalycia and Donna Driediger (GSU staff and bargaining spokesperson).

Are you contributing to your own drama? Every time you reply on a contentious social media post or do something you know will get a reaction from people, you are making a choice to bring stress and negativity into your life. You can also stir the pot - intentionally or otherwise - by choosing to avoid addressing a problem or failing to act when you see the potential for the train to leave the tracks.

Whether it's a partner, family member, co-worker or a nameless faceless entity on social media, when you are deciding how to respond, consider the outcome you are creating before you act or react.

• Are you creating drama in your life?
• Avoidance coping and why it creates additional stress
• Should I reply to negative comments on social media?