September 14, 2021
Calendar highlights and upcoming events:
Local 8 (Advance) to hold special membership meeting Sept. 21
The meeting will review draft bargaining proposals prepared by the executive committee of the Local and based on the ideas submitted by members.

. . . . .

Joint Executive Council meeting, GSU educational - Sept. 23 & 24
The union's governing body will meet to review union business. An educational component will also form part of the two-day meeting.

. . . . .

EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY
65th Annual SFL convention - Virtual, Oct. 21 & 22
This year, the convention will take place entirely online. While convention will be shorter than usual, it will still feature many of the usual convention activities and ways for delegates to engage.

Contact the GSU office if you are interested in attending. Learn more here.
GSU's annual membership meetings are just around the corner
2021 annual meetings of GSU Locals and Sub-Locals are just around the corner as autumn draws closer.
 
“As much and as safely as possible, we intend to return to in-person annual meetings,” says GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “The current surge in COVID cases in Saskatchewan might throw some curves at our plans, but we will adapt.”
 
Annual Local meetings are an excellent opportunity for GSU members to raise issues that require attention and to have a say on the administration of their union and to vote matters such as continuation of dues being paid into the GSU Defense Fund, election of officers, and amendments to the union’s bylaws and constitution.
 
“We do our best to make GSU meetings as user friendly as possible and we focus on completing meetings in a timely fashion”, Wagner said. “I hope everyone is able to attend and reconnect after the long interruption of the COVID pandemic.”



Preparing for Retirement
 
Staff representative Steve Torgerson assisted a member with questions about the many options and preparation that needed to be considered prior to their anticipated 2022 retirement.
 
In addition to offering guidance and answering questions, Torgerson provided the member with a retirement guide.
 
If you need some advice about how to approach management with a problem, don't hesitate to call your GSU staff rep. No problem is too small and sometimes a brief comment, email, or meeting is all that's needed to address a situation. Call us when you think there is a problem to be fixed.

GSU selection committee to report to Joint Executive Council
The committee responsible for managing the process for recruitment of a GSU staff representative will report to the semi-annual meeting on of the Joint Executive Council (JEC) on September 24.
 
“A good number of application were received and six interviews have been conducted,” said GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner. “The high quality of the applicants makes the committee’s job difficult, and that’s a good problem to have.”
 
Wagner reports that the selection committee expects to make a hiring recommendation to the JEC on September 24. The JEC’s decision will be announced on Sept. 28.


Congratulations to Local 4 (Grain Millers) member Brandon Allin - our winner of two Sept. 17 Riders v. Argonauts game tickets
Brandon and his guest will enjoy an autumn evening in Regina when the Riders take on the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium this Friday evening. Let's hope the Riders' can put together a win.

We've got tickets to the Riders' Oct. 9 game, so watch our upcoming Tuesday Members' Memos for an opportunity to enter.
Tips for talking to people you disagree with
Opinions. Everyone has one, and some of us are always ready and willing to share (or perhaps impose) our opinions on others in person or through social media.

Take relief in knowing you aren't obligated to have or share an opinion on everything, and it's perfectly acceptable if you choose not to share your thoughts or bypass a debate. If you are inclined to let others know exactly where you stand, you will eventually encounter someone you absolutely disagree with.

Check out the links below to learn how to keep yourself in check as you agree to disagree:


This article has been printed for entertainment purposes. The views and opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of GSU, its members, officers, or staff.