Welcome to Convention 2018!

Delegates representing CUPE local unions from across the province will gather in Saskatoon at the Radisson Hotel (405 20^th Street East) on March 7 – 9, 2018 for the Annual Convention of CUPE Saskatchewan.

During convention, delegates will set the direction for the year ahead, elect members to leadership positions, hear reports about the important work being done by our union, and engage in discussions about issues facing CUPE members and the public services we provide.

CUPE is Saskatchewan’s largest public sector union representing over 30,000 members across the province working in a variety of public service occupations including: Healthcare, K-12 education, universities, civic services in cities and towns, community based organizations and child care centres, and various boards and agencies.

View and download: Convention Program 2018

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The results of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health’s first Resident and Family Experience Survey and CEO tour indicate widespread concern with inadequate staffing in long-term care. In all but one of the twelve former health regions, staffing levels and/or staff recruitment and retention were raised as issues during the CEO tour.

“This certainly confirms what our many members who work in long-term care have been saying for years,” says Pearl Blommaert, Vice-President of CUPE Local 5430, which represents 14,000 health care workers in Saskatchewan.

In the fall of 2015, CUPE surveyed more than 400 long-term care workers. Short-staffing and workload were top issues. Front-line workers reported not being able to provide proper personal care to all residents because they did not have enough time.

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Town of Grenfell employees, who unionized in late spring 2017, ratified their first collective agreement in December 2017. All outside workers and one office worker are now members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents municipal workers in thirty-eight (38) communities in Saskatchewan.

“The Town employees had become concerned about their working conditions, their compensation, and how they were being treated by town council and the administration. They wanted the support of a union to address these issues and we are glad to welcome new local 5340”, says Alex Lenko, National Representative of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

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TOM GRAHAM, President, CUPE Saskatchewan

Tom Graham, President of CUPE Saskatchewan, made the following statement on the leadership election of Scott Moe:

“On behalf of over 30,000 CUPE members in Saskatchewan, I offer congratulations to Premier-designate Scott Moe on his successful candidacy to be the new leader of the governing Saskatchewan Party over the weekend and becoming the next Premier.

As members of Saskatchewan’s Community Union delivering public services across the province, CUPE Saskatchewan looks forward to the opportunity to work with the new premier on the issues and concerns of our members and to establish productive dialogue.

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Rendering of P3 project Sask Hospital North Battleford, SK; Source: Government of Saskatchewan

REGINA – The Saskatchewan government needs to tell the public whether the construction and full contract obligations of the Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford are in jeopardy after news of the collapse of UK-based Carillion, whose Canadian branch Carillion Canada Inc. is a half partner in the consortium awarded the public-private partnership (P3) contract to construct and maintain the new Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford. Following the yet-to-be completed construction, Carillion was to be responsible for building maintenance and lifecycle obligations under the thirty-year P3 privatization contract.

“Entering into P3 privatization arrangements are always a risk despite the sales pitch,” said Tom Graham, President of CUPE Saskatchewan. “P3s are more costly than traditional public procurement. If the private sector company goes bankrupt, it’s the public sector that ends up picking up the expensive pieces. We need to know what will happen with Carillion’s project in North Battleford and what it’s going to cost us,” added Graham.

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CUPE Saskatchewan is supporting the women’s marches planned on January 20, 2018, and encourages CUPE members and CUPE Local representatives to attend where possible.

Women’s March Canada, the Canadian chapter of the Women’s March on Washington, is organizing events across Canada on Saturday, January 20, 2018.

According to the Women’s March website: “Events across the country on January 20th will feature music, art, community booths, and speakers in a shared voice of resistance with advocacy aligned with the national Women’s March Unity Principles: ending violence, protection of reproductive rights, LGBTQIA rights, workers’ rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, Indigenous people’s rights and environmental justice.”  For more information, you can view the website at: www.womensmarchcanada.com/2018_marches

In Saskatchewan, Women’s Marches are organized for Regina and Saskatoon. Details are as follows:

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SASKATOON: Saskatoon Public Schools are facing an increasingly dire situation in the wake of the Sask Party budget cuts. Despite an increase of 511 students this school year and the opening of four new schools, the school division had its budget cut by over $11 million. This meant cutting staff instead of increasing staff to meet increased demands.

“Our school divisions have been placed in a very difficult position and have been forced to take drastic cost cutting measures while still trying to provide a proper education for our youth,” said Tom Graham, President of CUPE Saskatchewan. “School divisions had $54.5 million cut while the government increased education taxes to $67 million, and directed these taxes into the general revenue fund. So where is the $121.5 million going? It isn’t going into education.”

Since the Saskatchewan Party’s March budget, 10 full-time equivalent permanent Educational Assistants, 11.9 full-time equivalent permanent Secretaries, and 1.5 full-time equivalent permanent Library Technician positions have been cut by the Saskatoon Public School Division. 29 temporary Educational Assistant contracts have not been renewed.

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On behalf of 30,000 CUPE members working to deliver public services across Saskatchewan, wishing you the best of the holiday season and a happy New Year.

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CUPE along with SGEU and SEIU-West are launching a new website, profiling Community Service workers and the important care they provide to Saskatchewan people.

Modeled after the popular Humans of New York website, the People Who Care site features photographs of, and first-person narratives by, workers who provide vital services to some of the most vulnerable people in the province.

“These workers for the most part don’t do this work for the pay,” says CUPE Saskatchewan President Tom Graham. “CBO workers do this work because they feel passionate about caring for their clients. They deserve recognition, and this website will do an amazing job of bringing attention to the workers who will be spending their holidays with their secondary families, their clients.”

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CUPE 4980 Representative Corinne Sopel(Left), NDP Opposition Critic for Health D. Chartier (Centre), Ituna Town Councillor Nancy Deleurme (Right)

CUPE alongside Ituna community representatives were at the Legislature today to present a petition signed by over 500 residents of Ituna and surrounding area to save their lab services from cuts which were made effective in October of this year. After the petition was introduced, the NDP Opposition Critic for Health called upon the provincial government during question period to listen to the concerns of the community and reverse the cuts to lab services in Ituna which were reduced from five days a week to only three with potential further cuts to come.

The significant cut to lab hours reduces access to health services and critical tests for Ituna area residents. The NDP Opposition Health Critic highlighted the concerns that exorbitant costs of excessive travel or ambulance fees could result when town residents, long-term care residents, and residents with intellectual disabilities in supported living face the need for laboratory tests and the town’s lab is closed for days at a time. Furthermore, cuts to lab hours could make retaining a certified laboratory technologist to run the lab difficult, along with the ability to keep a town doctor in the future.

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