Moose Jaw — The City of Moose Jaw has filed an application with the Labour Relations Board to remove 18 members of Local 9 from the bargaining unit. It is one of the first employers in the province to aggressively seek to use new provisions under The Saskatchewan Employee Act (SEA), which came into effect earlier this year and allows employers to try to remove workers with supervisory duties from the bargaining unit.

“Their announcement is creating a lot of stress and uncertainty for our members,” said Stacey Landin, president of the local. “People are worried about job security, about their benefits and wages, and what the future holds.”

The impacted positions range from accountants to recreation staff to water and waste water staff. This move by the city comes in the middle of a very tense round of conciliation. The local has a strong strike mandate from its membership, and the city is seeking serious concessions.

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Health and safety activists put in a lot of effort to make sure their colleagues go home safe at the end of a shift. Though often it goes unrecognized, this work is at the core of any strong local union.

As part of the Year of Health and Safety, CUPE has created certificates to celebrate the work of these activists. Locals can fill out the information in this online form and submit for printing. A certificate will be mailed to you, and you can present the certificate at a local event.

Warman — CUPE Local 4254 has launched a public awareness campaign about the impacts that significant cuts to Prairie Spirit School Division will have on the quality of education and services for our children.

Prairie Spirit School Division is facing a $3 million budget shortfall, which will result in the layoff of at least 60 full time equivalent educational associates.

“These cuts mean less support in the classroom for students who are struggling. With less support for vulnerable students, all students feel the consequences,” said Grace Wudrick, president of CUPE Local 4254. “Children in Saskatchewan deserve better from their government.”

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As a result of the horrific mass shooting and unimaginable hate crime that took place in Orlando just a few days ago, LGBTQ+ communities and allies are more than ever taking the issue of creating safe spaces and continuing education efforts very seriously.

The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour is partnering with the UR Pride Centre and YWCA Regina to host a panel discussion during Regina Pride about GSAs in High Schools.

This panel event is on why Gender & Sexuality Alliances / Gay Straight Alliances are needed in high schools and how our community can drive change.

Saskatchewan has no legislation about ensuring a GSA will be established when requested by a student, and the Education Minister has to-date resisted making it law.

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CUPE Saskatchewan and the CUPE Saskatchewan Aboriginal Council will be hosting a free BBQ in honour of National Aboriginal Day on June 21. All are welcome for free hamburgers and hotdogs!

Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Location: Dewdney Pool Park (Dewdney Ave)
West side of 1400 Block Athol Street
REGINA, Treaty 4 Territory

Download the poster HERE and help spread the word!

Members and supporters of CUPE Local 4195 attended the latest Sask. Rivers Board of Education meeting to raise awareness of the impacts of their decision to lay off support staff and hire them back at reduced hours.

“This decision means that our students will lose over 8,000 hours of direct support from educational assistants. This decision means that the libraries in our schools will have two weeks less of staffing. The total impact on staffing levels will be over 11,000 lost hours for many support classifications, including social workers, office administration, language assistants, cooks, and educational assistants. This reduction will be felt in the classroom, and that is unacceptable,” said John Kunard, president of CUPE Local 4195.

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Firefighter putting out flames in forest near Fort McMurray, Alberta

CUPE Saskatchewan, the CUPE Health Care Council, and individual locals and members across Saskatchewan have collectively donated more than $24,000 to the CUPE National Disaster Relief Fund – Wildfires in Northern Alberta.

In addition to donations from CUPE Saskatchewan and the Health Care Council, we would like to recognize the following Saskatchewan locals and delegates for their generous contributions:

Local 3730: $250.00
Local 3761: $1,000.00
Local 4828: $100.00
Local 4980: $2,109.00
Local 4777: $500.00
Delegates at the 2016 CUPE Health Care Council conference: $1,464.00
+Local 5999 donation of: $500.00

With the Division and Health Care Council matching donations at the recent Health Care Council conference in Yorkton, total donations amount to more than $24,000.

Among the approximately 90,000 displaced residents of Fort McMurray were thousands of CUPE members and their families. They work in elementary and secondary schools, municipalities, recreation programs, at the airport and in social service organizations.

“We saw the devastation from northern fires firsthand in Saskatchewan last year, with 10,000 people evacuated in the north,” says CUPE Saskatchewan President Tom Graham. “It’s important for communities to come together and reach out to ensure everyone’s needs are met.”

Donations to the CUPE National Disaster Relief Fund go directly to the affected communities. CUPE locals and members in Saskatchewan are encouraged to donate  up until May 31, 2016. Within Saskatchewan, donations can be sent c/o of the CUPE Saskatchewan Division:

CUPE Saskatchewan
3725 E Eastgate Drive
Regina, SK
S4Z 1A5

/cope342

Saskatchewan has the unfortunate distinction of having the highest per capita rate of intimate partner violence, sexual assault and intimate partner homicide among the Canadian provinces.

It’s time for a culture shift. Will you be part of the change?

If you are a worker in Saskatchewan, please take part in this survey. It will take about 15 minutes to complete.

Survey Link: http://bit.ly/1q2e7pb

If you are a Saskatchewan union, employer or professional association, please forward this survey to your members, workers and networks.

If you have questions about the survey or would like to become involved in this project, please contact PATHS (The Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan): paths@sasktel.net or 306-522-3515.

Investing in the education of our children is one of the most important things our government can do.

In Saskatchewan, there are growing concerns about what the approximately $260 million provincial budget deficit will mean for school boards across the province.

Though the premier has said education will see a “modest” increase, many school boards are being told to budget for the worst case scenario.

Many school divisions are already feeling a budget pinch.  Many school boards are dealing with increased enrollment and more complex student needs. Even a modest increase will not be enough for some school divisions to meet the need for frontline support staff.

And when education support staff get cut, it’s our children who suffer.

We need to stand together now to ensure that education in this province is properly funded.

Please join us on May 25 for a “Social Media Storm for Education” and share your message for the government on Facebook and Twitter.

Read the backgrounder to understand how budget shortfalls are already resulting in layoffs and extra fees for parents.

Some sample messages include:

You can skip the dishes, but you can’t skip the classroom. Let’s support frontline staff. #skpoli #budget2016 #supportsasked

Cuts to frontline education support workers hurt our kids. Let’s invest in education. #skpoli #budget2016 #supportsasked

26 layoffs at Prairie South, 60 EAs lost in Prairie Spirit. What other cuts are coming to education? #skpoli #budget2016 #supportsasked

Our schools work because support staff do. Let’s invest in education. #skpoli #budget2016 #supportsasked

Firefighter putting out flames in forest near Fort McMurray, Alberta

The devastation caused by the Fort McMurray wildfire has stunned people across Canada, with the entire city of Fort McMurray evacuated and thousands of homes and buildings destroyed. Among the approximately 90,000 displaced residents were thousands of CUPE members and their families. They work in elementary and secondary schools, municipalities, recreation programs, at the airport and in social service organizations.

In solidarity with our sisters and brothers in northern Alberta, and with all people affected by the historic fire, CUPE Saskatchewan, the CUPE Saskatchewan Health Care Council of Unions and CUPE Local 3761 will be donating $11,000 to the CUPE National Disaster Relief Fund – Wildfires in Northern Alberta.

“We saw the devastation from northern fires firsthand in Saskatchewan last year, with 10,000 people evacuated in the north,” says CUPE Saskatchewan President Tom Graham. “It’s important for communities to come together and reach out to ensure everyone’s needs are met.”

Donations to the CUPE National Disaster Relief Fund go directly to the affected communities. CUPE locals and members in Saskatchewan are encouraged to donate. Within Saskatchewan, donations can be sent c/o of the CUPE Saskatchewan Division before May 31 2016: 

CUPE Saskatchewan
3725 E Eastgate Drive
Regina, SK
S4Z 1A5

/cope342