February 4, 2020  

Upcoming events:

Local 7 / Heartland bargaining - Regina, Feb. 13
GSU's collective agreement with Heartland expired Dec. 31, 2019. GSU bargaining committee members are Tyler Sherwood, Heather Makay, and GSU staff rep/bargaining spokesperson Donna Driediger.


Local 5 / Western Producer bargaining - Saskatoon, Feb. 25
GSU's collective agreement with The Western Producer expired July 31, 2019. Bargaining committee members representing GSU Local 5 are Sharlene Tetrault, Michelle Houlden, and GSU staff rep/bargaining spokesperson Dale Markling. Learn more here.


GSU biennial convention - Temple Gardens, Moose Jaw, March 19-21, 2020
If you are a GSU member, we want to hear from you. Join us, share your thoughts and experiences, and let us know what you think your union should be doing for members.  All members of GSU are eligible to attend, but space is limited. Learn more and register here.


CLC/SFL Spring School - Moose Jaw, April 20 - 24, 2020 
This is a GSU-sanctioned event*. Learn more by contacting your staff rep or checking out the school brochure here.


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

*GSU members who sign up and are approved to participate in GSU-sanctioned events will have their time off work, wages, and expenses covered in accordance with GSU's expense policies (child care included). GSU staff will also assist you with arranging the time off with your employer.



Major gap between the two sides in Nutrien bargaining

The Nutrien and GSU bargaining committees met in Regina on January 28 and 29.  While some progress was made in narrowing the issues, there is still a major gap between the two sides. 

Nutrien has created an obstacle in the bargaining over its insistence on removing collective agreement coverage of significant aspects of employment conditions and benefits and proposing instead that they be dealt with as company policy. 

On wages, the parties are not far apart with respect to percentage increases, but the big difference is whether the aggregate approach should continue versus GSU's proposals that everyone is eligible for a guaranteed annual increase in addition to performance based movement towards the top of one's pay range.

Bargaining dates in February are being considered for continuation of bargaining.

Background information on previous bargaining sessions is available on our web page at gsu.ca.

 GSU collective agreements with Nutrien expired Dec. 31, 2019. 

Your GSU Local 15 bargaining committee members are Brian Cowen, Curtis Cousins, Lynn Shaw, GSU staff rep Steve Torgerson, and GSU staff rep/bargaining spokesperson Dale Markling.




Sara Meyer receiving her award from St. Thomas More president Dr. Carl Still.


Congratulations to Sara Meyer - GSU's 2020 St. Thomas More College bursary recipient 

GSU bursary recipient Sara Meyer was among 50 St. Thomas More College (University of Saskatchewan) students to receive an award at the college's annual bursary ceremony on Jan. 18.

According to Dr. Carl Still, president of STM College, the ceremony is about recognizing the tremendous potential of the student bursary recipients. 

"Unlocking that potential depends on so many factors, including the generosity of others," he said. "To the donors, I want to thank you on behalf of all my colleagues at STM. Without you there would be no bursaries to give out, and many qualified students would miss their opportunity at higher education."

On behalf of the members, officers and staff of Grain and General Services Union, we offer congratulations to Sara and wish her well as she continues her studies.



 
The 2020 GSU Biennial Policy Convention is coming up on March 19-21, 2020, and we want you to join us for what is shaping up to be a fantastic convention.

We are counting on GSU members - like you - to come to convention, share your thoughts and experiences, and let us know what you think your union should be doing for its members.

We'll have great people, conversation, food, entertainment, and it's all being held at the Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa in Moose Jaw.

All members of GSU are eligible to attend, but space is limited. Approved convention delegates will have the costs of hotel, mileage, food, and wages covered by GSU. 

Learn more about the upcoming convention  here.

Available space is filling up quickly. If you haven't received your acceptance email from GSU, you are not registered to attend. 



Delegates to convention will each receive a GSU bag to hold their convention meeting materials. After convention, delegates can use these stadium-compliant bags for sporting games, concerts, workplaces, or any event with a clear bag policy in place. 



Congratulations Phillip Kehrig (Local 1 - Viterra)! You've won tickets to the Feb. 8 Rush game 

Phillip entered last week's contest by telling us that the GSU 2020 convention is being held at the Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa in Moose Jaw, and it was Phillip's name that was pulled out of the hat as our winner of two Rush tickets. 

If Phillip has been waiting for the right moment to bust out his neon hammer pants, this is the occasion. It's 80s night at this Saturday's game when the Rush take on the Colorado Mammoth in Saskatoon. In addition to the usual chest thumping that is encouraged at Rush games, fans can get up and dance during the half-time show by Streetheart.

Have a great time, Phillip.



Check back next week when we'll be sweeping in with some tickets for an event that will rock your world.  





How resilient are you when you are facing life's changes?

Things change all the time and they'll likely never be the same again.  Whether it is work, relationships, health, the loss of a pet, or relocation to a new city, it can be really stressful to manage changes. 

Change may be inevitable, but how you handle it is negotiable. Your best bet? Take a deep breath, get on board, and do your best to make the best of things.

Check out these helpful hints to help you negotiate
Dealing with Change 
 


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