November 3, 2020

Calendar highlights and upcoming events:
GSU Local 5 (Western Producer) - Nov. 3 & 5

Bargaining continues in Saskatoon.

GSU Local 5 bargaining committee members are Sharlene Tetrault, Michelle Houlden, and GSU staff rep Dale Markling.

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Autumn 2020 membership meetings

In addition to usual union business, we've got constitutional amendments for your consideration and we need you to vote on whether you want to continue paying dues into the GSU Defense Fund.

Watch your email for your meeting notice and contact your GSU staff rep if you have any questions.

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Local 15 (Nutrien) members vote to accept Memorandum of Settlement

Local 15 president Brian Cowan, bargaining committee members Lynn Shaw and Steve Torgerson, and GSU Local 15 committee spokesperson Dale Markling were in GSU's Regina office on Nov. 2 to count ballots from the local's ratification vote. When all was said and done, the members voted to accept the Oct. 1, 2020 memorandum of settlement between GSU Local 15 and Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Work will now begin to incorporate the terms of the memorandum of settlement into a new collective agreement. Once the wording of the new agreement has been agreed to by company and union representatives, GSU will print new collective agreement booklets for distribution to all Local 15 members.

"In these turbulent and trying times that we are experiencing, the acceptance of and ratification of our new bargaining agreement will provide needed peace of mind to our members. The uncertainty of our expired contract has weighed on all of us," said Local 15 president Brian Cowan. "I would like to thank you all for your support throughout the bargaining process, and for casting your ballots and voting. With acceptance, we are all able to move forward with a measure of security for the immediate future." 

The new five-year agreement spans Jan. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2024.

If you have questions or comments contact your GSU staff rep.

ILWU Canada, Local 522 to take strike action against SGS Prince Rupert
 
On Nov. 4, 2020 members of ILWU Canada Local 522 in Prince Rupert will be going on strike against SGS in support of their effort to bargain a first collective agreement with the employer. This will mean a complete work stoppage regarding grain sampling at any facility in Prince Rupert that handles grain.
 
GSU encourages its members to support the strike action by members of ILWU Canada Local 522.
On behalf of the members, officers, and staff of Grain and General Services Union, we extend congratulations to our five GSU scholarship recipients who will each receive $2,000:

Tyler Buenneke – Dependent Scholarship recipient
Son of Local 1 (Viterra) member Mark Buenneke
 
Dayne Patterson – Dependent Scholarship recipient
Son of Local 15 (Nutrien) member Robert Patterson
 
Alexis Wood – Dependent Scholarship recipient
Daughter of Local 2 (Viterra Office) member Sheila Tran
 
Ty Nikolejsin – Member Scholarship recipient
Local 15 (Nutrien) member
 
Marc Rapin – Member Scholarship recipient
Local 16 (Lake Country Co-op) summer student.
 
We will be highlighting each of our scholarship recipients here over five weeks. You can learn more about our GSU scholarship program here.

Thank you to GSU president Jim Brown, GSU vice president Brett North, and Joint Executive Council member/Local 15 president Brian Cowan for serving as our 2020 scholarship committee.



Congratulations to Alexis Wood - recipient of a $2,000 GSU scholarship

Alexis is the daughter of GSU Local 2 (Viterra Head Office) member Sheila Tran. She is attending Saskatchewan Polytechnic where she is enrolled in the Victim Services Coordination applied certificate program.

Congratulations on being awarded a GSU scholarship, Alexis. We wish you all the best in your studies and future endeavours.
What are your unconscious biases?
You may not think you have them, but you do. We all have unconscious biases.

An unconscious bias is a social stereotype you have that is outside your own conscious awareness. These biases can be negative or positive, and they affect our behaviour. As the word unconscious implies, these biases aren't something you are even aware of, and they may actually fly in the face of your conscious values.

Examples of unconscious biases are:

  • Weight Bias is an example of an unconscious bias where a person is judged because they are heavier or larger than average, or they are lighter and smaller than average.

  • Under the Halo Bias, when someone has an attribute that impresses us, it causes us to shine a positive light on that person and assume the best about them in all respects while overlooking the things that may be negative.

  • As an example of another unconscious and unintentional bias, Google inadvertently designed the YouTube app for right-handed users. Much to their surprise, when YouTube launched the video upload feature for their app, between 5 percent and 10 percent of videos were uploaded upside-down. Why? Left-handed users commonly rotate their phones 180 degrees when using the popular app. Oops.

  • There are a lot of misplaced assumptions and unconscious biases surrounding Millenials, Gen Xers, and Boomers.

Check out other biases in the links below, and challenge yourself to identify your own unconscious biases: 


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.