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September 19th – Queen’s Funeral

Greetings CUPE 1975 members,

You all should have received the information now that the University of Saskatchewan wasn’t in favor of granting Monday, Sept 19th as a holiday. Our language under Article 16.1 of our Collective Agreement states:

“Any date proclaimed as a public holiday by the provincial or federal government will be deemed to be a holiday for employees providing this does not duplicate holiday provisions above,”

The wording of this article hinges on the word “proclaim.”

We are continuing to communicate with our CUPE National Lawyer to see if we have a  valid grievance to file.

Bob Jones, President

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Upcoming Ratification Meeting and Vote

UPDATE: There have been some questions and concerns from the below post. The union and the University are still working on putting the MOA together and until it is signed by both sides, we are not allowed to release ANY information about it.

It is made more difficult to get reviewed and signed with people on both sides being on vacation too. CUPE is doing the best they can and working overtime to be ready for the ratification meeting next week. Both sides are trying to have this done before the summer holiday season.

Thank you for your understanding.

Greetings CUPE 1975 members,

As many of you have heard, our Bargaining Committee has been successful in negotiating a tentative Collective Agreement with the University of Saskatchewan.  Since that point, we have been working hard on your behalf to put all the pieces together to host the ratification meeting and vote.

THE RATIFICATION MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY, JUNE 28TH AT 2:30 PM IN THE HEALTH SCIENCES THEATRE, RM 1150. VOTING WILL TAKE PLACE ELECTRONICALLY,BEGINNING AT 5:00 PM AND RUNNING UNTIL 5:00 PM ON JUNE 29TH.

For this meeting to happen we are busy compiling all the agreed to Articles into a Memorandum of Agreement (“MOA”), which must be reviewed by both parties, CUPE 1975 and The University of Saskatchewan. Once that document is finalized, it will be the document that will be presented to the membership on June 28th.

We are also working on transmitting this meeting virtually via Zoom, so all the members of CUPE 1975 will have access to it. 

We have requested permission for our members to be able to attend the meeting at 2:30 pm on June 28th, and we received a message today stating that it will be a departmental choice, based on needs of the department, but that central Human Resources was encouraging departments and colleges to allow it to happen. You will need to check with your manager for approval.

As with all ratification votes, each member will have one vote. For this contract to be ratified, there would need to be acceptance of the offer from over 50 per cent of the votes.  50 percent plus one vote would ratify it.  Our Bargaining Committee and the rest of the Executive receive one vote, the same as all members.

As with any communication we send out to our members, we require permission from the University to use their USASK email system. The other ways we communicate with you is through our website, through the personal email addresses some of you have shared with us and our Facebook page. I would encourage you all to monitor our webpage leading up to our meeting for additional information when it becomes available.

We have had some challenges putting all these pieces together to have this vote prior to the summer break. We have decided to incorporate our General Membership Meeting that was to take place that day, into the first few minutes of this meeting. We are planning to stay after the meeting to answer questions, as always, and we are planning to attach the MOA into the voting document that you will receive. This will give you time to review it again after the meeting if you choose and then make your decision. 

Bob Jones, President

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Mental Health Awareness Week

Hello CUPE 1975 Members,

Over these past few years, COVID really has taken a toll on people’s mental health. With lack of normalcy and change in everyday life, it can be hard to know where to turn when things get difficult.

CUPE 1975 and ASPA have partnered up with the Canadian Mental Health Association to promote resources where you and your loved ones can feel heard.

May 2nd – 8th is Mental Health week, and we would like to offer you a free presentation on Mental Health Awareness. This will be held May 5th from 3:30pm-4:30pm in Arts Room 241, presented by Heidi Fischer.

T-shirts will be available on site for purchase. Each shirt is $10.00, and all proceeds go to the Canadian Mental Health Association – Saskatoon Branch. We look forward to seeing as many people as possible wearing these t-shirts around campus to show support for mental health awareness and acceptance.

Sent on behalf of CUPE1975 & ASPA’s Joint Mental Health Committee

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Happy Holidays from the President

Greetings fellow CUPE 1975 members,

Another holiday season is upon us and once again I’m left wondering where the year went.  As a local we have been engaged in bargaining for most of this year and it will carry forward into 2022.  We have determined dates for the New Year, and we will keep you posted with progress. 

We were very happy to see most of our fellow members return to their jobs with the University this fall and are hopeful that the measures taken by the University will protect our campus community from any significant COVID outbreaks going forward.  I don’t believe anyone would have thought that nearly 2 years into this pandemic, we would be where we are today.  Many of the things that COVID brought with it are requiring our Executive’s time and resources to deal with.  I’m hopeful, as many of you are, that the new year will see COVID disappear into our rear-view mirror. 

We hosted our elections in November of this year again and the Table Officer positions of 1st Vice-President and Treasurer were up.  Ryan Klassen was successful in his bid for the 1st Vice-President’s position and Jeff Theis was successful in his pursuit of the Treasurer’s position.  Both Ryan and Jeff have been involved in our local for several years and their experience will benefit our members.  We also held a by-election as Natalie Laing elected to leave the University to pursue other options.  Erwin Marbella was successful in becoming the new 2nd Vice-President, a position he has held for the past 8 months while Natalie was on a leave.  In the Area Rep positions, Dylan Powell, one of our tech reps, and Lara O’Grady, our library rep, have stepped down from their roles within our union.  Our other reps, with some encouragement, have decided to stay on and continue to do the important work of representing our members.  You can find a complete list of all our current reps and the vacant positions on our Executive by accessing our website.  Thank you to those who have stepped away from our Executive and to those of you who have chosen to stay involved.  We will be developing our committees for the New Year in January, so if any of you have any interest in joining any of our committees, reach out to us and let’s have a conversation.  A list of all the committees is on our website.

I have talked in the past about our interest in partnering with The Canadian Mental Health Association, to bring some awareness and understanding about the challenges that many individuals face, both on campus and off.  I have mentioned it to some of the other Unions on campus and I’m happy to say that ASPA has agreed to partner with us and help create some awareness and acceptance for people struggling with mental health issues.  The stats that the CMHA has shared with us this past year is that, prior to COVID, 1 in 5 Canadians, were suffering with some form of mental health issues at any one time. With the onset of COVID, that number increased to between 2 or 3 people out of 5.  I have been told that Saskatchewan trails most provinces in funding for mental health.  Our members have shared with me that getting help for themselves or their loved ones can be very challenging at best.  We are not able to write a cheque that will address all these issues.  What we can do is recognize it in others and show support to those going through it.  Mental health takes shape in many ways and forms.   The support people require differs from individual to individual.   All people benefit from a conversation with a friend or family member when they are going through a difficult time.  This may be all they need while others require more.  Often these challenges can be elevated by removing some of those things that serve to anchor us in our lives.  This can include the loss of family, a friend, or a spouse.  The holiday season can escalate those feelings of loss.  You might need a friend to talk to or be required to be the friend who listens.  Our CUPE Executive is often called upon to be the one who listens along with others when people are having trouble.  Our CUPE/ASPA partnership is planning several initiatives for 2022.  This committee has several ideas and lots of energy to put into this joint effort.  I look forward to seeing everything they have planned.  

Be kind to others.  

Happy Holidays,  

Bob Jones

President

CUPE 1975

Prairie School for Union Women

  • June 12-15, 2023
  • Saskatoon Inn
  • 2002 Airport Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The Prairie School for Union Women (PSUW), offers trade union women an intensive four days of ­learning and sharing in a supportive environment. The goals of the school are to develop ­women’s personal and leader­ship skills and to build ­solidarity among women workers. Whether you are a woman who is a long time activist or just starting to get involved in your union, this school is open to you.

https://sfl.sk.ca/events/2023-sfl-prairie-school-for-union-women

We are accepting applications until April 14, 2023. Contact the office for the application form (office@cupe1975.com).

Technicians, Security, Stores Area Rep Election

We are pleased to announce we have had 2 nominations for the vacant position of Technicians/Security/Store Rep position. Campaigning will start next week and will end on March 13, the day before election. The election will take place on March 14th in WCVM Rm 2587 from 12 – 1 pm. Stay tuned for information on your candidates next week!

Valentine’s for Mental Health

We had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating Valentine’s Day and Mental Health. Thank you to all of our volunteers and members who donated their time and crafts to our event! We had some of our Executive come out and some members from ASPA as well as some members from CUPE who donated their time, Leah Gordon and Shreyas Jois.

Special shout out to Susan Thiessen and her quilting group, Resurrection Piece Makers for making and donating 2 fabulous dog beds for a raffle at the WCVM table. Also, Gail Kondra made some delicious cupcakes for the folks at the PAC table. Much appreciated!

New Executive Members

CUPE 1975 would like to congratulate Ariana Verbonac on her new role with the Union as Recording Secretary! Ariana won by acclimation and we now be accepting applications for the Stores/Security/Technicians representative position that she leaves vacant. The deadline for applications/nominations is February 23, 2023.

We also would like to welcome Jocelyn Valmores as our new Food Services representative. This position has been vacant for a number of years so we are ecstatic that Jocelyn approached us with interest in becoming an Executive! We hope to have her up and running very shortly!

We look forward to working with Ariana and Jocelyn and having them represent CUPE 1975 members in the future!

Recording Secretary Nominations

We are now accepting nominations for the position of Recording Secretary for CUPE 1975. Nominations are open until February 10, 2023 and will be accepted via the attached form. Contact the office if you have any questions (office@cupe1975.com).

We will be holding a By-Election near the end of February. Stay tuned for more information.

Internationalization Award Opportunities

*This message is being sent on behalf of the International Office*

Internationalization Award Opportunities for Faculty, Staff and Students

The International Office is pleased to announce the 2023 Internationalization award opportunities to recognize the achievements of faculty, staff and students who provide outstanding contributions to the internationalization of USask.  There are four awards of recognition and all nomination deadlines are March 31, 2023 by 4 pm CST/SK time.  Please visit internationaloffice.usask.ca/awards for award details and nomination forms. 

J.W. George Ivany Internationalization Award for Faculty

As part of the University of Saskatchewan Blueprint for Action 2025, the International Office announces the J.W. George Ivany Internationalization Award to recognize the achievements of a USask facultymember who provides outstanding contributions to the internationalization of the University of Saskatchewan. Nominate our amazing and deserving USask faculty for a J.W. George Ivany Internationalization Award. Nomination forms and two supporting letters must be included with submissions.

Nomination deadline: March 31, 2023, 4 pm CST/SK time

Value: $1500

Visit internationaloffice.usask.ca/awards for details. Questions can be directed to international.office@usask.ca.

Global Research Leadership Award for Faculty

As part of the University of Saskatchewan Blueprint for Action 2025, the International Office announces the Global Research Leadership Award to recognize exceptional contributions of a USask faculty member toward strengthening the global profile of the University of Saskatchewan. Nominate our amazing and deserving USask faculty for a Global Research Leadership Award. Nomination forms and two supporting letters must be included with submissions.

Nomination deadline: March 31, 2023, 4 pm CST/SK time

Value: $1500

Visit internationaloffice.usask.ca/awards for details. Questions can be directed to international.office@usask.ca.

International Engagement Service Award for Staff

As part of the University of Saskatchewan Blueprint for Action 2025, the International Office announces the International Engagement Service Award to recognize the achievements of a USask administrative staff member who provides outstanding contributions to the internationalization of the University of Saskatchewan. Nominate our amazing and deserving USask staff for a International Engagement Service Award. Nomination forms and two supporting letters must be included with submissions.

Nomination deadline: March 31, 2023, 4 pm CST/SK time

Value: $1500

Visit internationaloffice.usask.ca/awards for details. Questions can be directed to international.office@usask.ca.

Global Research Leadership Award for Students

As part of the University of Saskatchewan Blueprint for Action 2025, the International Office announces the Global Research Leadership Award to recognize exceptional contributions of a USask student or student-led team who provides outstanding global research leadership. Nominate our amazing and deserving USask students for a Global Research Leadership Award. Nomination forms and two supporting letters must be included with submissions.

Nomination deadline: March 31, 2023, 2022, 4 pm CST/SK time

Value: $1500

Visit internationaloffice.usask.ca/awards for details. Questions can be directed to international.office@usask.ca.