Created: 31 July 2020

I hope you are all doing well.  I wanted to reach out to you with an update on what we have been doing since our last update.

We continue to work provincially and regionally to resolve both pandemic-related and other workplace concerns for you and the other members.  We encourage you to reach out to your elected officers at the facility level or regional office with any concerns that you may have.

As the number of active cases continues to grow in Saskatchewan – we are carefully watching and continue to have daily briefings with representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority.  We know that CUPE members are on the frontlines of fighting this pandemic and are the backbone of the pandemic response.

Created: 24 June 2020

Brother Sid Hall, CUPE 5430 Region One, speaks out on the challenges of Long Term Care and being a frontline worker.

Regina / 980 CJME
Lisa Schick
June 23, 2020 07:46 am

Thirteen years ago, when Sidney Hall started working as a continuing care aid, he enjoyed going to work and could joke with the residents.

Now they often don’t get the care they deserve.

“Unfortunately, there is no joviality anymore. Sometimes you can have a laugh and joke but it’s mainly rushing. And it’s sad. From when I started to what I see now, it is a sad business,” said Hall.

Created: 22 June 2020

I hope you are all doing well. I wanted to reach out with an update on what we have been working on since the last president’s update.

Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)

We know that COVID-19 and the cohorting ordered by the public health order have negatively affected some of our members and reduced their income.

Casual and part-time employees who have had their hours reduced or are not getting any hours as a result of COVID-19, but are not laid off, can still access the CERB, as long as they’re making $1,000 or less per month in employment and/or self-employment income.

Created: 21 June 2020

June 21 is National Indigenous People's Day. CUPE acknowledges and respects the rights of Indigenous peoples to their unceded territories, as well as to preserve and protect their cultures and languages. We committed to working with Indigenous nations, communities and organizations towards reconciliation, and to respect our ongoing treaty relationships.

Created: 15 June 2020

OH&S Webinar for Saskatchewan Health Care Regions CUPE Local 5430

June 19, 2020

Web Platform: Online via Zoom

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Workshop Details:

LIMIT: 480 People
DATE: Friday, June 19, 2020
TIME: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

The purpose of this webinar is “connecting the dots” of the COVID-19 hazards with fundamental health and safety principles, as well as the rights, powers, and duties under the Occupational Health and Safety tenets of The Saskatchewan Employment Act.

The webinar will look to provide you with a sense of renewed confidence, leaving you to continue to do work safely, while knowing your rights, and while providing support to union members during these unprecedented times.

Topics that will be discussed:

• Right to Refuse unsafe work.
• What are the duties of the employer, the supervisor, and a worker under the SEA?
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Best known practices around COVID-19.
• What controls should be in place for COVID-19?

NOTE: Registrants will receive an email link to the "Zoom" meeting the day before the webinar.

Please register online via this link: https://cupe.ca/mrm-union-education/event/3829

Created: 10 June 2020

Dear Minister Reiter and Mr. Livingstone:

Long-term care in Saskatchewan is provided, in part, by hard-working and dedicated members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 5430.

Last week those CUPE workers listened to the Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO, Scott Livingstone, and Minister of Health, Jim Reiter, speak about “cohorting” in long-term care in Saskatchewan. Cohorting is restricting staffing to a single site or facility, so that workers are not working in more than one facility.

On June 1, 2020, Mr. Livingstone told CBC News that cohorting to avoid the spread of COVID- 19 would be an experiment. He went on to say, “Lots of staff were working part-time at many different facilities, and that also is a challenge for us with respect to consistency, staffing, and hiring and keeping people employed in a single facility.” Further on in the interview, he mused, “It’s going to be interesting to see if we have the ability to continue with that long term …”

Created: 03 June 2020

I wanted to reach out to let you know what we have been working on the last few weeks.

Today, the Bargaining Association health provider unions, SGEU-Health Providers, SEIU-West, and CUPE, launched a petition calling on the government to provide a wage top up for all health care workers who are working hard to fight the COVID pandemic. You may recall from our previous communication that the three provider unions wrote to the premier asking for all health care workers to receive recognition pay. The response we received from Minister Harpauer on May 25^th outlined the program that was introduced by the government but did not address the concerns raised about the noticeably absent health care employees not covered by the program. The government’s current top up covers very few health care workers. An online petition expressing support for a wage top up has been set up to send a message to Premier Scott Moe and members of the legislative assembly (MLAs). The petition, hosted by all three unions, can be found at www.skhealthproviders.ca. Please participate and share the petition with others who may want to support this initiative.