ASPA Advocate
Welcome to the online home of ASPA at the University of Saskatchewan
2019 ASPA AGM
Click a the links below to access documents related to the AGM
Potential CUPE 1975 Job Action – FAQ’s
As you are probably aware, CUPE 1975 took a strike vote at the end of September and the members provided the CUPE 1975 bargaining team with a strike mandate. As an ASPA member you might be wondering what this means for you or how this might impact your work.
ASPA has put together answers to some of those questions that you might have. If your question has not been answered or you require clarification, please contact our Member Services Officer Darcy Hryn – Bird at darcy@aspasask.ca or 306-966-7392. Read More
ASPA Member Highlight – Natalia Rudnitskaya, Manager, Analytical Services (Animal and Poultry Sciences)
Written by Karen E. Mosier
Natalia Rudnitskaya studied Material Engineering with a Major in Technology of Automated Production from Sevastopol National Technical University in Crimea. She also has a B. Sc. in Agriculture with a Major in Food and Applied Microbiological Science from the University of Saskatchewan.
Natalia joined the College of Agriculture and Bioresources 18 years ago as a student, and has worked as a student assistant in the Soil Science department, and as a Research Read More
Saskatchewan’s labour movement form Solidarity Committee to help striking Saskatoon Co-op workers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2019
Saskatchewan’s labour movement forms Solidarity Committee to help striking Saskatoon Co-op workers
Leaders from unions across the province have come together to form a Solidarity Committee aimed at helping striking Saskatoon Co-op workers get a fair deal from their employer.
“Workers at Saskatoon Co-op, who are members of UFCW Local 1400, have been on strike since November of 2018. That is a very long time for people to be out of work; it’s time the Saskatoon Co-op get serious about signing a fair deal,” said Lori Johb, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) president, “our Solidarity Committee will seek to mobilize the nearly 100,000 members of the SFL across the province to put pressure on Saskatoon Co-op and Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL),” she added. READ MORE
U of S support workers’ union rallies to ‘send a message’ before new contract talks
Hundreds of union members cheered, chanted and blew into plastic noisemakers outside the University of Saskatchewan’s main administration building, a gesture of support amid an ongoing pension dispute between the university and its support workers.
While the noon-hour rally was intended to “send a message” to the university’s board of governors, who are meeting this week, the main recipient of that message — U of S President Peter Stoicheff — left the building moments before the event began. READ MORE
Call for nominations – ASPA Executive
Effective April of 2019, six (6) ASPA Executive positions will need to be filled. We are now actively seeking ASPA members who want to join the ASPA Executive.
Would you like to meet new people and learn more about what goes on behind the scenes on campus beyond your own department/unit? Would you like to learn a new skill set, and expand your professional networks? Would you like to make a difference and give back something to the university community? If yes, why don’t you consider joining the ASPA Executive? Read More
Rally in the Bowl, Tuesday March 19, 2019
RALLY IN SOLIDARITY WITH CUPE 1975
March 19, 12:00 noon
“The Bowl” University of Saskatchewan
Workers at the University of Saskatchewan deserve a fair pension plan, and a reasonable wage increase. Joint us for a rally during the next Board of Governors meeting to send a strong message to the administration: Paws off of our Pension!
ASPA Member Highlight – Rick Kroener, Departmental Assistant/Dental Technician, College of Dentistry
Written by Karen E. Mosier
Rick is a Master Dental Technician from Germany with over 36 years of experience in the field. He has worked on campus for the College of Dentistry for the past 2 years after having worked with a private lab in the Dental College building since 2011. His position was uniquely created to meet the needs of dentistry students and provide hands-on instructions as well as theoretical training in laboratory proc
edures. Rick’s duties include instructing Year 1 and 2 dental students in laboratory procedures and dental Anatomy; working with the Year 3 and 4 students on the clinical floor working with patients (involving any procedures outside the mouth e.g., dentures; crowns; bridges and more); managing the labs, including ordering materials/supplies/equipment and attending to any and all equipment and tools maintenance and over all safety; fabricating teaching materials for pre-clinical procedures (e.g., stone models; large size teeth, jigs, molds …); creating power points and videos for lectures and to post on Blackboard; and performing lab work for patients in urgent situations or difficult circumstances.
ASPA Tuition Reimbursement Fund application now available
The application form for the 2018-2019 ASPA Tuition Reimbursement Fund is now available online at: paws.usask.ca/go/awards. Students can apply online through their PAWS account as follows:
1) Log into the Scholarships and Bursaries channel in PAWS (paws.usask.ca/go/awards)
2) Click on the green “Apply for awards” button
3) Click on the “Select Application Form” scroll-down menu under “Current Students”
4) Select the “2018-2019 ASPA Tuition Reimbursement Fund Application”; click “Apply”
The Tuition Reimbursement Fund is available for members’ immediate family (spouses, partner, and children).
U of S employee pension plan debate heats up, strike possible in April
· CBC News ·
There may not be a strike at the University of Saskatchewan in the next week or so, but CUPE Local 1975 leadership says it could be on the horizon.
The union, which represents approximately approximately 1950 non-academic employees who work in facility or operational services, said Tuesday that outstanding issues include employee wages and their pension plan. READ MORE
How to be a Better Colleague
By Karen E. Mosier – 
Have you ever thought about what your colleagues might say about you if you left and took a different position or retired? Would they say that you were the nicest and most patient person that they ever worked with or would they say that they wished that they had never met you?
Several ways that you can be a better co-worker include: Read More
