Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well and gearing up for the spring of 2025 and warmer weather.
I’d like to acknowledge the invaluable assistance and guidance I continually receive from past ASPA leaders and former Executive members. Recognition is also due to our current Vice Presidents, Philip Hitchings, and Dawn Giesbrecht, who are providing impartial insights that aid us in steering ASPA in the right direction. Furthermore, I want to recognize the Executive members for their contributions in devising various initiatives to enhance the membership experience. Our union is fortunate to have an exceptional contingent of ASPA members who volunteered their time for various committees. I encourage all ASPA members who can find some time to volunteer for ASPA committees and consider running for future leadership roles.
I would also like to mention that our ASPA staff members – Glenn Billingsley and Emily Hinatsu – have been doing an incredible job over the winter and without their invaluable support, we as a team would not be able to accomplish the goals that we continually striving to achieve.
Finally, I would also like to thank Ken Glover for his work continually providing IT support to ASPA.
ASPA Updates:
Executive Committee
The new Executive Committee members assumed office as of May 1, 2024, and we held our first meeting on May 09, 2024. During that meeting, four leadership roles were filled for 2024-2025, including Philip Hitchings and Dawn Giesbrecht as Vice-Presidents, Erica Li-Humen as Treasurer, and I was voted into the role of President.
The members of the Executive are as follows:
- Aditya Manek
- Brianna Groot
- Dawn Giesbrecht
- Edith Conacher
- Erica Li-Humen
- Evan Potts
- John Costa
- Julie Maier
- LaVina Watts
- Paige Larsen
- Philip Hitchings
- Simona Meier
The Executive Committee has been meeting regularly and we have been discussing ongoing issues and working towards new policies and procedures that will benefit current and future ASPA Executive members and staff.
General Membership
The ASPA membership continues to stay strong with 1683 members as of this month. Fluctuations in membership numbers are usually due to casual employees, such as markers/proctors.
Overview of Membership Numbers
- As of January 1, 2025 – 1678 Members
- As of February 1, 2025 – 1683 Members
- As of March 1, 2025 – 1683 Members
Standing Committees
Communications and Public Relations Sub-Committee (Part of Engagement Committee)
This committee has been working hard to improve membership engagement and transparency on what goes on behind the scenes, while updating some of our communications processes and tools.
Reminder: There is a “Suggestion Box” on the ASPA website which you will find on the right-hand sidebar. Please feel free to leave any of your comments and suggestions for the Executive Committee, which can be anonymous if you so choose.
Education Sub-Committee (Part of Engagement Committee)
This committee has been working towards identifying learning opportunities for our membership. The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) Spring School is being held in May of 2025, and I am happy to update you that some of our members have shown interest in attending and I hope that all the allocated spots for our members are filled up before the deadline for applications (March 21 at noon).
Social Sub-Committee (Part of Engagement Committee)
This committee has been working to improve our engagement. The ASPA Winter Social that was held on February 20, 2025, was a grand success! I thank all the volunteers from the Engagement Committee who helped make it a delightful event and I thank the staff of Marquis Hall and Culinary Services for hosting us. I am sorry for missing this event and the opportunity to interact with all of you – in the month of February, I was in India visiting with my family after almost 7 years.
Research Committee
This committee has remained available to respond to Executive and member requests. On behalf of this committee, I thank you for taking the time to fill out surveys prepared by this committee to seek valuable feedback from you. Recently, a member satisfaction survey was completed. Additionally, this committee is drafting a survey to seek member feedback on Merit. We would love to hear from every one of you so that we ensure that we are better prepared to support you.
Strike Manual Committee
I am pleased to inform you that the Strike Manual Committee has generated a final draft of the manual which is currently being vetted by the ASPA Executive, and we will share a copy with the membership once it is ready for review. Having an official strike manual provides us with a lot of confidence and the ability to let the employer know that ASPA is united and well prepared for the upcoming bargaining year cycle.
Merit Audit Committee
In our Collective Agreement, there is language around having a Merit Audit Committee to discuss how the merit process is working across campus and have the employer share statistical data on the merit distribution. After a hiatus of 10 years, four members from the Executive and the ASPA staff met with the employer in November of 2024 to discuss the terms of reference for this committee. We are aiming to have our next meeting this month, and at the upcoming AGM will communicate the findings of any valuable recent merit-related statistics that we can procure from the employer.
General Office
As a reminder, our Financial and Administrative Assistant Emily Hinatsu is in our general office and is available to help answer your questions. The ASPA office hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm, 304 Kirk Hall, or 302 Kirk Hall. Please feel free to contact us any time at 306.966.2471, by email at aspa@aspasask.ca, or by stopping by.
Member Services
ASPA Member Services Officer (MSO) Glenn Billingsley has been busy addressing grievance cases and communicating with our ASPA members. We currently have three grievance cases that are active. In addition, ASPA filed one policy grievance (Vacation Accrual) that has now been closed.
If you have any questions or would like information regarding your union, or if you believe you are being treated unfairly or in ways that do not align with your contract, our MSO is designated to advocate on your behalf. Please connect with Glenn – his office is in Kirk Hall 302, and he can be reached at glenn@aspasask.ca or 306.966.7392.
Lastly, a shout-out to all our ASPA members who are working outside the Saskatoon campus. We equally value your input and involvement in ASPA.
I hope you have a joyful spring and enjoy the lovely weather that we will be experiencing soon! On behalf of the ASPA Executive and staff, we wish you nothing but the best.
In solidarity,
Dr. Aditya Manek, ASPA President (2024 – 2025)