Greetings ASPA Members,
Welcome to September! I hope you all enjoyed some time away this summer doing the things you love. In spite of traffic snarls, the last-minute pivoting inherent in each new academic year, and the even earlier than usual encroachment of the pumpkin spice season during the last days of summer, this is an exciting and vibrant time of year, and my wish is for a successful year for our members both personally and professionally.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the ASPA Pancake Breakfast on September 1st! It was wonderful to see so many of our members come out, connect, and spend time together. It was truly an honour to visit, engage, and build relationships with you. Your participation and enthusiasm helped make the event a great success. A special shout-out and heartfelt thank you to Angeline Hainstock for coordinating the event and doing so much of the heavy lifting to bring it all together. We look forward to more opportunities throughout the year to gather with you, strengthen our relationships, and continue building a strong and connected membership.
As always, our dedicated ASPA staff deserve our sincere thanks and appreciation for all that they do. Our Member Services Officer, Shayne Meggs and our Administrative and Financial Assistant, Angeline Hainstock are the backbone of our organization, and they are an integral part of our operations. Their contributions to ASPA cannot be understated, and we are fortunate for their service.
It is a fruitful season for ASPA. We welcomed our new Executive members in June at our Executive retreat, where we set our goals and aspirations for the year. These goals include the following:
- increased education and professional development regarding labour and how APSA operates for members, executive, and staff;
- growth in social activities for members;
- continued engagement for members outside of Saskatoon;
- increased communications to members;
- renewed branding;
- engaging, supporting, and communicating with other unions on campus and beyond;
- and developing the ambassador program.
These are ambitious goals, but we believe they are achievable, and we look forward to working with ASPA members on these items that will benefit us all.
ASPA is especially proud of our recent member engagement. Over 1,000 members completed the ASPA Pre-Bargaining Survey. We have never had such a large response to our survey, and it is truly spectacular to see members engaged in sharing what matters to them. Thank you for your engagement, as it helps inform the Executive how to best serve you.
As you may know, ASPA is entering into bargaining with the Employer. While our bargaining timeline was slightly delayed last winter due to changes in ASPA leadership, we have been working diligently to make up for lost time, and our Bargaining Team is now actively engaged in the process. Our bargaining team is led internally by Kim Matheson and externally by Hugh Wagner, who has been part of ASPA’s last two bargaining rounds. The other members of the team include Joshua Lloyd, Milan Bogunovic, Candice Pete-Cardoso, and myself. Shayne Meggs is also actively involved, bringing his valuable bargaining experience and knowledge to support the team. We have a diverse and dedicated team that is committed to doing the hard work necessary to deliver a fair and strong agreement for our members. We have met with the Employer to establish mutually agreed-upon ground rules for negotiations, and we have finalized our bargaining priorities. Our first negotiation meetings are scheduled for the end of September. We will hold a member meeting in October to provide an update on the bargaining process and our progress. Please watch your emails for further details.
Members of the ASPA Executive team are also busy entering negotiations with our ASPA staff, who have joined COPE 342 and are negotiating their first collective agreement. It is an exciting opportunity to be on both sides of the negotiating table, first with our ASPA bargaining and then as the Employer for the COPE 342 agreement. Our COPE 342 bargaining team consists of myself, Darla Read, Simona Maier, Candice Pete-Cardoso, and Adi Manek. We will be negotiating with COPE 342 in September and October, and we will keep you informed of our progress.
The ASPA Executive had the pleasure of visiting our Regina members in August. It was wonderful to share a meal and spend time with our Regina membership, and we sincerely appreciate everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to meet with us. Our members asked thoughtful and important questions, leading to meaningful conversations about the issues that matter most to our Regina membership. These discussions are invaluable in helping the Executive better understand and represent the priorities of our members across the province. Our site visits reinforce the importance of maintaining a strong ASPA presence at all of our campuses. We look forward to continuing these opportunities to connect with members and are excited for our upcoming Executive visit to the Prince Albert Campus in October.
Our ASPA committees are working hard on their 2026/27 priorities for the upcoming year. We will provide an update on the important work our committees have been doing in our October newsletter.
Again, welcome to Fall. If you have questions, concerns, or comments, please reach out. It is an honour to serve you, and I look forward to working with you all this year.
In Solidarity