Author: darcyhryn

Did You Know?

Did You Know? – Merit 2021

darcyhryn

Well, it is the time of year again, to talk about merit.   You may or may not know that merit changed significantly in 2021.  Here is an update of those changes:

1. Eligibility – to be eligible for merit there are two criteria that need to be met:

a. You are an ASPA member.

b. That you have been employed since November 1 of the current fiscal year.

We have seen some of the documents that the employer has sent out recently and it appears that in a few cases their documents have not been updated or the employer is adding criteria that is not referenced or inferred in the Collective Agreement.  If you have been advised that you are not eligible for Merit, we encourage you to find out the reason why and then reach out to ASPA so we may have the appropriate follow up conversations.

Continue reading “Did You Know? – Merit 2021” →
Did You Know?

Did You Know? – Remote Work Space

darcyhryn

We have been working from home for close to a year now.  Who would have thought this back in March?  During this time, many members have been limping along in their homes making do with a less than optimal workspace.  To that end we want to reinforce with you the fact that the employer has modified the eligibility criteria of our Accountable Professional Development Account (APDA) to give members a chance to access these funds to improve their remote workspace.

Continue reading “Did You Know? – Remote Work Space” →
ASPA Updates, Did You Know?

Temporary Layoffs

darcyhryn

Written by Darcy Hryn-Bird, ASPA Member Services Officer

As you are probably aware the University of Saskatchewan (the employer) announced on April 28th how they will manage their workforce moving forward.  You should have received an email from People and Resources outlining their plans.

The people leaders in your area will be reviewing the work that is being done in your area over the upcoming days.   The employer identified in this communication that  “Staff working in essential campus operations will continue, some work in isolated areas of campus or sites outside the main campus may partially re-start, and work that can be done remotely will continue to be done off-campus.” 

Continue reading “Temporary Layoffs” →
ASPA Updates

Grievance Update

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ASPA continues to have a number of open grievances, twenty (20) to be exact.  These grievances are the same ones that were open since the last update in November, which you can read here.

We continue to wait for two (2) Arbitration awards.   Both were heard last year. However; just last week, ASPA did receive an award on a wrongful layoff grievance that we had filed.   The arbitrator ruled in favour of the Union and we now await discussion with the employer as to the implementation of this award.  The award affirms that the employer cannot lay a permanent member off if the majority of their work continues to exist and moves to another member or individual as outlined in Article 16. 

Continue reading “Grievance Update” →
ASPA Updates

Grievance Updates

darcyhryn

Written by Darcy Hryn-Bird, ASPA Member Services

Our Member Services Officer, Darcy Hryn-Bird, is currently handling twenty-one (21) active grievances.  Unsure  what a grievance is or how to file one?  For more information go here.grievance 2

Most of the outstanding grievances are related to the employer failing to deduct Association dues from several positions across campus.  ASPA has been raising this issue with the Employer for the last number of years and started to file grievances when it became clear that our message was not being heard.  The grieved positions are currently in the “Research” group and are not in the scope of any bargaining unit.   We believe that these positions are similar to what our members are currently doing.  The reason that ASPA is pursuing these grievances is not to get more dues or increase our membership, but to ensure that employees of the University have been appropriately placed in a bargaining unit. We have made some progress on a few of the grievances in this area, but the movement is slow going.   Continue reading “Grievance Updates” →

Did You Know?

Did you Know – Tuition Waiver

darcyhryn

Written by Darcy Hryn-Bird, ASPA Member Services Officer

Did you know that if you are a member of ASPA that you are most likely eligible for a Tuition Waiver?

Article 12.11 of the ASPA Collective Agreement allows ASPA members to take one (1) forhr-tuition-waiver credit course per academic term at the University of Saskatchewan. The cost of the tuition would be waived.  You would however still be responsible to cover the cost of the student fees but these may be eligible expenses under your Accountable Professional Development Account (APDA) (Article 12.10). Continue reading “Did you Know – Tuition Waiver” →

Did You Know?

Did you know? – usask.ca Email address

darcyhryn

Written by Darcy Hryn-Bird, ASPA Member Services Officer

The results of a recent ASPA member survey showed that 66% (of those who responded) of ASPA members are graduates of the University of Saskatchewan.  This means that you have been given a usask.ca email account which is yours for life.Email Inbox

Although this is a really good bonus, this is also the email address that you are using during your employment at the University.  This creates some challenges should your employment relationship with the University end for some reason, particularly if you use the usask.ca email for your personal use.

Should your employment relationship with the University end for whatever reason your usask.ca email address will be deactivated.  There will be an out of office message put on your account saying that you no longer work at the University.  However, we have had instances, after a member’s departure, where the employer has forwarded incoming messages to another individual in the same unit.  ASPA has asked that this does not happen but we have seen “email forwarding” occur in a couple of cases.  ASPA will continue to advocate that emails should not be forwarded as we believe that this is a breach of your privacy. Continue reading “Did you know? – usask.ca Email address” →

ASPA Updates

Potential CUPE 1975 Job Action – FAQ’s

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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. Continue reading “Potential CUPE 1975 Job Action – FAQ’s” →

Did You Know?

Did you know? – Pay Stubs

darcyhryn

Written by Darcy Hryn – Bird, ASPA Member Services Officer

Do you check your pay stubs each time you get paid?  I am thinking that you might be among the majority if you do not.

Members should be getting into the habit of checking their pay stubs with each pay period.  Mistakes do happen and it is important for them to be caught early so as to not delay any necessary corrections. Continue reading “Did you know? – Pay Stubs” →