Category: ASPA Updates

Condolences to the Gellner Family

Dear ASPA Members

We are very sad to advise everyone that Annetta Gellner passed away on Wednesday March 25, 2020 after a short but courageous battle with cancer. Annetta served ASPA for 21 years as our assistant and that was after serving the university for 35 plus years in the registrars office. Annetta was an integral part of ASPA and for many years was the only constant in a rotating list of executive members. Speaking from personal experience having served as president for the first time 18 years ago, Annetta kept me on track with all the things a president has to do and was a wealth of information on everything from how to run a meeting to the story behind decisions made many years prior. I will miss Annetta but feel lucky to have worked with her.

You can read her obituary at this link https://www.arbormemorial.ca/hillcrest/obituaries/annetta-inez-gellner/47276

Curtis Larson

ASPA President”

Grievance Update

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”

Vacation Purchase Program and Partial Leave Initiative

On November 13, 2019, the employer communicated to ASPA members, in Finance and Resources, that they were offering a Vacation Purchase Program (VPP) and a Partial Leave Initiative (PLI) as a pilot project to all staff within this portfolio.

We felt it was important for ASPA members to know that the Employer did not speak to ASPA in any detail about either the VPP or the PLI.  They mentioned in passing that they were looking at some initiatives back in September, but had no further discussion with us.  The first time ASPA was provided with the details of the VPP and the PLI was on November 12, 2019. Continue reading “Vacation Purchase Program and Partial Leave Initiative”

Grievance Updates

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”

ASPA Annual General Meeting Summary

Written by Yolanda Palmer-Clarke

The annual general meeting for the Administrative and Supervisory Personnel Association (ASPA) was held April 30, 2019 in ARTS 241 with 184 members in attendance.  Members voted to fill vacant positions on the executive from a list of nominated personnel. There were eleven (11) nominees volunteering for six (6) positions on the executive. This is the largest number of nominees to date and ASPA thanks each nominee for their willingness to volunteer. The new executive for the year 2019-2020 were introduced to the membership at the close of the meeting: Curt Larson (President), Joanie Crandall (VP), LaVina Watts (VP), Garett Federko (Treasurer), Calvert ChiefCalf, Colleen Cochran, John Costa, Dawn Giesbrecht, Peter Krebs, Andrea Smida, Henry Tan, and Dan Zhao. One retiring member took the opportunity to encourage members to take advantage of the benefits offered through ASPA. As social with food and drinks at Louis’ Loft follwed the general meeting. It was a success with over 100 members attending for conversation and networking.

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?  Continue reading “Call for nominations – ASPA Executive”

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).