Category Archives: News

Stop Screwing Around

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Another great article supporting libraries, over on Oursask.ca, courtesy of Tammy Roberts, breaking down the ten-year political history of libraries in SK:

So forgive me if I’m not buying that the Saskatchewan government has turned its back on its ten-year commitment to libraries (including the millions of tax dollars invested in SILS, which thanks to last month’s budget cuts is now no longer operational, after only a scant few years of serving the province) – not because it’s painfully out of touch with the electorate and piss-poor broke, but because it had a sudden revelation about its “core function”.

See the full article here:

Screwing With a Century-Old System: A Brief History of Libraries In Saskatchewan

Message from the Acting President

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Union/Employer Meetings

Two members CUPE 2669’s Executive have been meeting with SPL’s CEO and Director of Public Services at “2 + 2” meetings. Important information from these meeting includes:

  • SPL will not be appealing the Saskatchewan Labour Board’s Decision on supervisors remaining in our local.
  • City Manager Murray Totland informed City of Saskatoon (CoS) employees that there will be no wage increases this year *
  • SPL’s CEO Carol Cooley and other public library directors met with Deputy Premier Don Morgan on April 12
  • Ms. Cooley will not be asking the CoS for more municipal funding for SPL.
  • SPL’s Board of Directors met on April 13.
  • Ms Cooley is “deeply concerned” about the effect of the budget cuts on SPL employees and services.
  • If you have questions, concerns or suggestions you can contact Ms. Cooley, your manager or your Union representative. Ms. Cooley is willing to provide what answers she can.

Continue reading →

Opinion Piece in Leader Post Supports Libraries

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Merilee Rasmussen has written a letter of opinion that has been published in the Regina Leader Post, and it is great!

The minister thinks all you need these days is a computer, but if you don’t have the network you don’t have access to this content. I suppose the minister thinks Wikipedia is good enough. The minister hasn’t apparently read the annual reports he receives from the Multitype Library Board where this initiative and the many others supported by the board are described. Or he could check out the overview prepared by J. Michael Shires of the University of Regina on the occasion of the board’s 20th anniversary. If he hurries, he can find it in his local library before they shut down.

Check out the full article by clicking here. 

 

 

Preparing for Bargaining

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Our Collective Agreement expired Dec. 31, 2016 and it’s time to start bargaining a new agreement. We have a knowledgable Negotiations Committee in place with experienced members. Our membership has been consulted and made their concerns on bargaining issues known. Our team had planned to meet with the representatives of our Employer, the Saskatoon Public Library Board,  at the bargaining table in March and when we received a message from the library’s CEO Carol Cooley.

“….As you are likely aware, contract negotiations are to begin soon. We had anticipated further ahead with the service model and organizational structure project at this point. Considering where we are at with this project and for the benefit of everyone, it is it is important that the model is finalized, and both the union and the members are introduced to the plan before commencing contract negotiations. It is important so that we can bargain in good faith and so that negotiations are informed by current and relevant information. For this reason, we have advised the union we would like to postpone negotiations until after the service model, and the operational plan is finalized.”

We don’t know when bargaining will begin, we’ll keep you posted.