Anne Kyle, Regina Leader-Post, July 8, 2008 Regina - The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) are to formally sign their new collective agreement Wednesday. On June 23, SUN's more than 7,200 members voted 78 per cent in favour of the deal which was also ratified by the employers and the SAHO board of directors. The four-year deal, which expires on March 31, 2012, provides general duty nurses, at the top of their pay scale, with a wage increase of nearly 35 per cent. ... SAHO

Pamela Cowan, Regina Leader-Post, July 3, 2008 Regina - Health officials are hoping Saskatchewan will soon have labour stability on the nursing front. "We expect that the deal will be ratified (Friday)," said Susan Antosh, the CEO of the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, which bargains on behalf of the health regions. Once the tentative four-year deal for the province's nurses is ratified by employers, the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) will get the result on Monday. The ratification vote is the final step in the SAHO and SUN signing off on their collective agreement. ... SAHO

Ripple effect of contract. Pamela Cowan, Regina Leader-Post, June 25, 2008 Regina - Other Saskatchewan labour unions will soon be saying, "Me too," predicts an academic at the University of Regina. Assistant professor Alan Levy's prediction comes a day after members of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses voted 78 per cent in favour of accepting the final offer tabled May 30 by the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, which bargains on behalf of the health regions. ... Assessing

Canadian Press, June 24, 2008 Regina - Saskatchewan nurses have accepted a contract offer, with 78 per cent of those who voted approving of the deal. More than 7,200 nurses were eligible to cast ballots Monday on whether to accept the contract offer. The deal gives nurses a five per cent wage increase in each year of a four-year contract, as well as a five per cent bump to bring them in line with what Alberta nurses make. There's also extra money for nurses with 20 years of experience and for working weekends and certain shifts. ... Saskatchewan

Anne Kyle, Regina Leader-Post, June 23, 2008 Regina - The province's more than 7,200 nurses are voting on a final contract offer made by the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) and the health regions. The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) executive didn't make a recommendation to the membership on the offer saying it will be left up to the individual registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses to decide. ... Saskatchewan

Canadian Press, June 23, 2008 Regina - More than 7,200 Saskatchewan nurses are voting Monday on whether to accept a contract offer. The proposed deal would give nurses a five per cent wage increase in each year of a four-year contract, as well as a five per cent bump to bring them in line with what Alberta nurses make. There would also be extra money for nurses with 20 years of experience and for working weekends and certain shifts. The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses - which has made not make a recommendation on the contract - has said the deal doesn't address its concerns about recruitment and retention. Polling stations are expected to report by 10:30 PM, although the results of the vote may not be known until Tuesday morning.

Sheila Crosthwaite, Limerick, Regina Leader-Post, June 21, 2008 There has been a lot of comment regarding the offer made to the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses by the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations. The writers seem a little shocked that nurses should be offered $87,000 a year. Why? I am sure that the CEOs (or administrators) of hospitals and health districts make a lot more. Really, who is more valuable? I can guess why it is expected that nurses work for less than other professionals; it all starts with the "Lady with the Lamp", Florence Nightingale. ... Respecting

SAHO proposal would boost wages five per cent annually during four-year deal. Anne Kyle, Regina Leader-Post, May 13, 2008 Regina - The province has sweetened its contract offer to Saskatchewan's 7,200 nurses, proposing wage increases for a full-time general duty nurse equivalent to $17,600 over the life of a four-year deal. The Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) returned to the bargaining table Monday with a revised proposal in the hopes of avoiding a strike and addressing the nursing shortage. The package includes an enhanced wage proposal that would boost wages by five per cent annually ... New

Regina Leader-Post, May 13, 2008 Regina - The Saskatchewan Party government's essential services legislation - poised to pass Wednesday - would be tested if nurses go on strike later this week, the government confirmed Monday. The employer's essential services list would dictate the services and staffing levels required to be maintained if workers went on the picket line right away, while the union could apply to the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board to contest the number of required employees. ... Strike

Union takes strike mandate back to table. Janet French, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, May 9, 2008 The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) is heading back to the bargaining table Monday armed with a strike mandate from its members. The nurses' union has said members won't strike as long as talks are underway with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO). Still, the Saskatoon Health Region warned Thursday it needed to hear from SUN immediately to talk about essential services plans in the event nurses do walk off the job. ... Nurses

CBC News, May 8, 2008 Health region management and the union representing Saskatchewan's registered nurses are heading back to the bargaining table. The development, confirmed Thursday afternoon by the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, comes a day after SUN members voted 77 per cent in favour of strike action. Although having a strike mandate doesn't necessarily mean a strike, the move turned up the heat in the contract dispute between the union and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations. Contract talks between the two sides broke off last month. ... Talks

Canadian Press, May 8, 2008 Regina - Saskatchewan's health minister says he's not surprised that the province's nurses have voted in favour of a strike, but Don McMorris says he hopes they won't take job action. Results from a vote Wednesday show 77 per cent of nurses who cast ballots were in favour of walking off the job. McMorris says just because the nurses approved a strike mandate for their union, it doesn't mean that they're anxious to get on the picket lines. He says he hopes the results will spur on bargaining talks. Late this afternoon, the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses said it would resume talks with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations on Monday - more than a week ahead of schedule. The union says it will not take strike action while negotiations are underway.

Canadian Press, May 8, 2008 Regina - Saskatchewan's nurses have voted decisively in favour of a strike, but that doesn't mean they'll be hitting the picket lines right away. Results from a provincewide vote Wednesday show 77 per cent of those who cast ballots were in favour of walking off the job. Rosalee Longmoore, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, says her members are tired of seeing patient safety compromised and want their voices heard. The union has been without a contract with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, which represents employers, since the end of March. The organization says it has advised a conciliator it wants to get back to the bargaining table before talks are scheduled to start May 21.

Anne Kyle, Leader-Post, May 8, 2008 Regina - Armed with a strike mandate, the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) will be heading back to the bargaining table with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) on Monday afternoon. On Thursday SAHO asked conciliator Doug Forseth to advise the nurses' union that it wanted to resume contract talks earlier than the scheduled May 21 bargaining date. SAHO president and CEO Susan Antosh said the association also requested Forseth notify the union that it will be bringing a revised contract proposal package to the table. ... SUN

Canadian Press, May 7, 2008 Regina - Saskatchewan's nurses are holding a strike vote Wednesday after overwhelmingly rejecting their employer's latest contract offer. Saskatchewan Union of Nurses president Rosalee Longmoore says more than 7,200 nurses will head to the polls and she's confident they'll approve a strike mandate. Longmoore says nurses are angry with the current bargaining process with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations. The nurses have been without a contract since the end of March. Longmoore says one of the key issues is a retention and recruitment initiative that the union wants negotiated into the collective agreement. She says that even if the nurses vote to strike, it doesn't mean they'll be rushing to the picket lines right away.