Volume 24 | Issue 5 | May 2024

IN THIS ISSUE:

Family Matinee

Congratulations

PRC

Regina Red Sox

Shutdown Shaker

CSS Corner

City Kidz

Last Laugh

EFAP

New Members

EXECUTIVE

President:

Nathan Kraemer

Recording Secretary:

Ellen Foley

Treasurer:

Kaleena Baulin

Negotiating Chairperson:

Ryan Shillingford

Maintenance V.P.:

Karl Dahle

Process V.P.:

Wade Schnell

Administration V.P.:

Tasha Lang

PDD V.P.:

Jamie Wolf

Chief Shop Steward:

Richard Exner

Information Officer:

Andrea Jordan (Interim)

Maintenance V.P. Assistant:

6 Month Trial: Garth Wendel

Guide:

Brandon Mang

Sergeant at Arms:

Nic Skulski

Women's Advocate:

Lisa Taman

Trustees:

Amy Wisniewski

Anton Skulski

Charles Brittner

FAMILY MOVIE FEATURE

Congratulations Sierra Bachmeier (MRP) and Ron who welcomed son Henry James born on March 28, 2024

Congratulations Cody Pilon (Section 2) and Serena who welcomed son Henry Dean born on April 23, 2024

Congratulations Tanner Hudson (Section 1A) and Dakota who welcomed son Chase born on April 28, 2024

Please let us know of any noteworthy milestones at info@unifor594.com

SHOP STEWARDS

Administration:

Karla Hanson

Boilerhouse:

Debbie Bourassa &

Mitch Bloos

Building Maintenance:

Garth Wendel

Construction:

Mike Pelzer

Decokers:

Sam Seibel

Electrical:

Corey Strass

Fire & Safety:

Daryl Watch

Information Technology:

Cory Frederickson

Inspection:

Shane Thompson

Instrumentation:

Dave Mushynsky &

Jaret McCloy & Chris Szala

Insulators:

Brandon Mang

& Shawn Freestone

Lab:

Mike Fink & Colin Kuntz

Mechanics:

Karter Diewold

& David George

MRP: Jeff Folk

& Caleb Wagner

PDD Loading: Kevin Reis

PDD Warehouse: Vacant

PDD Dispatch:

Tammy Mooney

Pipefitters:

Jeremy Lukomski

& Dan Ross

Pumpers:

Ryan Dzioba

Scaffolders:

Nelson Wagman

Section IA:

George Brailean

Section IB:

Charles Brittner

Section II:

Jason Sharp

Section III:

Jaret Delamare

Section IV:

Pat Pilot & Cam Parisien

Section V:

Andrew Murray

Stores:

Nathan Fafard

Welders:

Scott Wicklund

PRAIRIE REGIONAL COUNCIL

At the start of May, I was invited to join Executive members of 594, our President Nathan Kraemer, Process VP Wade Schnell and Kaleena Baulin our Treasurer at the annual Prairie Regional Council Conference (PRC). PRC is a three-day conference welcoming delegates from all Unifor locals in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The conference is a space to focus on common employer issues, committee updates and actions, regional campaigns and to vote on mid-term elections.

The conference consisted of 232 attendees from different locals, representing 30,327 Unifor members from across the prairies. Each day was full with a schedule of presentations, committee reports, and initiatives Unifor is standing behind.

Speakers at the event included Wab Kinew- newly elected Premier of Manitoba, Meara Conway- MLA Regina Elphinstone, Lana Payne- President Unifor Canada, and Carla Beck- Party Leader Sask NDP, among others.

We were also given eye-opening, and heart-felt presentations on harm reduction and safe injection sites, The Regina Food Bank, Anti-hate on social media, and a presentation by the Women's Advocate program including personal stories.

Updates were given from the committees of Workers with DisAbilities, Young Workers, Political Action, The Women's Committee, LGBTQ, BIWOC, as well as Health, Safety & Environment Committees. As the chair of the Health, Safety & Environment Committee, Nathan Kraemer gave the committee update including a focus on Political Action with recent elections in Manitoba and upcoming elections here in Saskatchewan.

The three days at PRC were filled with valuable information and brought awareness to the many struggles people on the prairies face in and out of the workplace. It was also a great opportunity to build relationships. I specifically enjoyed the time with our Executive members in a small group as we were able to build relationships on a more personal level. Knowing, respecting and enjoying the team you work with does make for a stronger work environment.

Andrea Jordan, Information Officer

594 PARTNERS WITH THE REGINA RED SOX

We are excited to announce that Unifor 594 is a Bronze Grand Slam sponsor of the Regina Red Sox for the upcoming baseball season. As part of this 594 will be an inning sponsor, the game day bingo sponsor and you will see our logo featured in the game day program and on the outfield fence.

On Saturday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. 594 will be the featured partner for the game against the rival Moose Jaw Express. The first 750 people to attend this game will receive a Unifor 594 rally towel to cheer on the Red Sox.

We are partnering with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Regina where 40 tickets have been gifted to their members to attend the game on behalf of 594. We have also been provided the large deck for this game where there will be 40 spots available for members to attend.

Details on how to register to attend will be sent out to the membership at a later date. We will be looking for a volunteer to throw out the opening pitch for this game as well. If you have a child who really enjoys ball, is a big fan of the Red Sox, or simply wants 15 seconds of fame stay tuned for details on how to sign them up for this opportunity.

CSS CORNER

I sincerely hope that by the time you read this article, Turnaround has, or in short order, will come to an end for you. It is a gruelling but operationally necessary commitment to our jobs that is hard on our bodies, minds and families. It can be a struggle, especially with the size and scope of this year's Common Services Outage (CSO). Seemingly the only payoff is the pay cheque. But this year was different. It marked the return of non-maintenance personnel being brought into Maintenance to support the shops, namely our pipefitters.

I was one of those lucky twenty individuals.

Unlike the majority of my non-maintenance brothers and sisters that were in the pipe shop, I am an old fart and have twisted wrenches during Turnaround before. It was a great experience being back on the tools. I know the junior operators expressed on many occasions just how invaluable the opportunity was to work on equipment and piping systems from 'the other side'. Getting out into the plant and increasing individual knowledge is an irreplaceable experience. There's also the social aspect of venturing to different areas of the plant and meeting coworkers you might not ever cross paths with. Building that sense of community and a strong family atmosphere that our workplace has been lacking for over a decade. The positives are endless.

It did not matter if you were working hand-in-hand with our CRC fitters, or with temporary construction journeypersons, knowledge and learnings flowed both ways.

While our Process folks lack proper rigging skills, they have intimate knowledge of unit operations and understand the special considerations required when performing line breaks with the potential hazards that may be present. Or during bolt-up, working together to ensure that the correct studs and nuts are used for the appropriate temperature service. Combined with expertise in the isolation and permit systems, operators are a walking Swiss army knife of usefulness to the trades.

The plant familiarity that comes with using our people as helpers gives the maintenance department an automatic leg up compared to a fresh temporary employee. Some temporary employees are grizzled industry-experienced hardworking employees, but every worksite is unique. Using different terminology, procedures and practices that are Co-op-specific can be difficult to navigate at times. There is no comparison in the quality and quantity of work. Everyone knows it to the point that it's a running joke, but for some strange reason, it is tolerated. There is an instant trust that comes with using our workers. The training and education investment is not insignificant, so why not tap into that knowledge and put it to work during our busiest time of year?

There were many comments from managers, ranging from "happy to have you back" to "it has been a goal of ours" to "no idea why we stopped in the first place". The feedback was all tremendously positive and refreshing to hear. But that is easy to say when qualified workers were a scarce commodity and the Company was desperate for bodies. The true test of that sentiment will be next year when the scale and scope of Turnaround will be much smaller and the entire plant is not shut down.

Everyone knows there is an appetite on both sides for more involvement going forward. Outside of specialized work, there is an opportunity to rely solely on 594 to knock the 2025 Turnaround out of the park.

Richard Exner

Chief Shop Steward

CITY KIDZ REGINA

This year the Finance Committee has selected CityKidz Regina to donate $1500.00 to their camp sponsorship program.

CityKidz Regina is a charitable organization that provides positive programming free of charge to children in Regina. Their Summer to Remember camp program aims to encourage children to remain active and continue to learn through the summer school break.

In Solidarity

Finance Committee

LAST LAUGH

Employee & Family Assistance Program

The Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) is through Homewood Health and is available 24/7/365.

Call 1-800-663-1142 or reach out to a trusted confident, friend or co-worker if you aren't feeling like yourself.

NEW MEMBERS

For any new members, or if you know of new members not receiving Union Communications please talk to your Shop Steward or e-mail: info@unifor594.com

CITY KIDZ REGINA

** NEW MEMBERS **

For any new members, or if you know of new members not receiving Union Communications please talk to your Shop Steward or e-mail: info@unifor594.com

NEW MEMBERS