SGEU President Bob Bymoen's letter to the editor -"No special SGEU levy" - November 23, 2011

In his Nov. 12 column, "Gov't, labour should make up", Bruce Johnstone makes a valuable contribution to the public discussion about labour relations and the current political climate in Saskatchewan.

However, he states that Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU) campaigns were paid for by "a special levy on union members." This is not the case.

Over 200 delegates to SGEU's annual convention last April voted to increase union dues by 0.4 per cent. This increase follows the standard practice adopted by prudent organizations to review and adjust dues periodically. Additional revenue will be used to support a wide range of ongoing union activities, such as bargaining collective agreements.

It is worth noting that essential services legislation has actually increased costs for union members. It now takes significantly more time and resources to bargain essential service agreements in addition to the actual contract.