Labour Partnership
The United Way of Saskatoon and Area and organized labour have a long history of working together. In 1959 the Saskatoon Board of Trade and the Saskatoon and District Labour Council (SDLC) came together to form what was then the United Community Funds of Saskatoon. Both movements are committed to the collective good. For United Way it’s about our communities; for labour, it’s about working men and women, but both movements understand that workers live in communities and communities depend on workers. In 1995 this unique partnership was formalized by the signing of an Agreement of Principles and consequently a Coordinator, Labour Programs & Services was hired. The principles provide a context for our organizations to work towards common goals while respecting our different approaches and structures. The formal partnership was renewed in 2010 where both partners recommitted to building strong and caring communities.
The Coordinator, Labour Programs & Services works with the United Way of Saskatoon and with the labour movement on many partnership projects in our community including the Labour Community Service Award Dinner and the annual Labour Day BBQ. This staff person is an integral part of the United Way and works in the community services area by facilitating and providing ongoing support to the Union Counselling Program and to the Partnership. This position is also an important part of the campaign team at the United Way and works strategically with employee campaigns where there is a union presence. The Labour Coordinator is an ex-officio member of the SDLC and attends all their executive and general membership meetings.
