Seven Saskatchewan Crown corporations “are all in a legal strike position by the end of this week,” according to Chris MacDonald, assistant to the national president of Unifor. The union expects to know whether a deal is possible by Thursday; Friday is the last day to give strike notice. SaskTel said it is committed to working with Unifor on an agreement, but that it is prepared in the event of a strike. (Regina Leader-Post)

Talking point: Union members at SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskWater and the Water Security Agency have been voting on strike mandates since September 3. At SaskTel, the biggest issue is over wages, which have been stagnant for two years followed by slight raises, which Unifor attributes to a government “mandate.” MacDonald said he has not been able to get concessions good enough for a deal, and that the flat wages are unacceptable for members—particularly as the corporation paid a $116-million dividend last fiscal year, which MacDonald said could more than fund a raise.