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Governance

A. How we provide Governance and Service

Locals

All MGEU members belong to a Local.

For the vast majority of members, their Local is simply determined by where they work. For example, all those who work for Winnipeg Art Gallery are organized under the Winnipeg Art Gallery Local 150.

Every two years, at a Local meeting, members elect a chief steward and president to act on their behalf. The chief steward is primarily responsible for responding to concerns within the workplace, while the president acts as meeting chair and negotiating representative.

Depending on the size of a Local, a vice-president and members-at-large can also be elected to provide greater representation.

Areas

Depending on its location within the province, each Local also belongs to a specific Area Council. These councils are determined by a breakdown of provincial areas, including Area 1 (The Pas), Area 2 (Dauphin), Area 3 (Brandon), Area 4 (Portage la Prairie), Area 5 (Selkirk), Areas 6 and 7 (Winnipeg) and Area 8 (Thompson), and allow Local members to come together and discuss regional concerns.

For instance, a representative of each Local in Thompson and surrounding areas regularly meet as Area Council 8, while those located in and around Portage la Prairie meet as Area Council 4.

Components

Some member groups share specific interests, such as a common employer, collective agreement, or particular employment-related concerns. When this is the case, they are organized a little differently, within strategic groupings known as Components.

Provincial Government Members

In the case of the government employees, members are grouped according to eight different fields of work or Components — clerical, corrections, health, legal, administration, physical sciences, social sciences, and trades. Each Component is then broken down by the eight Provincial Areas. Each of these Provincial Areas in each of the eight Components is a distinct Local. For instance, if you are a government mechanic in Swan River, that means you are part of the Trades Component, Local 50 (Area 2), whereas if you are a mechanic in Brandon, you are part of the Trades Component, Local 51 (Area 3).

The Table Officers (Presidents, Vice-Presidents, or Chief Stewards) of these Area Locals make up the Component Executive for each field of work. This allows all those working in say, clerical positions within the government, to come together from around the province and discuss common concerns.

Crown Corporations and Colleges Members

Each Crown Corporation - including Manitoba Public Insurance and Golico - is a single Component. These Components are broken down into Locals according to workplace locations throughout the province. For instance, members who work for the Liquor Commission in Dauphin would be represented under the Golico Component, Area 2, Local 57, while those in Winnipeg would be the Golico Component, Area 7, Local 61.

The four provincially-funded colleges throughout the province are all represented under a common “Colleges Component,” but are divided into the following Locals: UCN, Area 1, Local 69, UCN, Area 8, Local 70, Assiniboine Community College, Area 3, Local 71, and Red River College, Area 7, Local 73.

Health Care and Community Support Members

Those who work in health care and community support are currently grouped into three Components. These Components allow those working in similar areas to strategize about how to address common concerns and negotiate equitable agreements.

The Technical/Professional/Paramedical and Community Support Components are broken down into Locals according to which Regional Health Authority is the employer. For example, an occupational therapist in Selkirk is a member of the Interlake Tech/Prof Local 78, within the Tech./Prof./Para. Component.

The Facility Support Component is broken down into Locals according to their facility of employment. For instance, a dishwasher at Golden Links Lodge is a member of the Golden Links Lodge Local 28, within the Facility Support Component.

Overall Leadership

Every two years, each Local elects a delegate(s) to represent them at the union’s Biennial Convention. At this convention, usually held in October, delegates elect the Union Executive (including the President, as well as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Vice-President), and discuss the union’s future activities.

Throughout the year, the Union Executive provides direction for the Union with the assistance of a Board of Directors who are elected from specific Locals and each provincial Area. As well, Standing Committees, chaired by a board member plus one member elected from each provincial Area, work throughout the year to forward progressive policies and benefits on behalf of their fellow members.

Currently, these Committees focus on the following key issues: