LATEST BARGAINING NEWS
Voting ended on the tentative agreement reached on October 8, 2024 for Community Support Locals 402, 403 & 405 and Facility Support Locals 413, 421 & 456. Members have voted to accept the new four-year collective agreement (effective April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2028).
The next step in concluding the collective agreement is to work with the employer to finalize and sign-off the document, which could take some time. The Bargaining Committees have also asked the employer to prioritize the processing of retroactive payments for members.
Overview of Bargaining So Far
Community and Facility Support - Local 402, 403, 405, 413, 421 and 456 - members had an opportunity to put forward their ideas and propoals for improving their collective agreement at a number of proposal meetings across the province throughout January and February 2024.
All members were encouraged to come out, discuss their priorities and concerns, and vote on the proposals to bring forward to the employer.
The MGEU Bargaining Committees representing these members then worked to pull together the proposals into a package to present to the employers when negotiations began on March 19, 2024.
In April, May, and June the two sides continued to meet weekly to negotiate.
In early June, the Bargaining Committees concluded discussions with employer representatives on “non-monetary” issues – including employee rights and working conditions – and began the next step of working through monetary items (issues related to wages, premiums, and benefits).
At the beginning of July, the Bargaining Committees informed the employers that upon ratification of the new agreement, the union would no longer agree that agency personnel can do bargaining unit work because the resources spent on Agency personnel and systems would be better spent in the public health system.
That same month, the MGEU released a report – From Crisis to Stability - Fixing the Staffing Crisis in Manitoba’s Health Care System – which echoed the Committees' stance, while providing an in-depth look into the staffing crisis in health care.
The Committees continued pressing for a collective agreement that would help members catch up and keep up with the rising cost of living and help fix the health care staffing crisis until the employer presented what they called their 'best offer' on July 24.
The offer did not meet the needs of members and fell short of what was needed to fix health care. As such, the Committees strongly recommended that members vote to reject the offer.
The MGEU held online information sessions on August 12 and 13, 2024, providing members with details of the employer offer, while allowing them to ask questions.
Members voted overwhelmingly to reject the offer on August 15, and provided their Committees with a strong strike mandate at the same time.
The Bargaining Committees requested that the employers return to the bargaining table immediately, while the MGEU began preparations for the possibility of strike action.
Negotiations with the employer resumed September 5, 2024, where the Committees presented a proposal package aimed at achieving a fair deal. The employer said they needed more time to prepare their response.
The Committees also began meeting with CUPE representatives around this same time to coordinate efforts and negotiate the best possible collective agreement for health care support workers.
While the bargaining process continued, strike preparations ramped up.
Two online strike information sessions were held September 19 to allow members to learn about picket line locations, picketing protocols, essential services, and strike pay.
In a joint news conference held September 24, MGEU and CUPE announced that formal strike notice had been served for more than 25,000 health care support workers across Manitoba. If a fair settlement could not be reached, a strike would begin October 8, 2024.
On October 1, the employers finally responded to the proposal package presented to them on September 5. Regrettably, the employers' offer had not changed from what was overwhelmingly rejected by members in August. The employers also said that the government was unwilling to authorize an improved monetary offer.
On October 4, the employers agreed to resume talks, this time with the assistance of a third-party conciliator, while strike preparations continued.
The MGEU and CUPE Bargaining Committees reached a tentative agreement with health care employers in the early morning hours of October 8 and agreed to suspend job action, pending the outcome of a ratification vote. The Bargaining Committees recommended acceptance of the tentative agreement. Voting opened Thursday, October 10 at 7:30 pm and closed at noon on Friday, October 18, 2024.