Kildonan Personal Care Centre Workers to Hold Info Pickets March 23

WINNIPEG – Kildonan Personal Care Centre workers – the women and men who look after elders with compassion and care every day – will be holding an information picket on Thursday, March 23, 2017.

Contract talks between Local 4860 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and Revera, the company that runs Kildonan PCC, broke down in late January over remaining bargaining items. The parties met in conciliation in February, but wages and benefits were not resolved.

CUPE Local 4860 members are asking for parity with other Revera personal care homes – the same wages and benefits.

WHO:             CUPE Local 4860 personal care centre employees

WHAT:            Information Picket

WHERE:        1970 Henderson Highway, at Bonner Avenue

WHEN:           Thursday, March 23, 2 pm until 6 pm

WHY:              Call for parity on wages and benefits at the bargaining table

“CUPE Local 4860 members do the same job as workers at other care centres,” said Dawn Sabeski, President of CUPE Local 4860. “Kildonan PCC employees caring for our elders deserve parity and fair wages.”

“Elders deserve great care and we want to do the best job we can for them. It’s important for us to be treated fairly so that we can take pride in our work and know that we are valued as much as employees in other personal care homes.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees is Canada’s largest union representing more than a
half-million members. In Manitoba, CUPE represents approximately 26,000 members working in health care facilities, personal care homes, school divisions, municipal services, social services, child care centres, public utilities, libraries and family emergency services.

Member Update on Government’s Plans for Wage Freezes and Caps, Health Care Bargaining Units

Today, the Pallister government unveiled plans to make sweeping changes that affect CUPE members.

WAGES FREEZES AND CAPS

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Manitoba is disappointed to see the government introduce heavy-handed legislation that would bypass the bargaining table and impose four years of wage freezes and caps on public sector workers. All public sector workers, including in health care, education, and social services like child and family services, would be affected.  Public sector workers entering into new collective agreements would see no wage increase in years 1 and 2, with a .75% increase in year 3 and a 1% increase in year 4. Existing collective agreement are not affected.

These wage freezes and caps would put workers behind, as they fall below increases in the cost of living. They will apply to the thousands of public sector workers who previously showed their willingness to be part of the solution, by agreeing – at the bargaining table – to two years of frozen wages already.

We know that bargaining is the proven way to find solutions that work for both employers and workers. We’d much rather try to work things out together, by talking and compromising at the bargaining table.

CUPE and other public sector unions, along with the Manitoba Federation of Labour, are willing to come to the table and are prepared to work constructively with the government to find solutions that will protect public services, and strengthen Manitoba’s economy for all.

Balancing the budget should not come at the expense of the public services so many families count on or the people who provide them.

Despite repeatedly saying that “it’s all hands on deck,” Premier Pallister last year allowed himself and his entire cabinet a 20 per cent increase in pay over the previous government. Balancing the budget just doesn’t seem to include the Premier or his cabinet.

HEALTH CARE

The government also announced a total restructuring of health care bargaining units across Manitoba. The proposed legislation would establish one bargaining unit in each category of health care work, per health region (RHAs), plus Cancer Care Manitoba and Diagnostic Services Manitoba. A commissioner would oversee the reduction of health care bargaining units from 182 to less than 50.

All health care unions in Manitoba are facing the same challenges, and we are committed to working together.

CUPE will be working with the Manitoba Federation of Labour and other unions to analyze the new legislation, and we will continue to update members on the impact these changes may have on members.

We wish we could say that this won’t be a prolonged struggle, but we all know that it will be. Through it all, you can count on CUPE and the Manitoba Federation of Labour to keep the government’s feet to the fire and keep fighting for you and your family.

 

 

 

Accountability and Transparency for P3 privatization model is not “red tape”, it’s an essential public protection

CUPE MB: Pallister’s proposal to repeal P3 Legislation is a step backwards

Basic public consultations, accountability and transparency are needed, not “red tape”

Winnipeg – The Canadian Union of Public Employees Manitoba has serious concerns about legislation introduced today by the Pallister government to repeal a law that provides basic measures for accountability and transparency when it comes to public-private partnerships.

Section 14 of the Pallister government’s Bill 24- The Red Tape Reduction and Government Efficiency Act proposes to eliminate the existing Public-Private Partnerships Transparency and Accountability Act, in its entirety.

The P3 Transparency and Accountability Act contains basic but essential protections for public investments and access to services,” said Kelly Moist, President of CUPE Manitoba. “How can Premier Pallister call the P3 Act “red tape”? It provides minimum provisions for a fair process on P3 projects, most of which involve tens or hundreds of millions of dollars and long-term contracts.”

“P3 projects are controversial for a reason,” added Moist. “These projects often take public funds and oversight and turn them over to a for-profit entity. Why would any government want to repeal a law that protects the public interest and public funds?”

CUPE has raised concerns in the past about P3s. The existing legislation only provides basic protections and access to information. In one case in Portage la Prairie, for example, CUPE raised concerns that a wastewater treatment plant renovation and expansion worth hundreds of millions of dollars would cost the public more through a P3, key financial information was not made available to the public, and there was no serious effort to engage in public consultations. CUPE is concerned that P3 projects routinely have poor results on every measure of public interest, from quality of service to timelines and cost.

“The people of Manitoba have always been on the hook for any problems resulting from using the P3 model for public projects. If the P3 Act is eliminated, we will be on the hook and blindfolded,” concluded Moist.

“If Premier Pallister wants to show Manitobans he is committed to his promise to protect public services, he will cancel his plans to repeal The P3 Transparency and Accountability Act, and strengthen it instead.”

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5 Reasons to resist unpaid days off

The Premier of Manitoba campaigned on protecting front line services and the workers who provide them. Now he’s attacking the public services he promised to protect.  His latest idea is legislating unpaid days off for public employees.

Unpaid days off aren’t new, they aren’t innovative, they aren’t worker friendly, and they’re bad for Manitobans and the economy.

Here’s why we should resist unpaid days off:

1. Pallister Has No Mandate to Impose Unpaid Days Off

Brian Pallister and the Progressive Conservatives repeatedly promised during the last election that they would protect public services and the people that provide them. After the election, Pallister publicly confirmed his commitment.

After less than a year as Premier, Pallister seems to have forgotten his public services promise.

Politicians are in positions of power. They have a responsibility to be honest with the people they represent, to keep their promises, and to be up-front about any proposed cuts to services before the election – not after. Breaking an election promise is the worst kind of politics.

2. Manitobans Need More Services, Not Less

Governments at all levels in Canada have tried to reduce government’s role as a provider of public services. Public services that the average person depends on have suffered, while corporate taxes and taxes on the wealthy have gone way down. CUPE members who deliver important public services know this all too well. Public infrastructure has been neglected, user fees added, and services cut.

Every day, CUPE members hear directly from frustrated citizens who want more, not less service.

Rather than cutting services, the government of Manitoba should be looking to improve public services!

3. Legislated Unpaid Days Off are a Violation of our Human Rights

The right to form and join a union is part of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms includes the rights of workers to join and form unions, to engage in free collective bargaining, and to go on strike.

Imposing unpaid days off through legislation circumvents and ignores the collective bargaining process, and violates our basic human rights.

Changes to collective agreements (group contracts) must be negotiated, not imposed. Neither unions nor governments can change collective agreements without the other’s consent.

Regardless of whether you personally like the idea of a reduced work week, any move by the government to impose unpaid days off should be treated as an attack on our rights as workers.

4. There is no Fiscal Crisis

The Pallister government has stated that Manitoba is in a fiscal crisis, yet this assertion is contradicted by almost every measure of the economy. Manitoba continues to be amongst the best economies in Canada, with relatively low unemployment and above-average economic growth. This is partly thanks to a diverse economy and government investment in public services and infrastructure. In fact, the Trudeau Liberals ran on a platform of using the “Manitoba formula” to kick-start the Canadian economy.

Pallister’s plan to pull Manitoba out of its deficit quickly will require big job cuts in the public service. This would result in a serious reduction of public services, pressure those same social and economic programs, and a shrinking provincial economy. It’s not worth it.

Manitoba does face a billion-dollar deficit, but context matters. As a percentage of the economy, the deficit in 2016 was smaller than it was five years earlier, smaller than it was in the early 1990s, and half of what it was in the 1980s. Is this a challenge? Sure. Is it a crisis? Not really.

Others will argue that every dollar we spend on interest is a dollar that can’t be spent on services. True, but today’s record-low interest rates mean that the cost of debt is low. The cost of borrowing has shrunk from 2% in 2003-4 to 1.28% of provincial GDP. (GDP is the Gross Domestic Product, or the total value of domestic goods and services, not including income invested from outside Canada.)

5. CUPE Members Cannot Afford Unpaid Days Off

There is a myth that public-sector workers are overpaid.

This is not the case. The average wage in Manitoba is $44,900. A living wage is $31,100/year for a single parent with one child in Winnipeg. A sampling of full-time starting wages for unionized workers in different sectors ranges from $20,000 per year for an Education Assistant to $37,000 for a Health Care Aide. Part-time and casual workers may earn far less.

In the 1990s, government-imposed unpaid days off resulted in a 5% reduction in take-home pay for government workers in Ontario, and a 4% reduction in Manitoba.

A plan to balance the provincial budget on the backs of workers earning modest incomes is wrong.

Better Solutions

So, what is the solution to Manitoba’s budgetary challenges?

Ironically, Brian Pallister was on the right track at one time. In 2016, the Premier promised to get the budget back to balance over eight years. This could still be done.

Of course, the provincial government could also introduce new tax brackets for higher income earners, raise corporate income taxes, work with the Federal government to close tax loopholes for the wealthy, or implement a carbon tax.  Pallister continues to ignore the revenues side of the ledger.

It’s time to remind Premier Brian Pallister to keep the public services promise.

 

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CUPE: Pallister’s PC MLA wage freeze is not genuine

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Manitoba is frustrated with today’s Conservative Party update on MLAs’ wages, and calls on Premier Pallister to get back to protecting public services.

“Today, Brian Pallister has once again disappointed us,” said Kelly Moist, President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Manitoba. “The Premier and his cabinet took 20% salary increases on their first day in office, then froze minimum wage. After taking home an extra $21,000, Brian Pallister wants us to believe he’s taking a wage freeze. This is not genuine.”

The large 2016 wage increase for cabinet ministers and the Premier met with opposition. Premier Pallister stated today that PC MLAs are committing to paying back their increase for 2017, but questions remain. If salary scales and benefits continue to increase during the supposed wage freeze, MLAs may end up with a large pay increase after the next election. CUPE points out that such arrangements were not offered to public sector employees when they took a two-year wage freeze in the last round of bargaining.

“A full-time Education Assistant in Portage la Prairie earns annual wages of $22,000 to $25,000,” continued Moist. “The cost of the Premier’s 2016 pay increase would cover an EA’s wages in his home town for a year. It’s a slap in the face that the Premier is telling workers, unionized or not, to tighten our belts.”

Like other Manitobans, CUPE members rely on good public services and expect our government to make reasonable decisions. CUPE believes the Manitoba economy is stable, and that Premier Pallister should be making better choices.

“There is still time before the provincial budget is released to do the right thing. We urge Brian Pallister to protect public services and public service workers like he promised he would. We urge the Premier to meet us at the bargaining table and negotiate fair contracts,” said Moist.

“After all, a deal is deal.”

International Women’s Day is March 8, 2017 – Join the virtual Day of Action!

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Statement on behalf of Manitoba’s public sector unions on consultations with government

Feb 10, 2017

At a meeting on January 5th, the Minister of Finance and officials invited Manitoba’s public sector unions to participate in what was referred to as a Fiscal Working Group with a mandate to explore solutions to returning the province’s budget to balance.

In the lead-up to the meeting, we put forward several questions to the Minister to better understand the government’s assumptions and fiscal outlook. The Pallister government’s 2016 budget was the first in many years to not include a five-year fiscal outlook, which would include assumptions and projections for key economic indicators.

On February 9th, one day prior to the first meeting of the Fiscal Working Group, government officials emailed the Manitoba Federation of Labour a letter (dated February 8th) to indicate that the Fiscal Working Group is no longer intended to consider options to improve the government’s fiscal situation, but rather, would focus only on the government’s narrow legislative intentions, which may include reduced worked weeks, predetermined wage settlements, changes to pensions and the re-opening of collective agreements.

By denying basic financial information and changing the parameters of any conversations with government, the Premier and Minister of Finance are preventing labour from participating in a meaningful consultation.

As Manitoba’s public sector unions, we want to work constructively with the province to find a balanced approach – that includes returning to balance over an eight-year period, as committed in the budget – without doing irreparable harm to our schools, hospitals and other public services.

But it seems Premier Pallister is more focused on cuts to public services and reopening signed contracts than protecting those services and the people who deliver them.

For more information, please contact:
The Manitoba Federation of Labour at 204-947-1400

Keep Power Smart in Manitoba Hydro!

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For more details about the polling results, click here.

Visit the CUPE Local 998 website here for more information.

Joint Statement on meeting with Finance Minister Friesen

Today, Manitoba’s largest public sector unions and the Manitoba Federation of Labour met with the Minister of Finance, at his request.

The meeting was the first of what we expect to be several face-to-face meetings. We are hopeful that future meetings will include the Premier and all of Manitoba’s public sector unions.

In the brief meeting, the Minister maintained the government’s focus on balancing the provincial budget and confirmed that, as reported in the media, they are considering wage freezes, reopening contracts and restructuring bargaining units, but did not provide any additional information.

We reminded the Minister of the Premier’s commitment to respect collective bargaining and protect and improve the public services that all families count on, while balancing the budget over a period of eight years.

Manitoba’s labour movement will continue to ask questions, seek clarification when needed, and always meet with the province in good faith.

Kevin Rebeck – Manitoba Federation of Labour
Kelly Moist – Canadian Union of Public Employees
Bob Moroz – Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals
Michelle Gawronsky – The Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union
Norm Gould – The Manitoba Teachers’ Society
Jeff Traeger – United Food and Commercial Workers Union