Health-care support workers poised to strike

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This article was published 23/09/2024 (348 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With a possible strike by more than 25,000 health-care support workers looming, some union members are upset they’re being kept in the dark.

Both the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 204 — which represents about 16,000 support staff with Shared Health, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Northern Health, and Southern Health — and the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union — which represents about 6,500 support staff in the Prairie Mountain and Interlake-Eastern health regions — will hold a joint new conference Tuesday morning to announce the next steps as they push for a new labour agreement.

The unions would not divulge what they will announce, other than to say the workers have been “in a possible strike position” since mid-August, and a strike would affect health-care facilities and personal care homes in communities “south of the 53rd parallel” including Winnipeg, Brandon, Steinbach, Selkirk and Portage la Prairie.

Some CUPE members say they are in the dark after rejecting a contract offer last month the union had recommended they accept.

“We voted no to the proposed contract and voted to strike,” said a worker granted anonymity by the Free Press. “The union presented the government with another proposal, but the union members are not aware what is being negotiated and if it’s a better offer.

“The only info we are receiving by email is picket captain signup and training and the union requesting our banking info for strike pay. They won’t tell us anything and we haven’t voted again.”

Another worker, who didn’t wish to have her name published, said “we hear more about what is going on through MGEU.

“But having the two unions hold a press conference together, it says something huge,” she said. “I think they will announce a strike, but with CUPE, we never find out until the media knows — we should know first.”

Shannon McAteer, CUPE’s health-care co-ordinator, said the union is continuing to negotiate.

“We are still in negotiations leading up to a potential strike, but what our members told us loud and clear is that there is a staffing crisis in health care, and the best way to fix health care is to support frontline health-care workers through better wages and working conditions,” said McAteer.

“We are waiting for the employers to bring a significantly better offer to the table, and until then we are preparing for a potential strike.”

A Shared Health spokesperson said employers continue to negotiate with both CUPE and MGEU.

“For that reason, it is premature to discuss possible job action beyond noting an essential services agreement would be finalized prior to any labour action,” said the spokesperson.

Last month, health-care workers represented by MGEU rejected a contract offer. MGEU said at the time the province’s starting wage for support workers was $17.07 an hour, the lowest in the country, and the rejected deal included a one per cent wage increase, retroactive to April 1, and an 11.25 per cent wage hike spread over the four years of the contract.

Workers represented by CUPE also rejected their offer and voted to strike after the union recommended workers accept the offer.

The health-care support workers represented by both unions work at hospitals and personal care homes, as well as in the provincial home care program.

The workers include health-care aides, laundry workers, dietary aides, ward clerks and other support staff.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca