MGEU seeks arbitration in CFS strikes

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This article was published 03/04/2025 (183 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The union that represents striking workers, employed by Métis and Michif CFS agencies, is applying to have an independent arbitrator resolve the dispute.

More than 300 employees of the two agencies went on strike March 25 to demand wage parity with their provincial counterparts.

Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union president Kyle Ross said at a news conference Thursday that it is applying to the Manitoba Labour Board for an arbitrator under new provisions of The Labour Relations Act.

The MGEU said the application will be the first test of the new legislation. If the labour board orders arbitration, the strike will end as both sides prepare for hearings.

The union notified both CFS agencies of its intention to apply to the labour board in a letter Wednesday. The application argues essential services requirements leave members without a meaningful right to strike.

Ross said 63 staff between the two agencies were laid off effective Thursday and that the number of staff members remaining in some areas will fall to levels requiring them to work to provide essential services.

The workers were given layoff notices in early March.

“That leaves our members with little ability to exercise their right to strike in a way that will meaningfully impact the employers’ operations,” Ross said. “They need access to arbitration to resolve the dispute.”

He said he understands families must be frustrated. “I can tell you, it’s frustrating for the workers,” he said. “They really believe in the work they do.”

The union said it has not received any concessions from the Manitoba Métis Federation since the strike began.

Under recent amendments to the Labour Relations Act, a union can ask the labour board to order that a dispute be resolved through arbitration if it believes the requirement to perform essential services meaningfully compromises the right to strike and the right to collective bargaining.

The 220 Métis CFS and 110 Michif CFS employees have worked without a contract since January 2023.

Ross said the union is concerned the laid-off workers won’t get retroactive pay increases for those past two years agreed to in any new deal.

Child-welfare workers employed by the provincial civil service earn from $32.96 to $46.87 per hour, while Métis CFS workers make from $31.42 to $43.56 per hour. Michif CFS earn $31.31 to $43.42 per hour.

MGEU has said the federation’s current contract offer would pay Métis CFS workers $2.06 less per hour, while Michif CFS would earn $2.85 less per hour.

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The federation has argued its agencies can’t meet the demands because provincial and federal funding doesn’t cover several aspects of the services the agencies provide.

“In the end, our hands are tied. We have every interest in providing equal wages and benefits to our staff, so we can recruit and retain the best people to support our kids in care,” Mona Buors, who is responsible for the federation’s child and family services, said in a news release late Thursday afternoon.

“If the union can bring Manitoba to the table to help us achieve this, we are happy to participate.”

Ross said Thursday the union has not been made aware of the specific financial situation of the two agencies — something the Métis federation disputed.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca

Erik Pindera
Reporter

Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020.  Read more about Erik.

Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.