Dynacare labs quickly reach capacity ahead of strike

Patients were being turned away from several Dynacare locations Saturday morning as people packed the labs in hopes of getting their blood collection done before workers strike.

By 10:30 a.m. the lobby at the Dynacare at 1581 Regent Ave. was standing-room only and walk-up patients were being turned away as the wait time for those lucky enough to get in creeped past two hours.

One woman got in right before workers cut off walk-ins at 10 a.m. after travelling to two other locations.

“I was driving by at 7:15 this morning and there was already a line-up to the road, so I was like ‘nope, not going there’ so I went to the one on Sterling Lyon (Parkway) and it was closed, and then I went to the one at St. Vital Mall and there had a line zig-zagging all the way through the corridors so I gave up and came back,” said Joanna, who declined to give her last name.

Joanna was given a blood requisite by her doctor on Friday that was deemed urgent and had no choice but to come in before workers prepare to strike on Tuesday. Many labs across Winnipeg closed prematurely ahead of the planned disruption, and the ones that stayed open cut their hours short.

The median wait time on Regent was around 45 minutes mid-morning. A security guard at the front door was acting as a liaison for employees to inform patients the lab was at capacity.

By 11 a.m. all locations in Winnipeg were marked as “closed” on the Dynacare website. Saturday was the last opportunity for those in need to visit Dynacare as the labs are typically closed on Sundays and holidays.

The company, which conducts blood tests at 22 outlets in Winnipeg, Brandon and surrounding communities, is deadlocked in contract negotiations with the union that represents its 350 workers.

The union has argued the provincial government gave Dynacare, a U.S.-based private firm, an $11.7-million boost after the last round of negotiations in 2022 — and little went to workers.

Negotiations ended this week after Dynacare rejected the union’s counter-proposal and ended conciliation. The collective agreement expired on March 31.

Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals president Jason Linklater previously said workers are not being paid properly and has accused the province of meddling in negotiations between the two sides.

The province has requested a labour board review of the strike, which will happen Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

Health officials warned that any disruption would significantly impair the health-care system.

Shared Health said Friday its officials, as well as regional health authorities, CancerCare Manitoba and the government have been working together to prepare for the walkout. Emergency and time-sensitive diagnostic testing will continue, with testing prioritized according to clinical urgency and patient need.

On its website Shared Health said in the event of a work stoppage it would extend the hours of some labs in its purview to accommodate the demand.

In an email sent to MAHCP workers Friday evening, the union said the employer cancelled a scheduled meeting on Friday and sent a new offer to the group’s lead negotiator.

“We were hopeful that Dynacare’s new offer would close the huge wage gap that their last offer did very little to address. Instead, their offer today was another insult,” the email, obtained by the Free Press, said. “They told media this morning they are bargaining in good faith, but what they proposed this morning does not match their words.”

The committee rejected the offer and plan to move ahead with Tuesday’s strike, the email said.

In an unsigned statement issued Friday, a Dynacare official argued its offer to the union reflects the maximum the company can “sustainably provide” and that the company remains open to taking the matter to arbitration.

“We have been transparent about that reality throughout bargaining. We continue to believe interest arbitration is the fairest path to resolving this,” said the company’s statement.

At Dynacare’s St. Vital location, Gurmeet Sembhi slowly walked back to her car after being told she wouldn’t be able to see a lab tech for her blood collection.

She, too, was given an urgent note from her doctor requesting blood samples, but now she’s not sure where to go or how long she will have to wait to give a sample.

“I worry about my health,” she said. “I need this blood done. What do they expect us to do if we have health concerns?”

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca