January 29, 2021

IBEW 2034 - Bargaining update Jan 29/2021 

Dear Sisters and Brothers;
                             
IBEW 2034 and Manitoba Hydro have been engaged in what can only be described as slow and arduous negotiations. The parties have recently agreed to utilize a conciliator for negotiations going forward on the following dates:  Feb 9. 10, 12 & March 3-4 (or 9-10 if necessary).

Dennis Harrison will be acting as conciliator and has served as both a mediator and a conciliator during his career.  He was brought in as a conciliator when talks broke between UMFA and the U of M in the fall of 2016 and helped the parties reach an agreement.  He was also brought in to help MGEU and MPI reach an agreement in 2012.  We are hopeful that Dennis’s strong knowledge of Manitoba Hydro and his history of bringing parties together will help us reach a satisfactory agreement.

We anticipate that by the last bargaining date in March, one of two situations will exist. Either we will have an agreement that we can bring back to the membership with a recommendation for ratification, or the corporation will present us with a "final offer" that your bargaining team may not find acceptable.  If the latter occurs, you will be called upon to decide if that final offer is acceptable to you or if you reject it.  If you refuse such a final offer, you will send Hydro a clear message that negotiations have not reached a satisfactory conclusion and that the parties need to push further. 
 
When determining whether to accept any final offer that comes to you without the bargaining committee’s recommendation, you should keep in mind the following:

• The 3 unpaid days off that were forced upon our membership and which resulted in the equivalent of a %1.25 rollback in wages 
• The effect of changing schedules on front-line staff which adds additional stress to many of our workers who are unable to “work from home”. 
• The added risk to staff who have accounted for the majority of the Positive COVID-19 cases across the Corporation.
• Our front-line staff have had far less flexibility to deal with things like Family responsibility, stress, and illness.This decreased flexibility has resulted in staff having to use sick leave credits for quarantine, or for mandatory isolation due to possible exposure, a cough, or an illness.This is in stark contrast to many who have had the opportunity to “work from home”; have been able to receive regular payroll; and have been able to vest their sick leave credits. 
• In the brief period between March 10^th and September 16^th of 2020, IBEW front-line staff used, on average, 16.52 days per member of combined credits (sick + FRL + Vacation). This amounts to between 6 and 8 more days than other employee groups who were able to “work from home” (in only 26 weeks). The Union has lobbied the Corporation to come up with considerations to address these front-line issues. This has been met instead with the Corporation trying to take something more from members at the bargaining table.These once in a lifetime issues need to be addressed NOW and should not form part of the process at negotiations.
• While front-line staff continue to keep the company rolling, many must pay for parking on Hydro property, even though many other staff receive a downtown allowance of $70 bi-weekly ($840/year) to go to 360 Portage Avenue.This allowance has been paid to others despite not reporting to the location for a full year this coming March. 
• Members, many of them front-line workers, are working under increasingly difficult and dangerous conditions.Staff shortages have resulted from hiring freezes and vacancy management, yet we see several recently created management positions.
• Increased workloads, stagnant salary rates, wage reductions through unpaid vacations, and all the other implications of the COVID-19 pandemic affect members daily while going unrecognized and unappreciated by the Corporation.

Once consideration has been given to the previous points, you will be in a well-informed position from which to decide whether you wish to accept or reject any “Final Offer” from the Corporation’s bargaining team.

In the meantime, you have our assurance that we will continue to strive for an equitable and improved Collective Agreement for all our members.  We will give you further updates as the conciliation process unfolds.

We thank you for your continued support.

Business Manager
IBEW Local Union 2034