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February 18, 2023
Dear Member;
On Feb 15th/2023 the Bargaining committees returned to the table. The corporation’s committee came with an updated offer which had minimal improvements from the last time we met. Some of the updated items discussed that may have a cost.
- 1.5% in 2022 (.25% improvement from last offer of 1.25%)
- 1.5% in 2023 (no change)
- Boot allowance increases which equate to about $60/yr increase. This will help some staff to recover a greater portion of the expense for their required PPE, but does not equate to much in overall gains for the membership.
- Some language improvement on leave provisions for staff working non-isolated or non-remote locations. The offer reduces the eligibility requirements from 55 days to 35 days, but is still capped at 7 trips/year. This represents a non-monetary improvement as it is capped at 7/year and leaves an employee stranded without leave after 245 days. The improvement does not equate to much in overall gains for the membership.
The corporation’s offer of 1.5% (2022) and 1.5% (2023) will not address the depleted spending power that inflation has created. The cost of living in Manitoba in 2022 was 7.68% in 2022 (2022 CPI and Inflation Rates for Manitoba | Inflation Calculator), so anything less than the rate of inflation is effectively a rollback. Our membership have already suffered from suppressive mandates for many years going back to 2017. These mandates have resulted in a gradual decline in the standard of living and purchasing power.
Another thing to note is that our wage rates are not competitive in the comparable Utility sector, not to mention that other employers in the neighboring potash mining industry will attract employees now and going forward. Our commitment, sacrifice, specialized training/expertise, and the exposure to environment/elements/working conditions greatly set us apart from any other groups. We shared that based on membership surveys and membership feedback, that the current offer from the Manitoba Hydro will have NO chance of succeeding a ratification vote.
The recent UNIFOR arbitration result decided by Michael Werier was nothing short of extremely disappointing. Awarding 1.5% for the year 2022 and 1.75% for the year 2023 with all the recent cost of living references for 2022 is difficult to understand. We await patiently to see Michael Werier’s rational for his decision in the upcoming weeks. As we evaluate the recent ruling, we will consider whether the arbitrator was flawed in his decision, or if the process itself will produce a reasonable and predictable outcome in the future.
I assure you that our committee has many strategies, alliances, and tactics that it may implement as we continue to plot our course moving forward in our efforts to gain a fair and reasonable collective agreement.
In solidarity,
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