April 28, 2023

Dear Member;

Since our last update, additional bargaining dates of May 2-3 have been added.  The parties had been discussing the possible use of a mediator for these dates but the corporation was only willing to consider Arne Peltz and wanted IBEW to substantially reduce many of the outstanding items.  We raised some concerns and provided feedback on April 6.  Some of our concerns and comments:

• The corporation completely disregarded our preference for a mediator or jointly coming to an agreement.  We are not interested in using Arne Peltz (especially now that the corporation has reached out to him independently on more than a couple of occasions). From our consultation with other labour unions, it has been shared that Arne’s public comments regarding UMFA also make him a HARD NO for us.  See the link  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/university-manitoba-faculty-strike-1.6264372
• Not at all interested in pairing down our list of items from Dec 12/2022.  We have many non-traditional monetary items that need resolve before we get into the hard money items.  All the items from Dec 12/2022 need to be discussed in mediation.
• The corporation suggested meeting for 3 hours on May 2-3 for 3 hours a day, and we suggested that that limited time is not the appropriate attention the process deserves.  The IBEW committee offered to meet on additional dates and the following dates (June 28-29, July 26-27, and August 23-24) have been offered in addition, but currently not agreed to by the corporation.
• We have asked for specifics why items have been rejected and need to drill down further on these items to see if we can address the corporation’s concerns. To date, we have not received the required information that has been requested.
• We anticipate the corporation may be presenting a final offer at the conclusion of the May 2-3rd dates. 

At Manitoba Hydro the agreements have progressively gotten better for the groups that have been patient and committed to challenging the bargaining process. Here is some information regarding the bargaining climate and progression across Manitoba as well as the country:

• AMHSSE – 8% over 5 years (with a 1-time service recognition of 1.25%)
• CUPE – 6.5% over 4 years (with a 1-time service recognition of 1.25%)
• UNIFOR – 8.75% over 4 years (with a 1-timeservice recognition of $1600)

• Workers Compensation Board (WCB) members (CUPE 1063) accepted and ratified a new collective agreement with increases in wages of 9%over the 4-year period with some other increased benefits.

• MGEU – Red River College was ready to go on strike recently and rejected 7.25% over 4 years with special wage adjustments.  It appears that bargaining has settled down and we suspect there may be more pressure applied in the upcoming months amongst many of the affiliated groups under the MGEU (30,000 affiliated members). 
• PSAC federal employees (150,000) are currently in a strike position and have voted down a 3-year deal valued at 9% (2021-1.5%, 2022-4.5%, 2023-3%). PSAC is currently seeking a 3-year deal valued at 13.5% and work from home provisions. The parties are only 4.5% apart over the 3-year term. As of today, there is an offer on the table and details should emerge early next week.

In the meantime, let’s do everything we can to support members in other labour groups and be patient and understanding if disruptions result in personal inconvenience or hardship. Let’s honk our horns and stop by when we are able to share our well wishes!

As the Provincial election in October inches closer every day, we expect the current government to compel Hydro to get a deal done.  The upcoming months will provide an opportunity to apply the necessary pressure required to support our pursuit of a fair deal.  Patience,perseverance, and co-ordination of efforts with our allies will serve our membership well. 

Thank you for your patience and steadfast support.

In solidarity,

Business Manager
IBEW Local Union 2034