FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT INFORMATION:

IBEW Local Union 2034

Mike Espenell

204-941-3766

mespenell@ibew2034.com

RELEASE DATE:

July17, 2023                                                                                              

IBEW 2034 MEMBERS HAVE PROVIDED NOTIFICATION OF WALK-OUT  

WINNIPEG, MB., July17, 2023 — Wednesday, June 28th, 2023, at 11:00 AM, the Bargaining Committee delivered 48-hour notice of the intention to evoke strike sanctions against Manitoba Hydro.  IBEW has applied 17 days of various strike activity which commenced on June 30th and has not yielded reasonable action from the corporation to end the labour disruption.  Hydro states that it has been unable to get approval from the current Gov’t to bring a financial mandate to address the cost-of-living increases.  These Gov’t driven mandates have resulted in our members falling behind the cost of inflation by approximately14% in just 6 years under the current administration.  Ironically, the same Gov’t has ensured that it has a process in place to guarantee increases at or above the rate of inflation(3.3% for 2023, and projected at 3.6% for 2024, and 3.6% for 2025) as well as bonuses for themselves.  Hydro’s last offer for the entire duration of the contract was less than the MLA’s increase for 2023.  In response to the many members showing strong support for the Union and expressing their strong desire for the Union to expand the strike, we can share that IBEW has returned a fair and reasonable offer in addition to a firm response to accelerate the process.

On Thursday July 13th, at 8:00 AM, IBEW met with the corporation to hear Hydro’s response to our last offer hoping it would pave a way to a settlement.  We left the morning meeting and carefully considered the basis for a response by early afternoon.  We met again and delivered to the corporation palatable options that we felt would be appropriate to bring to the membership for ratification.  With these options came an ultimatum that if a deal has not been reached between IBEW and the Corporation by Thursday July 20th (by noon), IBEW will be responding with a walk-out within 7 days.

We don't take any form of strike action lightly. It is literally the last option to consider when negotiating a fair deal for our membership.  There is a time when we must take a stand and implement action where necessary.  Across Canada, IBEW 2034 workers are highly respected in the electrical industry, while continually being amongst the lowest paid in the Canadian Utility Sector.  

Manitoba is vulnerable to losing its highly skilled work force to other provinces and the United States.  At a time when the demand for highly skilled labour is critical to safely operating and maintaining our electrical grid and infrastructure, Manitoba Hydro (restricted by the current government) is not fulfilling its duty to attract and retain critical workers. The supply of skilled and qualified staff is at an all-time low, while the demand for the very staff is at an all-time high.   This will eventually leave Manitobans in a precarious state.

We have been at the bargaining table for 17 months and our members are, rightfully so, becoming increasingly frustrated.  In the last few years our members have worked through a corporate reorganization which centralized many of the staff that efficiently and effectively served the many communities in Manitoba.  These decisions negatively impacted services across the province and our members who were expected to pick up the slack of a critically understaffed workforce and forced their families to move away from their communities into larger operating centers.   

The government’s (Heather Stefanson and Brian Pallister) forced a staff reduction program (VDP) and multi-year hiring freeze has resulted in a steady decline of the Electric Utility and a reduced quality of service for Manitobans.  Hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts have been awarded to out-of-country and out-of-province based companies to fulfill business needs.  Note: All these contracts have cost of living adjustments built into them to ensure these out-of-country and out-of-province companies are treated fairly.  These contracts represent careers for all Manitobans and should be a priority of Government to maintain and keep in Manitoba, for Manitobans and by Manitobans. 

IBEW members have a long-standing history and commitment of serving and maintaining Manitoba’s critical electrical infrastructure.  Our members keep public safety top of mind while they work in the most difficult and abhorrent conditions, and all they ask is for a reasonable contract that affirms their efforts.  To date, the Gov’t interference has and continues to cost the corporation millions of dollars in extra costs to prepare and manage the impact of the strike rather than simply putting the efforts into achieving a fair deal.  We are simply asking for the Gov’t to get out of the way of contract negotiations and allow IBEW 2034 and Manitoba Hydro to reach a fair deal. 

The corporation has forecasted over $700 million in net profits for 2022-2023 (in addition to the almost $500 million taken by Gov’t which now appear to help fund things like the current self -promotion campaign for Heather Stefanson and the current Government).  While Hydro publishes record profits, it struggles to retain and attract the very staff that will ensure its success and profitability in the years to come.  Manitoba Hydro should not be impoverishing employees to bolster profits and help fund political campaigns.

The hard-working members of IBEW 2034 keep the lights on and the power flowing at Manitoba Hydro. We have always been there to provide safe, reliable, and affordable service to Manitobans.  Our members deserve no less than what the premier and her cabinet ministers are receiving to keep up with the rate of inflation.  It’s time for this PC government to stop interfering and let the Hydro workers who deliver our power reach a fair deal.

Our mailing address is:
1907 Portage Ave. - Winnipeg, MB  R3J 0H9 - Canada