CUPE Supports ATU Local 1505

Today at 12pm at City Hall in Winnipeg – Treaty 1, ATU Local 1505 will be holding a Rally for improved safety measures for workers and riders of the transit system.

For those in Winnipeg, and who are able to come within their work day, we wanted to make sure you had the information ahead of time.

We were also just able to confirm that our National President, Mark Hancock will be joining the Rally from 12-1pm between meetings, while in town for a short visit this week, and we are pleased that he will be able to join some of us at the rally. For those who are out of town and not able to join us tomorrow, Brother Hancock will be back in Winnipeg for CUPE MB Convention and you will have an opportunity to connect with him then as well.

Information for the Rally:
We will bring along CUPE flags and for a meet up location, just look for the CUPE flags in the courtyard of City Hall @ 510 Main Street.
Please see the attached poster for information from ATU 1505.

 

National Day of Mourning April 28, 2022

Please join the Manitoba Federation of Labour in marking The National Day of Mourning on April 28, 2022.

The Safe Workers of Tomorrow (SWOT) Leaders’ Walk will begin at 11:30 AM, leaving from the Union Centre and proceeding down Broadway to the new Workers Memorial at Memorial Park.

A Day of Mourning ceremony will be held at Memorial Park beginning at 12 PM, and will include an official unveiling of the new Workers Memorial.

 

 

MFL Statement in Response to the Appointment of a Minister of Labour

Statement by Manitoba Federation of Labour President Kevin Rebeck in response to Premier Stefanson’s appointment of a Minister of Labour:

Premier Stefanson’s appointment of a Minister of Labour is long past due, as the absence of a Labour minister had made us an outlier in Canada for nearly six years. We are glad to finally have someone to work with on important issues that matter to working people in our province. However, today’s appointment is the bare minimum. What this government does to support working people over the next few months will matter most.

The pandemic has highlighted just how much we rely on workers. And it is clear that workers need more support from this government.

There is a desperate need for government to fix chronic staffing shortages in health care and other areas of the public sector, as well as to create permanent paid sick days so that Manitobans are not forced to choose between going to work sick to pay the bills or staying home to protect public health. Low-wage workers also need a meaningful increase to the province’s embarrassing minimum wage, which is scheduled to drop to the second-lowest in the country this spring.

We look forward to working with Minister Helwer to support working families who continue to face the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, rising prices for groceries and other necessities, and strains on the public services we all rely on.

 

MFL – National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women

This years December 6th Virtual Memorial Service in honor of the National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women. This year’s event will be structured as a zoom webinar (12:00 PM – 12:30 PM), and will include an important address from our special guest speaker, CLC President, Sister Bea Bruske, on the topic: Ending Sexism, Harassment & Violence: Union Work, Union Responsibility. In order to participate, you will need to REGISTER IN ADVANCE (link enclosed).

Warning: this event will deal with themes of violence against women and femicide, which may be triggering for some participants.
If you find yourself in need of urgent support, please contact the Klinic Crisis Line (24/7) at: 204-786-8686 / 1-888-322-3019.

 

Hard Infrastructure, Hard Times: Workers Perspectives on Privatization and Contracting out of Manitoba Infrastructure

A Report was put out by MRA ( Manitoba Research Alliance) about the workers perspectives on Privatization and Contracting out of Manitoba Infrastructure
For several years, the Manitoba government led by the Progressive Conservatives has been pushing hard to reduce the number of government workers, while transferring work and contracts to the private sector. This report examines the push for privatization and contracting out of design and maintenance of Manitoba’s infrastructure and transportation services. The report focuses on gathering the perspective of government workers who are or were responsible for a variety of tasks such as highway and bridge maintenance, including snow clearing, capital project planning and delivery, road safety and enforcement, including regulation of trucking, maintenance of the provincial vehicle and equipment fleet, operation of water structures and ferries, as well as winter roads.
Findings, based on reports from workers, include:
  • Short-staffing is jeopardizing public safety and leading to burnout.
  • Workers predicting a reduction in quality of service and assets from the changes.
  • Workers expecting higher costs for taxpayers and reduced value for money.
  • Civil service expertise is being ignored, with workers shut out of the process.

These negative results regarding service quality and public safety are consistent with earlier studies, with Manitoba ignoring the evidence. The report concludes that the destruction of internal capacity built up over decades will be costly and challenging to undo, and that Manitobans, along with public sector workers, are already paying the price. Read full report here