Manitoba health care support staff ratify new collective agreement

18,000 health care support staff across Manitoba have ratified a new collective agreement after five years without a contract.

"This was an incredibly difficult round of negotiations due to government interference, attempted wage freeze, disruptive restructuring, forced union amalgamations, and the pandemic," said Shannon McAteer, CUPEHealth Care Coordinator. "Despite these challenges, this new agreement sets a solid foundation for the next round of negotiations."

The ratification date is September 23, 2022. The collective agreement will expire on March 31, 2024.

The new agreement includes wage increases in each year of the agreement including retroactive pay, a signing bonus for all staff, an increase in shift premiums, improvements for the Community Programs/Home Care groups, a more flexible "single-day" vacation system for all members, double overtime, and market adjustments.

"We thank all CUPEmembers who took the time to vote either electronically or in person and are committed to continue to improve your contract," said McAteer. "We will continue to hold the provincial government accountable and push back against any attacks on our public health care system and the workers who support it."

Health care support staff covered under the new collective agreement are represented by CUPE204/Shared Health and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), CUPE500/WRHARiverview Health Centre and WRHACorporate, CUPE4270/Southern Health-Santé Sud (SH-SS), and CUPE8600/Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA) have voted to accept the new collective agreement.