After only three sessions at the bargaining table, the MGEU Local 220 (WRHA Community Programs) bargaining committee broke off negotiations with representatives of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority this morning due to concessionary demands.

The WRHA’s insistence on moving all employees over to a seven-day work schedule is one of the main areas of contention for the Local 220 bargaining committee. This has been an issue for the employer before, which is why the two sides agreed to exempt all employees hired before October 11, 2011 from the seven-day schedule in previous negotiations. Those members currently work a Monday-to-Friday, daytime schedule. Employees hired after that date could work a seven-day schedule but the WRHA is now looking to force a seven-day (day and evening) schedule on all employees, regardless of their date of hire.

The seven-day schedule is just one of the many concessionary demands the employer has made at the bargaining table. They are also seeking to reduce vacation, general holiday benefits, income protection / sick time, seniority accumulation, union leave, and bereavement leave, while reducing severance pay, merit increases and completely eliminating provisions for bridging years of service.

The Local 220 bargaining committee can’t accept the long list of concessionary demands, particularly since members accepted the provincially-mandated two-year wage freeze in the last round of negotiations – hoping that a wage market adjustment process would, at the very least, partially compensate for the freeze. But only a few classifications (Audiologist, Genetic Councilors, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Social Worker, and Speech Language Therapist/Pathologist) received a market adjustment.

Concessionary demands and the current work environment could prompt a strike vote

Workload remains a significant issue for members of the Local. The WRHA has added programs and increased responsibilities, while patient volumes have increased significantly without any proportional increase in staffing. The union has become increasingly worried about the stress placed on members as workers are expected to continue to maintain services with fewer available resources.

If you add in other workplace issues, such as the WRHA’s increasing practice of vacation blackout periods and ongoing payroll problems, it’s easy to see why the bargaining committee and members of Local 220 are extremely frustrated by the WHRA’s stance at the bargaining table. Simply put, the bargaining committee feels there is a complete lack of appreciation and respect for employees.

If the WRHA will not change its concessionary demands, bargaining will not resume and members of Local 220 will have no choice but to begin preparations for a strike vote in January.