Since last week’s vote, many MPI members have continued to provide their bargaining committee with feedback about the employer’s final offer. This has helped the committee a great deal when they returned to the bargaining table with MPI management on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
The committee shared with them the many concerns members have raised, particularly with regards to the wage and benefits freeze. They also emphasized that MPI’s recently reported $21.2 million net income made the prospect of freezes for the first two years of the contract even more difficult for members to swallow. This stance has been further reinforced by this weeks’ news that MPI is now looking to expand its mandate and put money into provincial road infrastructure improvements.
As a result, the MGEU bargaining committee has asked them to reconsider the freeze on wages and benefits as well as some of their other monetary demands. Management has said they will consider the requests and the committee awaits their response.
Because the wage offer is controlled by the provincial government, MPI management must meet with government officials to discuss what, if anything, they are prepared to change. As new information is available, the Committee will continue to send updates to members’ personal e-mail addresses.