More than 3,500 health care employees, ranging from pharmacists to health care aides, who previously belonged to other unions, have chosen the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU) to represent them in their workplaces.

In the 2012 Provincial budget, the government announced they would be reducing the number of Regional Health Authorities from eleven to five. This amalgamation meant some employers would be dealing with several different unions, so a series of votes were held to amalgamate union membership as well.

“This was a huge undertaking for all the unions involved,” said MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky. “Members were asked to vote for the union they felt would best represent them, and it was up to us to try and ensure each member could make as an informed a choice as possible.”

Before the votes, the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals (MAHCP) represented about 500 Technical Professional Paramedical (TPP) members (whose jobs range from physiotherapists to speech pathologists to Emergency Medical personnel) in the new Prairie Mountain and Southern Regional Health Authorities.

“This fall, these members voted to join the roughly 1,600 TPP members the MGEU already represents throughout the province,” said Gawronsky. “We’re excited to expand our scope and look forward to working with them on key issues, like recruitment and retention in rural areas.”

Health Care Support Services (HCSS) employees, most of whom work as health care aides in rural personal care homes, also had a decision to make. Before the vote, 5,100 HCSS members in the new Southern, Interlake/Eastern and Prairie Mountain RHAs belonged to the Canadian Union of Public Employees, while 1,500 belonged to the MGEU.

When all the ballots were counted, it was determined about 3,000 former CUPE members will now be represented by the MGEU.

“There’s no question, this is a big vote of confidence for us,” said Gawronsky. “Many activists and staff worked so hard to get the word out about the benefits of MGEU membership. We can’t wait to start showing these new members what we can achieve together.”