Bargaining Update #13- City of Winnipeg

Feb 23, 2026

Your Bargaining Committee continues to work diligently on your behalf to secure a fair and strong collective agreement.

To date, the Committee has met with the employer on December 2, 3, and 11, as well as January 6, 14, and 21. During these sessions, both parties focused on reviewing and negotiating collective agreement language, articles, and letters of understanding. We are pleased to report that steady and meaningful progress has been made on a number of items.

As a reminder, negotiations on monetary issues, including wages—will begin only after agreement is reached on collective agreement language. This is standard practice in bargaining and ensures that all non-monetary provisions are properly addressed first.

While there have been no bargaining sessions in February, this is due to scheduling conflicts, including arbitrations and other necessary matters that require attention from both parties. Although bargaining is a top priority, these obligations must also be addressed.

We have now confirmed upcoming bargaining dates on March 3, 11, and 19, when discussions will continue. As we move forward, the next phase of negotiations will focus on achieving a wage increase that is both necessary and fair for all members.

Your Bargaining Committee remains committed to advocating for meaningful improvements and securing the strongest possible collective agreement.

We will continue to keep you informed as negotiations progress.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES AGREEMENT

We want to provide members with an update on the ongoing discussions regarding the Essential Services Agreement (ESA) and address some questions that have been raised.

Negotiations with the employer on the ESA are continuing. While much of this work takes place outside of public view, please be assured that we remain fully engaged and focused on protecting members’ rights while also ensuring that critical public services are maintained.

We understand that some members may be concerned about the time this process is taking. It is important to be clear: the ESA is not a stall tactic. This is a required and significant part of the bargaining process under current legislation.

The law requires that an ESA be in place before any job action—strike or lockout—can legally occur. It also sets out timelines that require ESA discussions to begin 180 days prior to the expiry of a collective agreement, with the agreement finalized 90 days before expiry. Due to the timing of when this legislation was enacted, those timelines could not be met, and as a result, discussions are continuing.

Until an ESA is either agreed to by the parties or imposed by the Manitoba Labour Board, no job action can take place.

It is also important to understand that the ESA is not simply a procedural step—it will set a precedent for this and all future rounds of bargaining. The decisions made now will have long-term impacts on our members’ rights, our ability to take job action, and how essential services are defined moving forward.

For that reason, we are taking a diligent and careful approach. We must ensure that any agreement reached is precise, fair, and does not unnecessarily restrict our collective strength in future negotiations.

We appreciate your patience and continued support as we work through this critical stage. Our goal remains clear: to protect your rights and secure the strongest possible agreement—both now and in the future.

Rumours

The rumour mill will be hard at work during bargaining. Please don’t believe anything you hear unless it comes from the Union. If you have a serious concern about something you’ve heard, contact us at 204-942-1001 or send us an email: union@cupe500.mb.ca.

Watch for more information

Your bargaining committee will keep you informed as progress is made. As a reminder, because of the sensitive nature of negotiations, the bargaining committee is not able to give you a step-by-step explanation of everything that is discussed during the bargaining process. However, should we reach a settlement or impasse, members will be fully informed.

Members should continue to check the bulletin boards or visit the Local 500 website for updates. Remember, if you have personal email access, you can sign up to receive email updates on the home page of the Local’s website at cupe500.mb.ca.

Thank you for your continued support and solidarity.

Negotiating Committee

The negotiating committee for CUPE Local 500 is:

Gord Delbridge President, CUPE Local 500
Andrea Sontag President, Civic Services Unit
Phil Dembicki President, Community Services Unit
Jon Shalapata President, Public Works Unit
Rachel Hildebrandt President, Water and Waste Unit
Patrick Troughton Member at Large
Kristy Halliday Member at Large
Alex McClurg CUPE National Staff Representative
Kevin Carswell CUPE National Staff Representative
Alex Hernandez CUPE National Staff Representative
Nicholas McClurg Local 500 Special Assignments Officer
Rebecca Scott Local 500 Special Assignments Officer