CUPE/City of Winnipeg Bargaining Update #12

Jan 23, 2026

The CUPE Local 500 Bargaining Committee met with the employer on December 2, 3, and 11, and again on January 6, 14, and 21. During these sessions, the parties continued working through collective agreement language proposals, making steady and meaningful progress on a number of items.

As a reminder, discussions related to monetary matters begin only after negotiations on collective agreement language, articles, and letters of understanding are complete. Additional bargaining dates are currently being discussed.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES AGREEMENT

Discussions with the employer regarding the Essential Services Agreement (ESA) are ongoing. While much of this work occurs outside of public view, CUPE Local 500 remains actively engaged and focused on protecting members’ rights and safeguarding public services.

Under current legislation, an ESA must be negotiated before any job action can take place. The legislation also requires that discussions begin 180 days prior to the expiry of a collective agreement, with the ESA finalized 90 days before expiry. Due to the timing of when the legislation was enacted, these timelines could not be met, and negotiations are therefore continuing.

Until an ESA is either agreed to by the parties or imposed by the Manitoba Labour Board (MLB), no strike or lockout can occur.

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.

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