CUPE Local 500/City of Winnipeg Bargaining Update #24
August 02, 2022 at 2:30 PM
Talks between CUPE Local 500 and the City of Winnipeg continued during the period of July 26 – 28 with the assistance of an appointed conciliator. The Conciliation Officer assigned to confer with the two parties is Eric Jorgensen.
Both parties have met separately with the conciliator to work through the outstanding items and explore ways to come to an acceptable agreement.
As you know, the union and employer opened bargaining on March 10, 2021. While some progress has been achieved, the impasse in negotiations is over the gap in wage proposals. Following the 93% strike mandate on July 12, strike preparations are well under way.
“This has been a long and at times frustrating process for the bargaining committee and our members,” said Local 500 President Gord Delbridge. “The City needs to come to the table with a revised wage mandate so that we can conclude a fair collective agreement."
At this time, no new dates have been set for conciliation talks until the City’s bargaining committee is able to seek a new wage mandate from the Executive Policy Committee (EPC) of Council.
As always, we’ll let you know of any new developments as we continue through this process.
We will also be continuing our discussions with the City regarding essential services in the event strike action becomes necessary.
Rumours
It’s important to avoid listening to rumours during bargaining. Please do not believe anything you hear unless it comes from the Union. If you have questions, contact the Local 500 office directly to get the facts. You can contact us at 204-942-1001 or by email: union@cupe500.mb.ca.
Watch for more information
Please keep an eye on your home email or workplace bulletin board for further updates. You can also visit our website at cupe500.mb.ca.
Thank you for your continued patience and support throughout this process.
Stronger together!
In solidarity,
Your Bargaining Committee
Gord Delbridge, President, CUPE Local 500
Carmen Prefontaine, President, Civic Services Unit
Phil Dembicki, President, Community Services Unit
Nicholas McClurg, President, Public Works Unit/Local 500 SAO
Madelaine Dwyer, President, Water and Waste Unit
Rebecca Scott, Member at Large/Local 500 SAO
Jon Shalapata, Member at Large
Alex McClurg, CUPE National Staff Representative
Kevin Carswell, CUPE National Staff Representative
Dale Edmunds, CUPE National Staff Representative
Elizabeth Wheeler, CUPE National Staff Representative
Karen Byzuk, Local 500 Staff
