Show of solidarity on Labour Day

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This article was published 05/09/2023 (1002 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon’s Labour Day festivities were blessed with good weather and a sizable crowd, with dozens of families showing up to the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 832 headquarters for a barbecue and picnic.

Outside of the food and family activities, Monday’s event also featured several different factions of the Manitoba workers’ movement, including the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU).

Brandon and District Labour Council president Kirk Carr told the Sun he was heartened by this big show of solidarity to cap off the long weekend, especially with the major labour disputes that have dominated news headlines throughout the summer.

Much of this attention has revolved around the MGEU, with unionized workers from Assiniboine Community College and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries receiving new collective agreements, respectively, following an extended period of turmoil.

The tension between MGEU and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries became so great that the union launched a full strike on Aug. 8, which effectively shut down all Liquor Mart store locations across the province for several weeks.

Now, MGEU members from Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) have taken to the picket line over a lot of the same grievances, claiming that the latest offer from their employer doesn’t keep pace with inflation and the cost of living.

Because of all that has happened over the past couple of months, Carr said this year’s Labour Day barbecue in Brandon served as a critical opportunity for the different unions to compare notes and touch base with members of the public.

“It’s a great way for us to get out there … for the unions to show their campaigns that they’re running, so we can see that what support there is in Brandon,” he said.

CUPE Local 737 president Jamie Rose was of a similar mind, with his union having generated significant public support through strike action before securing a new deal for its Rolling River School Division custodial workers last year.

Rose hopes that the MGEU workers can score a similarly favourable deal with MPI over the coming weeks, especially since Manitoba civil servants could be the next group to walk off the job due to the same economic pressures.

“It’s just harder and harder to put food on the table. Everything’s gone up,” Rose said. “So yeah, we need the government to step up and put some money on the table for everyone. That’s the bottom line.”

Brandon’s Labour Day barbecue also featured an appearance from Manitoba NDP candidates Quentin Robinson (Brandon West) and Glen Simard (Brandon East), who are running in the upcoming provincial election that’s set to take place on Oct. 3.

The pair shared a lot of the same frustrations as the union leaders and hope for a positive outcome for the MGEU and its struggle against these economic factors that are being felt across the province.

“Years of zeroes didn’t help or wage freezes, and I think it’s just time for the workers and the corporation to sit down and hash something out,” Simard said.

The MPI strike is now entering its second week, with the Crown corporation recently calling on MGEU leadership to accept binding arbitration and end this job action.

As a result of the ongoing strike, many MPI services have been put on hold and residents have had to rely on brokers to process driver’s licence and insurance renewals, new insurance policies and payments.

Of the 1,700 MPI workers represented by the MGEU, roughly 103 of those employees operate out of Brandon.

This group includes clerks, accountants, estimators, adjusters, computer programmers and policy analysts.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com