MPI, union stand firm

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This article was published 28/09/2023 (887 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With negotiations at a standstill, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is rolling out new backup plans and more replacement workers, which shows that the government is out of touch, says the leader of the 1,700 union workers on strike.

One month ago today, 1,700 Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU) workers walked off the job, affecting MPI service centres across the province, including ones in Brandon, Dauphin, Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg.

The estimators, adjusters, call centre workers and service centre representatives have been without a raise for four years, said union president Kyle Ross.

“The last time our MPI members saw raises was four years ago. And they had two years of zero, plus another year now without a collective agreement. So it makes it difficult for workers with the inflationary pressures, and the government’s not even remotely offering something close, which would protect them from inflation,” Ross said.

For four days last week, both parties were talking through a conciliator — someone who helps employers and unions reach a collective agreement but has no authority to make decisions.

When no resolution was reached, MPI presented its final offer to the union on Tuesday, according to MPI chairperson Ward Keith.

“MPI has been as responsive to union leadership as it can be throughout the bargaining and conciliation process. We have made best efforts to fairly end the income loss and disruption of a lengthy strike through an approach that balances the needs of our valued employees with the company’s obligations to all Manitoba ratepayers,” Keith stated in a news release.

MPI offered union members an annual wage increase of two per cent a year for four years, a 2.8 per cent ($1,800) signing bonus, a one per cent retention bonus for employees with at least four years of employment and a 1.7 per cent increase in benefit enhancements for the average salary.

The union is seeking general wage increases of 3.3 per cent in 2023 and 3.6 per cent in 2024 and 2025. Ross said MPI’s deal does not cover all union members.

“Their offer really was nothing new. They called it an enhanced offer when it felt like a step backwards. It’s bringing some members up, but not all our members up, and we’ve said from day one that our goal is to get a deal that improves the lives of all our members, at least similar or very close to the same rate, and we haven’t seen that yet,” Ross said.

The latest offer should be taken to employees to vote on, added Keith, “Now that a significantly enhanced final offer has been tabled through the conciliation process MGEU requested, it has once again chosen to deny our employees that fundamental opportunity.”

Showing her support on the Brandon picket line at the Brandon Service Centre First Street was Kendra Ballingall, who said she works for another union in the city and believes in a strike “to fight for fair wages.”

“Being here is bringing all the memories flooding back. It’s important to stand up like this but I remember being worried about the employer and my co-workers, will the deal be what everyone will like?” Ballingall said.

That’s something that Ross has heard from his members, and said he understands the concerns about being on strike.

“We had members telling us when we were doing our meetings, saying, ‘I can’t afford to go on strike.’ But four years from now, if we take the substandard offers, I won’t be able to afford my house. You know what I mean? They’re caught between a rock and a hard place. And that’s unfortunate when we’re just trying to bargain for a fair wage increase,” Ross said.

Since the labour action began, many MPI services were put on hold or reduced. Third-party brokers are handling most of the customer service requests, including licence renewals and insurance payments.

Effective today through its contingency plans, MPI announced that its customers can now report a personal injury claim, non-drivable collision claim, or total theft claim — online.

Other collision claims that include both drivable and non-drivable vehicles, as well as non-collision claims like hail and vandalism as well as theft claims, can also be completed online.

Road tests for commercial drivers, such as those driving semi-trucks, have not resumed.

But MPI has addressed the backlog of Class 5 road tests for new drivers, which was estimated to be at about 4,000 earlier this month, by contracting more than 40 certified driving instructors.

It’s frustrating for members when replacement workers are brought in, said Ross, who added many of the positions require lengthy training, and in some cases post-secondary education.

Even worse, Ross added, once the labour dispute ends, employees will have to clean up the “mess made by short cuts” taken by the temporary workers.

“I can’t imagine they’re successful in bringing someone in who’s as capable as the current employees. And I’m sure there are no checks and balances.

“There’s lots of room for all kinds of fraud. They’re just painting this rosy picture that everything’s fine, but I’m pretty confident that it’s not fine.

If the two parties cannot settle negotiations before Oct. 27, they will be forced into mandatory arbitration, according to provincial labour law.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele