Pay bumps expected for 18,000 health-care support workers after Manitoba union reaches tentative new deal

The union for 18,000 health-care support workers in Manitoba has reached a new tentative agreement with their employers after more than five years without a deal. 

The proposed contract, which still needs to be ratified by members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, will span seven years, ending in 2024, CUPE said in a bargaining update to members on Tuesday.

The general wage increases will total 9.6 per cent before compounding, said CUPE. 

The tentative agreement was reached as a result of mediation, after 21 months of bargaining. 

In its update, the union thanked "all CUPE members for their patience, support and encouragement over the past five years, and for giving CUPE the strike mandate needed to keep the pressure on government," referring to a strike vote that overwhelmingly passed with 97 per cent support a year ago.

That support pushed employers toward "a deal that is acceptable, and which lays a stronger foundation for the next round of bargaining," CUPE's statement said.

The agreement includes health-care support employees across Shared Health, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Northern Health and Southern Health.

Earlier this month, more than 6,000 health-care support staff across the Interlake-Eastern and Prairie Mountain health regions ratified their new seven-year agreement, which includes pay increases, paid rest periods, and evening and night shift premiums.

The tentative contract for CUPE members also includes the creation of a $500 signing bonus for every member. It also stipulates that overtime hours will be paid at double-time and sets higher premiums for evening and night shifts.

As well, the tentative agreement commits $24 million toward market adjustments for workers in certain positions where pay has fallen behind their peers elsewhere in Manitoba. 

CUPE is recommending its members approve the new agreement. Voting will occur over the next couple of weeks. 

The tentative agreement lists wage increases of 1.25 per cent for 2017 and 2018, as well as 1.4 per cent in 2019. Wages will go up by 0.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent for the next two years, followed by two per cent in both 2022 and 2023, the final two years of the deal. 

The annual salary increases are identical to the arrangement that nurses signed last year.

CUPE Local 204 president Debbie Boissonneault said it was vital for health-care support workers, whom she has described as "the pillars of health care," to be treated in a similar fashion.

"It's leave no membership behind, leave no health-care worker behind," she said. "If one group is getting it, what's good for one should be good for all."

The health-care support workers will be entitled to retroactive wages dating back to April of 2017. They have not seen an increase in their pay in that time. 

The affected employees include clerical, information, dietary, housekeeping, trades and maintenance positions, as well as health-care aides and workers in physiotherapy and rehab assistance.