CUPE education workers raise serious concerns about staffing cuts in PVNC Catholic Schools
July 2
Thank you CUPE 3473 for supporting wildfire relief.
Sisters, Brother & Friends,
Manitoba’s NDP government has introduced legislation to provide greater transparency and accountability for taxpayers in cases where governments are considering public-private partnership (P3) funding models for public projects. Simply put, P3s are just another form of privatization of public assets. Evidence shows that they increase taxpayer costs and lead to lower quality and reductions in service levels — one only needs to read damning Auditor General reports from Ontario, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and B.C. on the subject to know that P3s are a bad deal for taxpayers.
Manitoba’s unions have long made it clear that if government explores P3s, it should provide clear, transparent information about the upfront and long-term costs of P3s, including apples-to-apples comparisons between the costs of proceeding with a P3 versus a traditional public procurement process. Manitoba used to have legislation that was created by the previous NDP government (The Public-Private Partnership Transparency and Accountability Act) that required governments to do this very thing, but it was repealed under Brian Pallister and the PCs in 2017.
We were very glad that the Kinew NDP government brought many elements of the old legislation back in its new bill. However, labour also raised concern about some potential loopholes that needed to be closed to ensure municipal and other projects were not exempted from the transparency and accountability requirements. Last night, leaders from CUPE, MGEU and I presented to the legislative committee that was considering the bill, and I am glad to say that government heard the voice of labour and amended the bill to close these loopholes.
Once it is passed into law, this legislation will make Manitoba a leader again when it comes to protecting taxpayers from governments funnelling public money into private hands through P3 schemes.
We wish to thank Hon. Mintu Sandhu, Minister of Public Service Delivery, for his leadership on this file, and for his openness to addressing labour’s concerns.
In Solidarity,
Kevin Rebeck
President of the Manitoba Federation of Labour
May 1, 2025
WCB surplus would be better spent on preventing workplace injuries and illnesses
Statement by MFL President Kevin Rebeck in response to WCB’s announced $122 million surplus:
With Manitoba’s worker compensation employer premiums already being the lowest in the country, Manitoba’s unions are disappointed that the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) is choosing to distribute $122 million in rebates to employers when there are very clear needs for the WCB to do much more to prevent workplace injuries and deaths.
This payout to employers is being made even though injury rates in Manitoba have increased over the last five years. And shockingly, employers will receive this rebate regardless of their safety record. This means that the workplaces that saw workers die on the job last year will receive the same kind of rebate as employers who take workplace health and safety more seriously. This provides no incentive for employers to improve their workplace health and safety standards.
This announced surplus is coming to light just days after the National Day of Mourning, where we marked 18 workplace-related deaths and 25,000 workplace related injuries suffered by Manitobans in 2024. Workplace injuries in health care and public services have been climbing steadily, requiring urgent investments in stronger prevention programs in those areas.
We are concerned that the NDP government is touting this payout as some sort of business support program. Last time I checked, the WCB does not have a mandate to provide business subsidies or economic development support. Instead, the WCB’s job is to keep workers safe and to support workers and their families with workplace injuries and deaths.
This surplus would be better spent on preventing workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths, as well as supporting injured workers.
Media Contact: Andrew Tod 204-391-0063 atod@mfl.mb.ca
CUPE Members with Temporary Immigration Status
The following letter and resources for CUPE members with temporary immigration status has been sent to all Manitoba Locals.
Sisters, Brothers, Friends,
On behalf of CUPE Manitoba, please share this notice with members of your Local:
ATTN: CUPE Members working with temporary immigration status/temporary work permits.
Are you an international student, on a temporary work permit, or waiting for your permanent residency application?
Do you have a temporary work permit that will expire soon?
Were you promised a path to permanent resident status that is no longer available?
CUPE fights every day for its members, including you.
The federal government, through the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, made sweeping changes to immigration policies at the end of 2024. As a result, it is estimated that 2.3 million people will lose their work permits and risk deportation from 2025-2027.
These changes affect CUPE members who have temporary immigration status under programs such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Student Program.
Current members, with temporary work permits, may no longer be able to renew their work permits or have a pathway to permanent residency. If you or someone you know is affected by these changes, please contact Kelti Cameron, CUPE International Solidarity (kcameron@cupe.ca), and Emma Lui, CUPE Human Rights (elui@cupe.ca).
If you have an open work permit, you continue to have the right to work until it expires or while you have maintained status.
Some types of work permits require employer participation and letters from employers. Contact your union if you are having trouble accessing these documents.
If you are a member who is undocumented and working without status, you can still be involved in your union and we recommend you obtain legal immigration advice immediately.
STATUS FOR ALL
CUPE believes in status for all – this means no resident in Canada should have to live on temporary status. Temporary status creates precarity and exposes migrant workers to employer abuse. It is difficult to take action alone but together with other workers and organizations we can fight for change.
RESOURCES FOR WORKERS
CUPE has prepared resources for members working with temporary immigration status and temporary work permits. Please download the following resources and have available on Union boards in workplaces, and/or in the Local office:
Know Your Rights! A factsheet for workers:
https://cupe.ca/cupe-members-working-temporary-immigration-status-know-your-rights
A Solidarity and Action Guide: Temporary foreign workers in our Union:
https://cupe.ca/temporary-foreign-workers-our-union-solidarity-and-action-guide
For further information, or to share a direct link for your website, please visit:
https://cupe.mb.ca/members/resources-for-cupe-members-with-temporary-work-permits/