CUPE’s ready to respond to the Manitoba Labour Board’s preliminary report on bargaining unit composition in health care. The Labour Board released its report last week, announcing the creation of region-wide bargaining units in Manitoba’s new, regionalized health care sector.
Each health care region will have five bargaining units, with most CUPE members belonging to the Support Workers (Facility-based) unit. The Board’s recommendation, which applies to rural regions only, is similar to the proposals CUPE made at hearings in the fall.
“With each region holding affiliation votes in 1998, we’ll be working hard to ensure CUPE continues to be Manitoba’s health care union of choice,” says Lorraine Sigurdson, health care coordinator for the province. “It’s going to be a lot of work, but we’ve been preparing and we’ll be ready for this major campaign.”
This week, regional meetings began throughout rural Manitoba. CUPE members are being asked to recommit to their union by re-signing a membership card a good way of keeping members involved.