Workers at 3 Manitoba Child and Family Services agencies serve strike notice

Unionized workers at three Manitoba child and family services agencies could go on strike in a couple of weeks if a tentative agreement can't be reached with their employers.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU) has issued a two-week strike notice to Métis Child, Family and Community Services, Michif Child and Family Services and Southeast Child and Family Services, a news release said on Tuesday. 

Approximately 500 union members — administrative staff and social services, family support and youth care workers at the three agencies — will walk the picket line starting March 25 if an agreement can't be made by then, MGEU president Kyle Ross said in the news release.

Union workers voted for a strike mandate in December and the bargaining committees feel they have no choice but to take job action, because the current offer jeopardizes care for vulnerable children and youth by creating a two-tier wage system, Ross said.

"We know other workers that provide these same services to vulnerable families in Manitoba and vulnerable youth make more money in the civil service, and we're just trying to get these workers paid the same, because this work is difficult work, and I think they should be treated as equal," Ross told CBC on Tuesday.

Workers are asking for a contract in line with the four-year, 14 per cent wage increase MGEU members in other civil services got last year, Ross previously told CBC.

The provincial government has provided millions of dollars in funding to child and family services authorities and the agencies they fund, but they haven't negotiated an offer that provides wage parity, Ross said.

Workers at these three agencies are currently paid as much as $3/hour less than workers at other agencies, he said.

Having equitable pay across the province will ensure these agencies can recruit and retain staff, Ross said.

"We don't want a transient workforce when you're supporting families and supporting young children. We want some consistency there, so they can build some support and relationships," he said.

Staff at the agencies are worried for the families and youth they care for, who will have limited support if job action takes place, he said.

The contract for 220 employees of Métis Child, Family and Community Services and 110 employees of Michif Child and Family Services expired on Jan. 31, 2023. About 170 workers at Southeast Child and Family Services have been without a contract since March 31, 2022.

Last week, the Manitoba Métis Federation said budget constraints led to 60 people being laid off from the Métis Child and Family Services Authority — which includes both the Métis and Michif Child and Family Services — with a total of 100 to 150 staff at risk of eventually being let go.

MGEU said it's also received notice Southeast Child and Family Services is contemplating layoffs in the future. 

CBC has reached out to that agency for comment.

Ross said the layoffs are part of the bargaining process and he hopes they will be avoided.

So far, there are no scheduled bargaining sessions, but Ross said the union is ready to continue negotiations before the strike deadline.

David Chartrand, the Manitoba Métis Federation's president, said he is "deeply concerned" about the impacts a potential strike could have on the well-being of children, youth and families. 

In a statement on Tuesday, he called on the provincial and federal governments to "immediately end their jurisdictional battle, which has caused this dangerous situation to occur."

Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said the province can't interfere in bargaining, but she has faith the union and the employers will reach a solution that's "in the best interest of children" at the bargaining table.

She accused the previous Progressive Conservative government, defeated in 2023, of "set[ting] up the concerns that we're seeing today," she said. 

The minister said her government has provided child and family services agencies with a "significant amount of money," increasing annualized funding for their operations by $11.3 million. That includes about $2.4 million for Métis and Michif CFS, and $898,000 for Southeast CFS, Fontaine said.

"I'm stepping up with real money, our team is stepping up in doing that really important decolonizing work, and our premier has said it over and over again that … he wants to see more children reach their 18th birthday."