- High Inflation Rates to Lead to Higher Wages: With the national inflation rate in November remaining at an 18-year high of 4.7%, employers both here at home and across the border are expecting to pay higher wages in 2022 and beyond, as part of strategies to address the anticipated challenge of retaining and attracting skilled employees. Something for us all to keep in mind as we head into our next round of collective agreement negotiations with Bell early next year.
- TEAM Meets with Elected Officials to Keep and Grow Jobs in Manitoba: Over the past month, members of the TEAM Executive and Board, along with TEAM and IFPTE staff, have met with federal and provincial representatives across all party lines to press the case for better investment in the Manitoba workforce from Bell. TEAM’s position has been that Bell has not fully lived up to its commitments made to Manitobans when the sale of MTS was authorized in 2017, namely to make Winnipeg its Western Canada headquarters and to grow the company, not shrink it. Since then, TEAM has seen nine rounds of down-sizing resulting in over 220 jobs lost from the Manitoba economy, and we are not alone, as the other two Manitoba unions at Bell have also experienced cuts that have contributed to an overall decline of about 600 members across the three units since Bell took over. Although there is no lack of job posting opportunities overall at Bell, there have been limited opportunities within Bell for TEAM members and concerns about potential discrimination against unionized professionals here in Manitoba.
To date, the response from representatives has been overwhelmingly supportive, with follow-up communications planned with several offices in 2022. TEAM-IFPTE has met with the following representatives, thus far:
Provincial MLA’s
- Dugald Lamont, St. Boniface (L)
- John Gerard, River Heights (L)
- Cindy Lamoureux, Tyndall Park (L)
- Adrien Sala, St. James (N)
- Malaya Marcelino, Notre Dame (N)
- Tom Lindsey, Flin Flon (N)
- Diljeet Brar, Burrows (N)
- Jamie Moses, St. Vital (N)
- Nello Altomare, Transcona (N)
Federal MP’s
- Marty Morantz, Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley (C)
- Dan Mazier, Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa (C)
- Terry Duguid, Winnipeg South (L)
- Daniel Blaikie, Elmwood-Transcona (N)
A meeting with Manitoba MP and Federal Cabinet Minister, Dan Vandal, St. Boniface (L) is slated for mid-January 2022, and we anticipate many more meetings will be held throughout the year as TEAM continues working with our international affiliate, the IFPTE, to advocate for and ensure issues concerning TEAM members are heard by representatives at all levels of government.
- Upcoming Vacancy and Posting for TEAM LRO Job: Unfortunately for TEAM, our current Labour Relations Officer, Alyssa Hung, will be leaving us in the New Year to start a new opportunity. Alyssa is a skilled, ardent advocate, and her labour management knowledge and calm demeanor will be missed. Alyssa’s last day will be Friday, January 14, 2022. All active matters that she’s been assisting members with will remain active and will be/have been transitioned to other/future staff members.
Accordingly, there is a job opportunity within the TEAM office. TEAM is seeking a qualified and experienced Labour Relations Officer to assist the Executive Director in managing all aspects of union-management relations.
The job posting and job description for this critical and challenging role are available below:
Applications must be received by the end of day (midnight) Wednesday, January 13, 2022.
- TEAM Financial Planning Webinar – Materials and Next Sessions: For those who attended the Dec 8th, “Top 10 Financial Planning Mistakes” webinar, the materials will be sent out tomorrow – we apologize for the unexpected delay. Please let the TEAM Office know if you attended the webinar and do not receive the materials. To assist us in planning future financial planning webinars, we would like to know what topics are of interest to you and what you would like learn more about when it comes to planning your financial future, including whether you’d be interested in attending repeat sessions on any previously covered topics – please click here to let us know.
- TEAM Holiday Coverage: The TEAM Office will be closed from 1:00pm on December 24, 2021 to January 6, 2022.
In case of immediate assistance during the break you may contact TEAM’s President, Mike Taylor at 204-801-0117. We will also be checking our main phone voicemail (204-984-9470) and email account (team@teamunion.mb.ca) periodically. All urgent matters will be addressed.
Best wishes for a safe and joyous Holiday Season!
TEAM-IFPTE Local 161
204-984-9470 or 1-877-984-9470
www.teamunion.mb.ca
twitter.com/teamunion161
facebook.com/teamunion161