Major construction project to affect MAHCP office access

The City of Winnipeg is replacing the Dublin Avenue Bridge over Omand’s Creek, which means the full closure of eastbound and westbound Dublin Avenue, therefore affecting access to the MAHCP office from the west.

How long will this major project take?

This construction project began this month of January and is expected to continue until its completion in May of 2020.

What does this mean for MAHCP?

This means that the main access point for the MAHCP office for the next five months will be Notre Dame Avenue, as Dublin Avenue will be closed.

For our members coming to us from west Winnipeg and northwest Winnipeg, we suggest taking St. James Street and turning east on Bangor Avenue to Notre Dame Avenue.

The City of Winnipeg has a website that will provide updates on the construction project: www.winnipeg.ca/dublin

Please email info@mahcp.ca if you have any further questions. Thanks!

New members’ package in the mail this week!

The new bargaining unit certificates for Shared Health and WRHA bargaining units come into effect this Friday, Dec. 13, 2019.

MAHCP’s newest members – those transitioning from other unions this Friday – will be receiving an information package at their home mailing address by the end of this week. We encourage you to read through it to find out what you need to know.

The welcome package contains the following information: (links to the documents included)

  • Welcome letter from MAHCP President Bob Moroz – here
  • Info on MAHCP Labour Relations Officers – here
  • “MAHCP welcomes you” (FAQ) – here
  • Bargaining Proposal Form – here
  • December newsletter – here
  • Union card and postage-paid return envelope

Please feel free to send an email to info@mahcp.ca or call 204-772-0425/1-800-315-3331 if you have any additional questions that aren’t answered in the welcome package.

MAHCP looks forward to representing and working with our newest members!

In solidarity,

Your MAHCP Team

 

MAHCP reacts to Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventative Services Plan

MAHCP President Bob Moroz responds to the Pallister Government’s Clinical and Preventative Services Plan, which was made public on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019:

“What this Plan lacks, like many others before it, are the details, especially for us in Allied Health Care. It doesn’t talk about which communities will be affected, which professions and all those things – important details for those who work in health care and those who rely on it.

“We don’t want to see a repeat of what has happened in Winnipeg in the last couple of years, and our members and patients continue to deal with the fallout of those haphazard, poorly planned changes. Earlier this week, we saw WRHA reported wait times going in the wrong direction compared to the same time last year. That’s the tip of the iceberg that we’ve heard from our members: chronic understaffing, more mandatory overtime, and lack of training.

“Also of grave concern to us in Allied Health is the claim that they consulted with the front line in developing this plan, but I’ve looked at their list on the website and it’s overwhelmingly doctors and managers. They need to listen to Allied Health Professionals that are actually delivering front-line care and services, not just for this plan but for everything they do. Allied Health is absolutely critical to health care delivery, but somehow we’re always an afterthought. MAHCP is ready and willing to work with health officials to ensure that Allied Health staffing and service levels are acceptable and appropriate across the province.”

 

Manitoba Throne Speech leaves health care questions unanswered

Winnipeg —The Government of Manitoba, led by Premier Brian Pallister, delivered today’s Speech from the Throne outlining the Pallister government’s priorities for the next year.

When it comes to health care, this underwhelming Throne Speech raises more questions than it answers and makes no mention of the Allied Health Professionals that make health care delivery possible.

The Speech made reference to a “$2-billion Health Care Guarantee,” but the reality is that recent health care spending in Manitoba has not kept up with the rate of inflation.

“We are concerned that further cuts are coming, particularly in rural health care, while we’re still dealing with the fallout from recent cuts and closures in Winnipeg,” said MAHCP President Bob Moroz.

In recent weeks, the Pallister government has announced welcome investments in mental health and addictions, and the Speech promised more. However, much more significant investment is needed in this critical area to meet the pressing needs in our province.

The Speech announced 200 more nursing positions over four years. “We’re waiting to hear how many new professional-technical positions this government will create – more nurses and doctors can’t do their jobs without more Allied Health Professionals,” said Moroz. “MAHCP’s Allied Health members are already stretched and need reassurance from this government that they will have the resources to provide the care patients expect and deserve.”

To ensure stability for those working in health care, MAHCP is also encouraging the Provincial Government to return to the collective bargaining table as soon as possible.

“MAHCP is deeply concerned about the path the Provincial Government is taking when it comes to our health care,” said Moroz. “Manitoba is already facing recruitment challenges and our members are feeling the crunch with more mandatory overtime. They are being asked to do more with less, and many are dealing with lack of training and resources, chronic understaffing and high turnover.”

 

Pre-register by Oct. 2 for 2019 AGM to be eligible for Calm Air prize

Pre-registration for the upcoming MAHCP Annual General Meeting is fully underway and there’s a fabulous prize to be won.

Those who pre-register before Oct. 2 will be eligible for the CALM Air $1,000 flight pass draw! (You must attend the AGM to win.)

This year’s MAHCP AGM takes place Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg. Registration starts at 4:30 pm that day, with the meeting at 6pm and refreshments at 8pm.

There will be printed copies of the AGM booklet available on the day of the AGM, and we will be sending booklets to our satellite AGM sites in Thompson, Snow Lake, Flin Flon and The Pas.

If you are planning to attend the AGM, don’t forget to pre-register by calling our office (204) 772-0425 or emailing info@mahcp.ca

Pre-registration is necessary to ensure an accurate count for catering and room bookings.

Volunteers needed for national Diabetes conference in Winnipeg

MAHCP has a volunteer opportunity with the Diabetes Canada: Manitoba for October and we hope to see many of our members step up!

The Diabetes Canada Professional Conference is taking place in Winnipeg from Oct. 2-5, 2019, and organizers are expecting 1,700 health care professionals to attend.

If you have some time to volunteer for this important conference, which starts Wednesday, Oct. 2, and runs until Saturday, Oct. 5, please visit the Survey Monkey link below for the online volunteer application:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DCVolunteer19

Also, our members who often interact with diabetes patients will find this conference to be of particular interest, so we encourage you especially to volunteer!

MAHCP has been a proud supporter of the Manitoba branch of Diabetes Canada for the past decade, and with an estimated 386,000 Manitobans affected by diabetes, your participation as a volunteer would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

MAHCP

 

Physiotherapy Director election takes place Sept. 9 to 15

The election for the office of Physiotherapy Director is fast approaching and we have an update:

There are two candidates running for Physiotherapy Director and this election, which is being conducted in accordance to Article 7 of the MAHCP Constitution, takes place Sept. 9 to 15 via electronic voting.

Voters that are eligible for this election of Physiotherapy Director will receive an email from the MAHCP office. Please remember to check your spam folder, in case the email with voting instructions ends up there.

The bios of the two candidates have been available on our website since July, but can also be accessed by clicking on their names below (listed alphabetically by last name):

Shelley Kowalchuk

Lyle Sasek

The results of this election will be formally announced at our MAHCP AGM in October.

Please email info@mahcp.ca if you have any questions.

Thank you!

 

Your Vote Matters

Voting starts at noon today, and more and more we’re hearing that the choice for Professional, Technical and Paramedical Health Care Employees is clear. They’re voting MAHCP because Allied Health is our sole focus, and we are the leaders in member service and bargaining for our sector. For 50 years, MAHCP has been the voice of Allied Health in Manitoba.

They know that with MAHCP, you get:

Specialized expertise and better deals at the bargaining table

Better support in your workplace

A voice in your union

Leadership on issues important to Allied Health members and our patients

I talk to MAHCP members every day. Many are concerned about losing their voice in a big, bureaucratic union that doesn’t understand Allied Health. They’re worried about losing the specialized support they receive with MAHCP, and the gains we’ve made at the bargaining table.

We’ve also heard from members of other unions who are excited to join MAHCP because they know our reputation as the leader in member service and bargaining for our sector. They want to be part of a union with a clear focus on Allied Health, a union with the expertise to fight for them.

If you haven’t received your PIN and voting information in the mail, please contact the Voter Help Desk at 1-888-281-8683 ASAP. If they can’t help you, please let us know and we will step in. We want everyone to have a chance to vote.

If you already have your PIN, you can vote starting at noon today at www.hsu.isivote.com or by phone at 1-888-359-2301 (English) or 1-888-359-2302 (French).

MAHCP is proud to be the clear choice of Allied Health Professionals, and we are proud to serve our members.

With MAHCP, your voice matters, your vote matters. Vote MAHCP today!

In Solidarity,

Bob Moroz

MAHCP President

MAHCP welcomes new LRO Cory Szczepanski

MAHCP is pleased to announce that Cory Szczepanski has joined our team as a Labour Relations Officer.

Cory is an experienced LRO, with 15 years in labour relations, who most recently worked with COPE in Saskatchewan. He’s also a three-term local president with the United Steelworkers.

A graduate of the Canadian Labour College in 2012, Cory has spent the last three years in Saskatchewan fighting a government-mandated bargaining scheme and standing up for public sector workers across the province in the battle to stop the privatization of Crown corporations.

However, his roots are in Manitoba: Cory has run for office in the Westman region and is a former president of the Brandon and District Labour Council.

MAHCP considers Cory’s vast labour relations knowledge to be an asset and we’re appreciative that he’s come on board in a time of upheaval in health care.

Cory has three beautiful children under the age of 10, and loves hunting and fishing in the great outdoors.