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Union Bug Blog

• Sep 07, 2017 - Cutting Taxes is Not the Answer
  

  Last week I was chatting with my uncle, a retiree on a fixed income, about the health service cuts at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. He said “if the deficit is $83 million, why doesn’t everyone just paid a bit more in taxes and then cuts would not be required?” With consideration for one’s ability to pay, why not indeed?

• Aug 30, 2017 - Private MRIs Are Moving Us in a Dangerous Direction
  

  There is an adage: if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. This certainly seems to be the case with Niverville’s recent announcement that the town hopes to partner with a private holding company and build a user-pay MRI clinic in the community.

• Aug 25, 2017 - PRPPs — a re-branding of our current, inadequate retirement saving “options”
  

  The Manitoba Government recently announced it will make “Pooled Retirement Pension Plans (PRPPs)” available to Manitobans as another retirement savings option. Here’s why Manitobans planning for retirement should see this announcement as simply more of the same.

• Jul 25, 2017 - Fuzzy Math Drives Bill 28's Savings Assumptions
  

  In March of 2017, the Premier claimed that for every one per cent the province lowered (or didn’t raise) wages for 120,000 provincial public sector workers, it would save $100 million. This simple calculation provides grist for Bill 28, The Public Services Sustainability Act which mandates all those who employ provincial public sector workers to hold future increases to zero per cent for the first two years of a new contract, no more than 0.75 per cent for the third year, and no more than 1.0 per cent for the fourth.

• Jul 14, 2017 - Social Impact Bonds: Putting Profit before People
  

  Today, Manitobans access their social and public health services (think mental health and disability supports) and social services (think homeless or domestic abuse shelters; child welfare agencies) through: a) professionals and care providers who work directly for government, and b) professionals and care providers who work for non-profit community agencies.

• Jun 23, 2017 - Short-Staffing and Privatization Threat are Putting Air Ambulance Patients at Risk
  

  The Government of Manitoba recently grounded its Southern Air Ambulance transport program due to a lack of available pilots. However, a closer look reveals that the problem isn’t quite as simple as the government would have you believe.

• Jun 16, 2017 - Public Services Week a Time to Celebrate and Reflect on What’s Important to Manitobans
  

  As Public Services Week comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on a very busy and enjoyable week touring MGEU workplaces and visiting with members at our lunch events across Manitoba.

• May 31, 2017 - Paramedic Self-Regulation is Finally Coming
  

  May 28 - June 3 is National Paramedic Services Week. It’s a time for us to thank paramedics and recognize them for their contributions to our public health services. It’s also time for us to note some significant changes coming to the profession, as self-regulation for Manitoba paramedics takes a step closer to becoming reality.

• May 26, 2017 - What Some People Don’t Want You to Know About Minimum Wage
  

  The Manitoba Government is racing ahead with changes to minimum wage that will lock full-time minimum wage earners in to a poverty wage. Bill 33, The Minimum Wage Indexation Act will tie minimum wage increases to the cost of living.

• May 19, 2017 - HEBP Disability and Rehabilitation - Are You Covered?
  

  Almost four million adult Canadians (roughly 14% of the adult population) report being limited in their daily activities due to a disability*. With disability claims on the rise in our country, that means having good long-term disability coverage at work is more important than ever.