Now that the treaty has been ratified, the MPI negotiating committee will meet with its employer to finalize and sign the pressure and distribution agreement to members. The new four-year contract includes general wage increases each year, market adjustments in the first two years of the agreement, benefit enhancements and an employment security clause for the duration of the agreement. The agreement covers the period from September 18, 2016 to September 26, 2020. “At the end of the day,” Gawronsky said, “I think most members thought the mix of wage and benefit increases and job security was a reasonable offer.” This round of negotiations had its own challenges, as both the members of the Committee and the employer had agreed to negotiate in a very short period of time. In the end, the agreement was reached after four months of extremely difficult negotiations and finally by a conciliator,” said Michelle Gawronsky, President of the MGEU. There are also significant benefits to public automobile insurance, particularly in terms of costs. A report released last year by Deloitte found that the average cost of auto insurance in Manitoba in the country was the second lowest (Saskatchewan is also a public body and had the lowest average rates). Manitobans may not know that IOP rates are set on the basis of driving experience, not on things like sex, where they live or how old you are. Considering that jobs remain at MPI headquarters in Manitoba, safety policy initiatives supported by MPI and the benefits of error insurance, it is clear that we want to keep public auto insurance. But voters can be forgiven for being cynical about promises like this, which suggest that the government is not going to privatize, even if there is a record there.

The Filmon PC Government in the 1990s said flat-out that they were not going to privatize the telephone installation. Of course, we know they did. Our western prairie neighbors have had similar experiences in selling spirits. In 2007, Saskatchewan Party President Brad Wall said, “The crowns will not be privatized and (subsidiaries) will not be dissolved.” Premier Wall and the Saskatchewan Party are now privatizing the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister. As many members of the MGEU know or will have seen in the media, I have tried to bring the Prime Minister to a meeting since he was elected in April. Clearly, the importance of our discussion was amplified by last week`s news that the Manitoba PC government is aiming for a one-year wage freeze, which is to be imposed at the 11th hour of negotiations between the University of Manitoba (U of M) administration and UMFA, the U of M`s Faculty Association. When we found out, we immediately called the Prime Minister`s office to clarify things and revoke an emergency meeting.