In last year’s AGM recap that went out to all MNU members, we stated that we hoped that the 2022 virtual AGM, which was our second in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would be the last one.
The reason is that while we were able to get the business of the union done virtually, it just wasn’t the same as members being able to network face-to-face, catch up with each other by asking how families were doing and dancing the evening away during the banquet.
That’s why we would like to express our profound gratitude to those members who attended the MNU AGM at the Keystone Centre in Brandon last week, as not only were members able to recapture that spirit and that essence, members actually knocked it out of the park and left a high standard for next year’s AGM!
Here is a recap of the 2023 MNU AGM:
Keynote and guest speakers
Our keynote speakers Françoise Mathieu and Sajel Bellon (photo above) were both extremely well-received by our members in attendance!
Françoise Mathieu spoke about the importance of recognizing empathic strain and the tools needed to deal with challenging times, while Sajel Bellon shared her experience of first finding PTSD supports for her husband, who is a firefighter, and then becoming an occupational stress and trauma specialist herself.
Guest speakers Linda Silas, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, Kevin Rebeck, President of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, and Kirk Carr, President of the Brandon District Labour Council spoke passionately in favour of nurses and our public health care system.
Linda Silas gave us a clear picture of the national staffing crisis, saying that we are short 40,000 nurses in Canada, and that’s full-time, meaning we would need double that amount if it were part-time nurses, as we are seeing more and more nurses move towards leaving the profession due to mandating. We need a national plan so as to prevent provinces from poaching from each other.
The ‘Roaring 20s’ banquet
We’d like to give a round of applause to our Banquet Committee (Prairie Mountain & Northern Regions) who put on a party to rival past parties!
The theme was the ‘Roaring 20s’ and MNU members went all out, with gorgeous flapper dresses, beautiful feather boas and headpieces, long gloves, pearl necklaces – and we saw many of our fellas dressed in true togs that Al Capone would be proud of!
After dinner, members were quick to head to the dance floor, forming a long conga line, while enjoying the signature drink ‘Solidarity on the Rocks,” but what was most talked about was the exceptional quality of the silent auction prizes.
Thanks to the generous prize donors and the Banquet Committee’s hard work, we were able to raise more than $12,000 for our charity of choice, the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network.
During Day 2 AGM proceedings, locals and worksites added pledge donations to the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network, with more donations coming in still. We will update the final tally in a future edition of The Pulse, so stay tuned.
Amendments and Resolutions
This year’s Resolutions and Constitution Committee chairperson Katie Stark (pictured above with MNU President Darlene Jackson) presented members at the AGM with one amendment and three resolutions. We were very impressed with the high calibre of discussion that was elicited, and members truly did make excellent points regardless which side they were advocating for.
The one amendment put forward was to amend Article 4 of the MNU Constitution by inserting points a, b and c. This was brought forward because it would be a conflict of interest to allow nurses/members in ownership, full or partial, of an entity that provides contracted-out nursing services to Employers where the Manitoba Nurses Union is the certified bargaining agent, to also hold, or continue to hold, elected/appointed positions on executives/boards, or committees, or to act as voting delegates and/or alternate voting delegates within MNU, and its Regional Locals/Worksite Units/Locals. This amendment was adopted.
As for the resolutions, there were three brought forward, and the results are as follows:
- Resolution No. 1 – That the Manitoba Nurses Union continue to advocate at the provincial and national level for a sustainable Health Human Resources strategy that addresses the three pillars of bolstering nursing resources, Retain, Return and Recruit – was carried;
- Resolution No. 2 – That the Manitoba Nurses Union, in conjunction with our provincial and national partners, continue to advocate and lobby against privatization in healthcare, AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, the Manitoba Nurses Union continues to lobby our provincial government to ensure the 5 pillars of the Canada Health Act are followed – was carried.
- Resolution No. 3 – That the MNU Provincial Bargaining Unit strive to negotiate agreement that nurses shall accrue seniority for all hours worked, including hours worked at overtime rates. In particular, this accrual is warranted in circumstances where the nurse has been mandated by the employer to stay longer than their regularly scheduled shift – was defeated.
For more details on this year’s amendment and resolutions, please see pages 34 and 35 of the Annual Report, available for download at this link.
Yellow Ribbon and Vera Chernecki Emerging Leader Awards
This year, we were pleased to present the Yellow Ribbon Award to two very deserving MNU members: Marie MacLean and Karen Taylor, congratulations!
Marie was nominated by Casey Burton, President of Boissevain Nurses Worksite 71, while Karen was nominated by Lucille Johnston of Carmen Nurses Worksite 89.
Every year, MNU recognizes those members who have exemplified the spirit of the Yellow Ribbon. The ribbon emerged in the 1990s as a symbol throughout Manitoba of our willingness to stand together and to support each other.
As many of you know, in July of 2022, MNU Past President Vera Chernecki, who was also Parliamentarian at our AGMs, passed away. In her honour, the Vera Chernecki Emerging Leaders Award was established, and we are proud to announce that Chris Zawadski (pictured above with MNU President Darlene Jackson) from HSC Nurses Worksite 10 was the inaugural winner!
Nominator Lana Penner, President of HSC Nurses Worksite 10, in her remarks stated that Chris regularly and diligently fills out workload staffing reports (WSRs) for himself and on behalf of his colleagues.
MNU President also took a moment to recognize the Yellow Ribbon Award recipients during the last two virtual AGMs: Kellee Stewart-Schuff, President of Grace Nurses Worksite 41, in 2021; and Karen Sadler, President of St. Boniface Nurses Local 5, in 2022.
Door prizes draw and 50/50
A big thank you to law firm Myers LLP for the amazing prize of an iPad that was the door prize on Tuesday, while on Wednesday, the door prize was an Apple Watch. There was no need to buy tickets, as all attending members were automatically entered.
The 50/50, which raises funds for the Keith Lambert Memorial Labour Fund, was a whopping $2,932, and the lucky winner let out a happy yell when her name was announced. We thank all members who bought tickets!
For more information on this fund and all scholarships, please visit this link.
Final thoughts
We simply cannot thank MNU members enough for this wonderful AGM!
The 2022 AGM ended up being the last virtual meeting, and the 2023 edition far exceeded our expectations, it truly was a gift to see the camaraderie among members, to experience the dancing, the laughing, the moments of solidarity and the debates and conversations around the resolutions.
We have quite a few thank you’s to share, starting with our Parliamentarian Heather Ewasiuk, guest speakers Linda Silas, Kevin Rebeck and Kirk Carr, keynote speakers Françoise Mathieu and Sajel Bellon, as well as the Keystone Centre in Brandon.
Our thanks also go out to our Board of Directors, Regional/Local/Worksite Presidents and our MNU staff.
We are already looking forward to the next AGM, which will be held at the Fairmont in Winnipeg, on May 7th and 8th, 2024!