Before I touch on the CFNU Biennial Convention, I’d like to take this opportunity to say how proud we are to welcome 39 new members at Rest Haven Personal Care Home in Steinbach.
These new members, which include Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) and a Nurse Practitioner (NP), are joining us following a Manitoba Labour Board sanctioned certification vote. The certificate was made official on June 7, 2023, and they will be known as Local 163. Thank you for choosing MNU!
I’d also like to congratulate our longtime Labour Relations Officer Leona Barrett for taking on the new role of Manager of Labour Relations – we are so lucky to have Leona!
Now for the CFNU Biennial Convention, it was very energizing, for certain. One of the things that we realized was that there are lots of big issues that need to be tackled, but that cannot be achieved alone.
The message that came through loud and clear was that we need to continue to stand in solidarity, wet we need to connect with each other, to understand political responsibilities and get loud. Because we are worth it.
On Thursday, I was immensely honoured to receive the prestigious Bread & Roses Award from CFNU President Linda Silas. This award is presented for outstanding contributions to health care policy and decision-making, and for raising public awareness of nursing issues and patient advocacy.
In her remarks, Linda mentioned my advocacy during the pandemic and I couldn’t have done that without our members, who were always letting me know the situations in their workplaces and what they were going through, and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me.
We ended the Convention on Friday with the 1,000 nurses in attendance marching to downtown Charlottetown to hold a rally and a “die-in” protest to call attention to the need for safe staffing levels across the country.
To read more about the CFNU Biennial Convention, including the daily recaps, please visit this link.
In solidarity,
Darlene Jackson
President
Manitoba Nurses Union