President’s Message – August 2026
Hello AESES!
While summer is when many workers enjoy a well-earned break, everyone knows that work never rests, and June and July were no exception for the union.
In June, Winnipeg was host to the National Executive Board meeting for the Confederation of Canadian Unions (CCU). The event was held at the Fort Garry Hotel, and several AESES members volunteered their weekend to attend Labour School on Saturday and participate in CCU meetings on Sunday. The Labour School offered an in-depth look at key labour issues, with notable presentations from Adam King and Niigaan Sinclair, both University of Manitoba professors. The sessions focused on the many benefits and societal changes unions have delivered to workers and society over time. While these contributions are well documented, they are increasingly being challenged by divisive rhetoric. This narrative is being amplified by increasingly polarized political voices, often backed by interests that benefit from lower wages and a less skilled workforce. We need to work to counter that message and ensure that the hard-fought benefits from the previous century are not forgotten. Union workers may take for granted benefits such as health coverage, a regular work week, paid vacation, the right to disconnect, workplace safety laws, and maternity and family leave, to name just a few. We should never forget that these were hard-won gains achieved through the efforts of previous generations, and we must continue to protect and strengthen them.
AESES hosted a meeting at our Business Office with the Manitoba Minister of Finance, the Honourable Adrian Sala. The meeting with the Minister was initiated by the provincial government to discuss public sector bargaining in Manitoba. Minister Sala talked of their intent to catch up and keep up with increases for the public sector, while we noted that over several contracts our increases have not kept pace with inflation. I intend to keep this line of communication open and will follow up with Minister Sala’s office once the University of Manitoba’s bargaining is complete.
For our members at The University of Winnipeg, the official AESES-UW Collective Agreement – 2025-2028 has been posted to the AESES website.
At the UM, bargaining has been an intense process. All non-monetary issues have been discussed, with several now resolved or closed. Additional meetings have been booked for this month and into the fall, when we intend to discuss the monetary priorities identified by our members. Updates can be found on the AESES website here: aeses.ca/aeses-um-bargaining-2026
Relatedly, I’d like to welcome Robert Dvorski to the UM Contract Administrator role and to thank him for representing the UM membership.
The new Executive Council held a retreat in July to discuss the operation of AESES for the 2026 – 2028 term. A key theme was strengthening Board engagement and encouraging greater feedback from the rest of our members. AESES continues to have unrepresented districts, so if you know someone who would be interested in representing a district, please let us know! We encourage members to connect with their district representatives and share the issues that matter most to them. The strength of any union comes from an active membership and the voice that they share.
In lighter news, members took advantage of AESES discounts at several local sporting events over the past two months, including the Winnipeg Goldeyes hosting the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks on June 28 and the Winnipeg Sea Bears hosting the Calgary Surge on July 12. At the time of writing, AESES still has tickets available for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as they host the Ottawa Redblacks on August 14. More information can be found at the end of the newsletter. Go Blue!
In closing, as summer goes by, I hope everyone is able to enjoy the weather and some vacation time!
In Solidarity,
Will Christie