Dynacare employees working in Winnipeg and Brandon are on the brink of a strike due to heavy workloads and stagnant wages, according to their union. The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals stated in a press release on Thursday that 99.7% of laboratory technicians and technologists voted in favor of strike action this week, with 87% of approximately 350 Dynacare workers participating in the vote. These workers have been without a contract since the previous one expired on April 1.
They are based at Dynacare’s 22 laboratory and health services facilities in and around Winnipeg and Brandon, including the main lab on King Edward Street in Winnipeg. In the fiscal year 2024-2025, the workers collectively conducted over 15 million lab tests, the union disclosed. MAHCP President Jason Linklater highlighted that while their workloads have increased, their compensation has remained static.
Linklater mentioned that current wages for Dynacare lab professionals lag behind Shared Health employees performing similar specialized tasks by 20 to 50%. This wage disparity varies based on job classification and years of service. The union president described the lab workers as “unified and angry,” emphasizing the challenges of recruitment and retention when wages and benefits significantly trail behind the public system.
Negotiations for a new collective agreement between Dynacare and MAHCP commenced in February after the previous agreement ended on March 31. Despite entering mediation in July, the parties have not reached a tentative agreement. The union disclosed that no further bargaining or mediation sessions have been scheduled.
The union clarified that they would need to provide advance notice before proceeding with a strike; however, they have not set a deadline yet to prevent disruption of lab services in the province. Linklater stressed that strike notice would be issued if bargaining dates are not arranged to continue negotiations.
Dynacare is noted to have a monopoly on non-hospital testing in Manitoba, having become the sole private outpatient provider for laboratory services in the province following the acquisition of Unicity Labs in 2017. The company, a subsidiary of Labcorp, an American corporation, has reportedly seen its profits more than double in the past two years, rising from $418 million in 2023 to $876 million in 2025, according to the union.