Dynacare staff in Winnipeg and Brandon are gearing up for a potential strike due to heavy workloads and stagnant wages, according to their union. The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals announced that 99.7 percent of laboratory technicians and technologists voted in favor of strike action, with 87 percent of the roughly 350 Dynacare employees participating in the vote.
Since their previous contract expired on April 1, these workers have been without a new agreement. They are stationed at Dynacare’s 22 lab and health services facilities in and around Winnipeg and Brandon, including the main lab on King Edward Street in Winnipeg. In the fiscal year 2024-25, these workers collectively conducted over 15 million lab tests.
The President of MAHCP, Jason Linklater, highlighted that while the workload for these professionals has increased, their pay has remained stagnant. Linklater pointed out that current wages for Dynacare lab staff are notably lower compared to those of Shared Health employees performing similar specialized tasks, with a wage gap ranging from 20 to 50 percent based on job classification and years of service.
The union emphasized that negotiations for a new collective agreement began in February after the previous one expired on March 31. Despite entering mediation in July, no tentative agreement has been reached between Dynacare and MAHCP. Further bargaining and mediation sessions have not been scheduled.
Linklater mentioned that the union has yet to set a strike deadline as they aim to prevent disruptions to lab services in the province. However, strike notice will be issued if bargaining dates are not arranged to continue negotiations. The union also expressed concerns about Dynacare’s dominance in non-hospital testing services in Manitoba, following its acquisition of Unicity Labs in 2017, which has led to a monopoly in the market.
Notably, Dynacare operates as a subsidiary of Labcorp, an American corporation that has seen a significant increase in profits over the past two years, rising from $418 million in 2023 to $876 million in 2025, as reported by the union.