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Threat of Canada Post strike still alive


October 7, 2018   by Terry Pedwell - THE CANADIAN PRESS


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OTTAWA – The union representing 50,000 employees at Canada Post panned the latest contract offers from the corporation Thursday, calling them “disappointing” and keeping alive the threat of a work stoppage as the busy holiday online shopping season approaches.

Two separate offers for rural and urban carriers included “very small movements” toward resolving some key issues, said the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

The Canada Post logo is seen on the outside the company’s Pacific Processing Centre, in Richmond, B.C., on June 1, 2017. New contract proposals from Canada Post to 50,000 of its employees have failed to put an end to the threat of a work stoppage at the post office. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

On a proposal directed at rural carriers, the union said, “We have a long way to go to achieve a negotiated collective agreement.”

The possibility of a work stoppage has hovered over Canada Post since Sept. 26 after postal workers voted overwhelmingly in late summer in support of a potential walkout to back their contract demands.

But that initial deadline passed without any job action being launched, with CUPW saying it would stay at the bargaining table so long as there was progress in the talks.

That position had not changed Thursday, said CUPW national president Mike Palecek.

“Those are discussions that we’re having daily, based on developments,” he said.

Job action could include a full or partial walkout, or a lockout, after a 72-hour notice period.

The threat of a work stoppage over the holidays has forced companies that rely on Canada Post for parcel deliveries to make alternative plans to ensure their customers receive orders. However, it may be difficult to fill all of the service gaps in the event of a shutdown.

Canada Post is the biggest parcel shipping company in the country, having delivered about one million parcels per day during the holiday season last year – an increase of 20 per cent over the same period in 2016.

Utilities have also been urging their clients to register for online billing, reminding them that invoices must still be paid regardless of whether they are mailed out.

Canada Post said its global offers to rural and urban carriers include improvements to pay, benefits and job security.

But the job security proposals are limited, particularly for rural and suburban carriers, CUPW said in a statement on its website.

“For those eligible to job security, Canada Post would be allowed to assign you or not to a vacant position within a 75 km radius from your installation,” the union said.

“This is a very complex proposal and a substantial amount of clarification is required to fully understand its impact.”

Canada Post also rejected demands that those same carriers get paid an hourly rate – and for all hours worked – and that the corporation guarantee minimum hours, said CUPW.

For both rural and urban carriers, the post office offered wage increases of 1.5 per cent annually under a four-year contract – virtually unchanged from proposals tabled Sept. 7. The union is seeking a 3.5 per cent hike in pay.

“The offers are disappointing,” said Palecek.

“Canada Post still hasn’t addressed any of our major issues.”

CUPW has been pushing Canada Post to offer banking services in communities underserved by the big financial institutions.

The Crown agency’s latest offer proposes “a selected set of new financial services,” a move Palecek described as encouraging.

But he noted that no details about what those services might involve or when they could be launched have been forthcoming.


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25 Comments » for Threat of Canada Post strike still alive
  1. Jed Albertini says:

    Employees should be allowed to see the first offer before they have to vote whether or not to give their union the right to strike

  2. 8675309 says:

    Well so far cash passport(the multi-currency variant which is the only 1 avaible now it would seem) is not really useful in canada due to it nickle & diming customers in canada so sure id be nice to see better financial products

  3. nope says:

    Postal banking! I think it’s both hilarious and disturbing that a company that can’t organize mail delivery wants to handle our money. And I’m speaking here as both a customer and a retailer that has a Canada Post location in the store. They are a disorganized mess of a company.
    And even with their very high starting wage and their massive pension deficit, they still want more money?
    Wish the government could forcibly dissolve their union.

    • Heidi says:

      100% agree. Ridiculous how they can hold us all hostage.

      • Vic says:

        Held hostage by whom? By CUPW? Fat chance!. Canada Post has been, is and will remain profitable. They need to pay their employees for all hours worked. They have no problem shelling out countless dollars for unearned bonuses, OT and travel for jobs that could be done by people that are already in office etc. Better training of management would make CP an even better company for Canadians then it already is. Hostage? PFTTT!

    • Jason says:

      Is $19 considered a high wage nowadays?

    • PostalTruth says:

      Actually there’s no pension deficit. There’s a surplus. The only time a deficit would be discussed is if the corporation was privatized, which would be stupid as the corporation has returned over a billion dollars to the government in the last 22 years.

      Also a majority of “Canada Post” counters in retail locations are not actually Canada Post, they are contractors.

    • Yep says:

      To nope!! There should be no such thing as a postal outlet in your retail store!! How much does the employees working in your Outlet get paid? Minimum wage??? Retail outlets like Lawtons, Shoppers.. etc.. take good paying jobs out of communities!! There should be postal banking.. many small towns in Canada don’t even have a bank!! This eould be a very good thing..

    • Carrier says:

      $19/hr is a high starting wage? Don’t be dumb.

    • Vic says:

      It is disturbing that the companies that now handle our money are multi million dollar corporations that give very little back to the community, have pulled out of most small rural areas and charge almost criminal amounts for the most mundane services all while paying little to nothing for the pleasure or using our money and have exposed our personal information to criminals and thugs. Postal banking works everywhere else that it exists so why wouldn’t it work here? Most small communities have Post Offices and it would provide service for those that can’t make it to the big bank in the city. Also would provide more profit to to Canadians. Although there is some disorganisation in Canada Post’s upper ranks, this could be fixed with more oversight. Their delivery people are the best. Period. All other couriers use Canada Post because of their intensive network. High starting wage? I think not. Most carriers start at below twenty bucks an hour, and their top wage is certainly not out of line when compared to other couriers. It is actually lower. Pension deficit is a boondoggle made for people that are not aware that it only matters if Canada Post goes belly up. What other company do you get five day a week service for basically the amount of money you spend at Canada Post, yet this same company has provided over a billion dollars to the Canadian government coffers? You can’t name one because none exist. Net time check your info. Have a great day.

    • Ronnie says:

      Would you like some cheese with your whine!. You sound jealous.

  4. Janet Bradley says:

    These people are just like you and me, working to keep a roof over their head and food on the table for their families! Canada Post Corporation is ours! Canadian Taxpayers and those who work for Canada Post are taxpayers just like us! What those few who are running the place have to realize are those facts! Stop treating the workers like slaves! Give them a raise! Give them better benefits! God forbid they might be able to share the wealth you few running the place are trying to keep for yourselves!

  5. Mike Shonz says:

    Share the wealth? Really? Canada Post runs at a deficit. Should we contemplate rolling wages back to make up the difference? That would not be fair I agree but looking for 3.5 raise is absurd!!

    • Mark says:

      3.5 may sound absurd to you Mike but consider that these letter carriers haven’t received a raise since 2010 and as a new letter carrier starting at $19.86, you don’t get a raise for about 2 years into the job, and on top of that you are being added more and more work each day. Being a letter carrier today versus 10 years ago is not the same. You have mail, Ad mail (often more than 10 sets) and parcels to deliver daily. It’s a slave job trust me when I say that. I would bet to say that 80% of new carriers quit within 6 months cause it is the hardest job to do. Take notice of the carriers you see out there past 6pm every day and tell me how many you see. Meanwhile, Canada Post have a total of 23 VPs in Ottawa all raking in their bonuses and driving their expensive cars because of the slaves working down below.

  6. Ron Guido says:

    I lost faith in Canada Post years ago when, during contract negotiations, they returned, as undeliverable, my letter to my bank containg a significant deposit to cover our property taxes. The envelope was properly addressed and franked. It took months to sort this out. BTW, Canada Post was not, and did not strike; returning my letter was mean, plain mean.

  7. Richard says:

    People need clarification on how rural and suburban carriers get paid. They are paid on a per stop basis and are paid by a set amount of hours that Canada Post deems reasonable to complete the route. So if a route has 50 stops and it’s deemed 7 hours is enough to complete those stops, then they are paid for 7 hours whether it takes them 5 hours or 13 hours. Do you think Canada Post, who are trying to act like a private business, is going to design routes that can be done in a shorter amount of time? Of course not, almost every route will take longer than they judge which is why they don’t want to pay for all the hours worked. Getting paid $22 an hour working 12 hours would be $264, instead, you’re only getting paid for seven hours which is $154. Divide the 154 into the hours worked and it turns into a hourly rate of $12.83. It’s a ridiculously skewed system meant to benefit Canada post so they don’t have to pay for all the hours worked. Don’t judge the workers who are just trying to get paid for the hours they actually work.

  8. Anti Union says:

    Can’t say I would even notice if they went on strike. All I get via the post is a magazine once a month.

  9. Exhausted says:

    Many of us employees at canada post work like mules for $19 an hour and are forced to work 10 hours a day just to complete our route. Its hard its stressful and its slavery. We dont get time with our kids because we get home at 8pm or sometimes later and are to exhausted to do anything but shower, go to bed and start over the next day. I challenge anyone who criticizes employees at canada post to apply for a job. You wont last a week. I guarantee that. Have some sympathy for those trying to raise a family pay bills and carry a mortgage on a starting wage of $19. God help us.

  10. Postal service union says:

    You’re all idiots

  11. Terence O'Hanlon says:

    Canada Post turns a profit. By global standards it provides excellent service. Go to take a tour of a mail plant sometime. The technology and operations expertise is impressive. I keep reading the same ignorant comments, based on myth or people’s experience of the post office of 40 years ago. Why do complainers always want to drag everyone else down to a lousy working environment and poverty wage? They should be fighting to raise wages in other companies and organizations. Why let your boss push you around? Postal workers have the marbles to form a union and fight. Why don’t you do the same? What are you afraid of?

  12. Julie says:

    For those that want an alternative to Canada Post make sure to see if you can use Chit Chats!

    https://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswire/press_releases/2018/09/21/C3097

  13. Darlene says:

    I agree with the person who said to apply for a job at Canada post. The public has no idea what we go through to make a living. Urban workers have to pay all our own expenses and dont get 19.00 dollars an hour. Where lucking if we make minimum wage which we dont at the end of the day. How dare anyone says we should not fight for our rights. Canada post was once a good company to work for back in the day. It’s now just greed and if people dont know the true story of all areas of the post office; get educated before you shoot off your opinion. Its extremely frustrating to see what the public doesn’t know. It’s like the little dirty secret that the corporation doesn’t want you to know about. Come and do our job cause like one person said, you wouldn’t last.

  14. mike says:

    Here we go again I need my mail so please just let’s work it out thank you very much for understanding .

  15. Jackson says:

    CUPW is a shame union.
    Strike every year
    Can you show us some statistics to speak?
    1) Comparison of salary between CUPW and US Postal Service
    2) Comparison of average work hours per week between CUPW and USPS
    3) Comparison of average delivery volume between CUPW and USPS
    Your problem is that you should cut your manpower by half, and your keeping worker will double your workload. This kind of salary increase is reasonable.
    Can you show us with the data?
    4) Comparison of the salary of CUPW and the average Canadian worker.
    5) Comparison of the average work hours per week of CUPW and the average Canadian worker.
    Strikes without data are not convincing. CUPW is in the abduction our normal operation of country. Why are these politicians don’t dare to stand out and solve this problem for all citizen ?

  16. zipmeme.com says:

    Such a solution exists: CSIO eDelivery, which builds upon existing eDocs implementations to connect to Canada Post’s epost digital mailbox platform. Over 9 million Canadian consumers already have a free epost account to receive and consolidate bills, statements and other documents from financial institutions and other service providers. Furthermore, epost is operated separately from Canada Post’s traditional mail operations, and is unaffected by strikes or lockouts.

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