As a labour dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) drags on, postal workers are in a legal strike position as of Nov. 3.
On Oct. 28, CUPW said its members had overwhelmingly voted in support of striking if a deal can’t be reached. Bargaining for new contracts for the union’s two largest bargaining units – the Urban Operations unit and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) unit – has been ongoing for almost a year, CUPW said in a statement.
National strike votes were held Sept. 9 and Oct. 20, with urban members voting 95.8 per cent in favour and rural members voting 95.5 per cent in favour.
With a cooling-off period in the contract talks ending this Saturday, workers are in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 3, if 72 hours notice is given.
“We recognize the challenges our employer is facing, and our goal is not to simply make demands, but to work together toward solutions that support the long-term success of our public post office while addressing the real struggles our members face daily," said Jan Simpson, CUPW national president, in the statement.
This week, Canada Post presented a new offer to CUPW, which includes annual wage increases of 11.5 per cent over four years, protecting defined-benefit pensions for current employees, job security and health benefits.
CUPW called the round of bargaining “challenging and intricate”, and said “new challenges” like a surge in parcel volumes has heavily impacted postal workers. There are unresolved issues from previous bargaining rounds, the union said.
Charlene Bradley, president of CUPW Local 612 in Sudbury, said the outstanding issues involve health and safety, fair wages and protecting pension benefits for new hires.
The issues with health and safety are numerous and varied, Bradley said. For urban members, a major issue involves changes to sorting and hours of work, which Bradley said means some carriers are out delivering after dark, which presents safety issues.
For rural members, a big issue is the fact carriers are still using their own vehicles, which means they not only incur increased costs, but the use of left-hand drive vehicles creates challenges and potential for injuries.
When it comes to pensions, Bradley said the union is looking to ensure the pension plan for new hires will provide them the income they need following retirement.
She said the way Canada Post has restructured routes and introduced an automatic mail sequencing system that doesn’t work particularly well is impacting wages. Bradley said she lost $12,000 in wages last year as a result of these changes.
The bottom line though, Bradley said, is that the union wants to negotiate.
“We don’t want to walk out, but we’re not going to settle for these cutbacks,” she said.
Members of CUPW Local 612 will be rallying on Paris Street in the area of Bell Park on Nov. 3 between 1-3 p.m.
