Today, your National Executive Board issued what is known as a “72-hour strike notice” to Canada Post for both the RSMC and Urban bargaining units. This means that we will be legally allowed to strike as of Friday, November 15 if negotiated settlements have not been reached. Although we’ve given notice to Canada Post, the National Executive Board has not yet determined whether job action will take place immediately. It will depend on Canada Post’s actions at the bargaining table in the days to come.
On November 5, 2024, the Negotiators met with Canada Post to present the Union’s second global offer for Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC).
Unlike Canada Post’s proposals, our demands offer real solutions: fair wages, health and safety, the right to retire with dignity, and expansion of services at the public post office.
On November 5, 2024, the Negotiators met with Canada Post to present the Union’s second global offer for the Urban Postal Operations unit.
Unlike Canada Post’s proposals, our demands offer real solutions: fair wages, health and safety, the right to retire with dignity, and expansion of services at the public post office.
As you are likely aware, the Union could have been in a legal strike position as of 12:01 am, November 3, but we cannot take strike action until we have issued a 72-hour strike notice to both the Employer and the Minister of Labour.
As you've likely seen online or heard from the Employer, Canada Post presented two comprehensive offers to CUPW negotiators between 18:00h and 19:00h (EST) last night. Each offer came in a 3-inch binder and contained proposed language that Canada Post wants included in a new collective agreement. The negotiators were given only a brief overview of these offers.
CUPW is pleased to announce that for a limited time, additional life insurance coverage for both members and spouses can be obtained without completion of a medical questionnaire. No evidence of insurability required!
Above are the most frequently asked questions with respect to strike pay. Hopefully, the information in this bulletin will assist Locals in administering strike pay.
CUPW members from the Urban Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) units have overwhelmingly voted in favour of strike action, if needed, to achieve their bargaining goals.
Thirty-five years ago, a gunman walked into an engineering class at Montreal’s École Polytechnique, separated the women from the men, and proceeded to murder 14 young women. This act of violent misogyny shook the country and led the Government of Canada to designate December 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Support Postal Banking - Download and Sign the Petition
Canada needs a postal bank. Thousands of rural towns and villages in our country do not have a bank, but many of them have a post office that could provide financial services. As well, nearly two million Canadians desperately need an alternative to payday lenders. A postal bank could be that alternative. Download and sign the petition urging the Government of Canada to instruct Canada Post to add postal banking, with a mandate for financial inclusion.
On Thursday, CUPW rallied at Canada Post Headquarters in Ottawa. They were joined by allies in the labour and social justice movements. Standing in solidarity, they sent a strong message to the Crown Corporation:
We’re ready to continue negotiations, but we can’t bargain with ourselves. Where is Canada Post?
For almost two weeks, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has been on strike against Canada Post fighting for fair wages, safe working conditions, the right for all workers to retire with dignity, and the expansion of public postal services for all communities. But rather than make an effort to bargain good collective agreements that meet the needs of postal workers and the public, Canada Post has dug in its heels.
Canada Post’s latest information update of November 26 describing what is going on at the bargaining table is full of half-truths and outright deception.
First and foremost, CUPW left the meetings Tuesday since we cannot proceed without Canada Post’s negotiators. They had to go back to speak to the Executive Board of Canada Post for further direction.
Over the weekend, Canada Post informed the public and CUPW members, through the media, that CUPW Negotiators had spent Saturday at the bargaining table talking about cleaners working inside Canada Post facilities. This is an outright misrepresentation.
On November 22, Canada Post released its financial results for the 3rd quarter of 2024.
For the three months ending in September 2024, the Corporation reported a loss from operations of $313 million. Overall revenue was down $15 million compared to the same time last year, as growing revenue from Neighbourhood Mail and Transaction Mail were not enough to offset lower parcel volumes.
In several regions across the country, Canada Post has been calling CUPW members to lay them off. While some are saying it is temporary, we’ve heard stories that it may be more permanent. These types of phone calls are merely a scare tactic by Management. We urge members not to panic if you receive such a call. Instead, take note of what the management representative says and then request a record of employment and estimated date of return in order to allow you to apply for EI benefits.
On day 6 of our nationwide strike, we continued talks with the Employer with the help of the government-appointed mediators.
Discussions focused on the same issues as the day before.
In a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday night, Jean-Yves Duclos, the Minister responsible for Canada Post, who heads up the Department of Public Service and Procurement Canada, discussed our ongoing strike and the future of Canada Post with the CBC’s Power and Politics show host, Catherine Cullen. The Minister told Ms. Cullen that the service first mandate “will not change” and that includes “serving every Canadian where they live including northern and remote areas.” He also said that parcel delivery was increasing “at a very high speed” which is “good news” for Canada Post.