Volume 41, Number 1, March 2013 - CUPW members in both the urban and rural bargaining units have ratified their respective collective agreements. Both agreements were achieved only after lengthy negotiations. In the case of the urban unit, the settlement was negotiated as part of the final offer selection process established pursuant to the back-to-work legislation imposed by the Harper government. The rural agreement was reached as part of a negotiated settlement without government intervention, but the possibility of back-to-work legislation was a factor in the union’s decision to recommend acceptance.
Message from the negotiating committee - The National Executive Board (NEB) has decided to put the tentative collective agreement to a vote of the membership. If the membership supports the NEB recommendation, the changes will be incorporated into the collective agreement, which will remain in force until December 31, 2015 or until the parties obtain the right to lockout or strike. If the membership does not ratify the tentative agreement, the NEB will decide our course of action. After many frustrating months we have reached the point where we believe it is appropriate to put the decision into the hands of the membership. We are supporting this agreement not only because it contains some significant improvements, but also because we are aware of the level of uncertainty that exists in collective bargaining in the federal sector. Considering the experience of other unions in the rail and airline sectors, and also the experience of the CUPW urban operations unit, we believe there is no guarantee of success if we pursue the conciliation/strike route at this time. The anti-labour bias of the Harper government has only served to reinforce the hardline that has been taken by Canada Post management during the entire length of negotiations.
Message From the National Executive Board - Brothers and Sisters - The National Executive Board (NEB) is asking you to decide on the tentative agreement because we believe that such an important decision must be placed in the hands of all of the members who will have to live with its consequences. The choices are very difficult because of the terms of the back-to-work legislation passed by the Harper government and the extreme position that was adopted by Canada Post management during the arbitration process, before it was temporarily stopped by the court. The back-to-work legislation imposed a Final Offer Selection process in which the government-appointed arbitrator must operate under a mandate heavily biased in favour of the employer. The situation is further worsened by the position taken by CPC management that they consider there to be dozens of issues in dispute, all of which could be included in their final offer should the arbitration proceed. Despite the justice of our position and the experience and expertise of our negotiating committee, we are in a very difficult position.
We’ll Never Stop Fighting for Social Justice - Last fall, the “Occupy” movement struck like a bolt out of a clear blue sky. After years of bail-outs for big corporations and austerity for everyone else, the discontent simmering under the surface in the United States boiled over. From the most unlikely of sources, Adbusters, an alternative magazine from Canada, came a call for 20,000 people to flood Wall St and stay there until major changes were made. Underlining the disparity between the haves and the havenots, the slogan was simple, yet powerful: “We are the 99%”
The 2012 negotiations represent a historic opportunity to negotiate real parity between RSMCs and urban postal workers. For decades RSMCs have performed work which requires equivalent skill, effort and responsibility. Now, the time has come to obtain equal pay and the same benefits and working conditions as other postal workers. Now it’s time for fairness, respect and progress.
VOTE YES!! After five months of difficult and frustrating negotiations we need to send Canada Post management a strong message. “Drop your demands for concessions and address the Union’s proposals for equality, respect and a share of the benefits of automation. And do it now!”
Negotiations continue between CUPW and CPC for 48,000 members in urban operations. These negotiations reflect the deep division which exists between the parties. While both parties agree that Canada Post faces future challenges because of the erosion of mail volumes, there are vast differences in the solutions being proposed by management and the union.
The Union continues to move forward with our ambitious plan to unite all postal sector workers into one strong postal union, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
1880-81 - A Royal Commission recommends hiring women in the civil service because they will be satisfied with lower wages. By 1884, the post office in Ottawa has 22 women third class clerks, more than any other government department. 1906 - Another Royal Commission notes that virtually all of the 3...
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.
The Union has now heard back from Canada Post through the federal mediators. The Employer has proposed to return to the bargaining table Wednesday (May 28) to provide the Union with a response to our latest proposals.
Union negotiators and the National Executive Board spent the last few days, and nights, reviewing the Employer’s last offers and preparing responses to issues in the offers and issues important to the Union that the Employer failed to acknowledge.
Today, May 23, is the first day of a nationwide overtime ban. As of 12:01 a.m. today, members were called on to refuse to work more than eight hours a day and more than 40 hours a week. This is a legal strike action and all CUPW members must follow this direction.
The National Executive Board has called for a nationwide overtime ban effective May 23 at 12:00 am local time. That means members are being called on to refuse to work any more than eight hours in a day and refuse to work more than forty hours in a week.
Today, May 21, our negotiation committees received global offers from Canada Post for both the Urban Postal Operation (UPO) and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) bargaining units. The Negotiators are currently reviewing and analyzing the offers’ contents. We will provide a more in-depth analysis shortly, but here are some of the main elements of the offers below...
After walking away from the table for the third time, Canada Post will finally table their global offers today. Our negotiating committee is currently on the way to receive the proposals.
This year, CUPW is proud to celebrate the Pride season under the theme "Workers United Against Hate" proposed by the Canadian Labour Congress. As we face a shocking rise in anti-LGBTQ hate in Canada and around the world, this theme is more important than ever.
On Monday, May 19, CUPW issued a 72-hour strike notice to Canada Post. This action was not taken lightly, but it was done for several reasons.
The collective agreements for the Urban Postal Operations and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers bargaining units, which were extended by the Government in December 2024, are set to expire Friday, May 23 at midnight.
Commissioner Kaplan’s report of the Industrial Inquiry Commission skews heavily in favour of Canada Post’s positions and recommendations. We fundamentally disagree with the bulk of its recommendations and challenge some of the information on which it was based. We have also objected to the entire process, but we felt that we had to participate in order to give voice to postal workers. The report also outlines three possible steps forward after May 22. It is important to note that this is not a done deal. It is up to Minister Patty Hajdu to decide what to do with the report – if anything at all.
May 18 is Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. Every year, on this day, we remember the Tamil people who have died since 1948 because of the genocide committed against the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state, including the massacre in Mullivaikkal, Sri Lanka, in May 2009.