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.
OTTAWA– The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is urging Canada Post to align their actions with their words and negotiate new collective agreements for postal workers without any service disruptions.
CUPW is fighting for fair wages, safe working conditions, retiring with dignity, and providing new services at the public post office that support communities across the country.
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.
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.
OTTAWA– Postal workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action if there is no progress at the bargaining table with Canada Post. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has been bargaining new contracts for its two largest bargaining units – the Urban Operations unit and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) unit – for almost a year.
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.
On October 15, we received notice from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FCMS) that the Minister of Labour appointed two mediators to help us continue bargaining with Canada Post.
The two mediators appointed have already been working with us as “Conciliation Officers” since the start of the Conciliation process on August 13.
Bargaining with Canada Post has never been easy, and this latest round of negotiations is no different. CUPW came to the table with reasonable demands to improve the lives of postal workers and the public – today and in the future – and the Corporation has dragged its feet, only presenting a wage offer almost a year into bargaining
Many members and their dependants are on prescription drugs commonly known as maintenance drugs or long-term medications. These are drugs you may take on a regular basis to treat conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes.
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 Wednesday, January 15th, the first of three scheduled days of bargaining between CUPW and Canada Post took place with the intent of achieving negotiated collective agreements for both the Urban Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers units.
Canada Post deducted union dues on your December 31, 2024 pay, representing the dues from pay period # 27 (December 2024). Your January 16th pay will include dues owed for pay period # 1 (January 2025). These two pay periods represent dues at the 2023 rate of $90.61.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers becoming members of CUPW in 2004, CUPW published “Road to Equality”, a book about the courage, determination and solidarity of the Suburban Mail Carriers.
There has been an important development in our ongoing efforts to secure negotiated collective agreements for Urban and RSMC members. In addition to the work being done through the Inquiry Commission, a parallel three-day negotiation process will also be taking place on January 15, 16, and 17. William Kaplan, who was appointed by the Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon to carry out the Commission, will be taking on the role of Mediator.
In our recent bulletins, we have talked a lot about sections 107 and 108 of the Canada Labour Code. These were the sections of the Code that the Government invoked to end our strike and force us to return to work last December. Unlike the back-to-work legislation we have been subject to in the past, the section 107 order was not debated or voted on in Parliament. The Liberal government made this decision alone.
The beginning of 2025 is marked by a period of extreme cold across the country. After a hectic autumn at Canada Post, and after having their right to strike denied by Minister MacKinnon in mid-December, postal workers were greeted back to work by milder weather during the holiday period. Mother Nature may have a few pleasant surprises in store for us during the winter of 2025, but we need to be prepared for the cold temperatures ahead and take all the necessary steps to work safely.
A new year has begun, and with it, the Union faces new challenges and new opportunities. The first five months of 2025 are shaping up to be particularly important. Public hearings for Commissioner William Kaplan’s Industrial Inquiry Commission are scheduled to begin January 27 and 28. While the hearings will take place in Ottawa, proceedings will be livestreamed for wider viewing. Mr. Kaplan is due to publish his final report on May 15.
Hello all, hope you are well,
We spoke with National Labour Relations this morning about reported violations of the collective agreement and here is where we stand for now...
The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered postal workers to return to work December 17, 2024, in a clear violation of our Charter rights. We want to praise all postal workers across the country who made huge sacrifices, holding strong on picket lines for good jobs, fair wages, and a strong public post office.
This January, we are celebrating the Tamil Heritage Month in Canada. It is a special time to commemorate and value the significant contributions of Canadians of Tamil origin to our country. Tamil Canadians have positively impacted Canada's cultural, economic, social, and political landscape.