Campaigns for our future (Perspective - May 2013)

Our union must be an active and strong force in shaping the direction of the postal service and the political context in which we work. This publication contains an overview of the work we need to do on important issues like the attack on the Rand formula, Postal Transformation, the Canadian Postal Service Charter, service expansion and reduction at Canada Post and the federal election. These inter-related issues affect our jobs, our communities and the public postal service. We need to work toward a future where our rights are respected, workers are treated with dignity and respect, and public services are valued and strengthened. We encourage every member to get involved in these campaigns.

The struggle of our time

Our right to strike has been attacked. Free collective bargaining has been disrupted. The Harper Conservatives Bill C-377 is a legislative step in the political campaign against union financial security. The aim of these measures is to weaken unions, to silence government critics, and to push down the standard of living for workers.

The next attack will likely be on the Rand formula. The Rand formula is the provision that requires all employees covered by a collective agreement to pay union dues, even if they are not members of the union. The Rand formula helps ensure that things are fair. Union membership is not mandatory, but everyone must contribute to the collective benefit of the whole.

Union financial security is necessary so that unions can provide a balance to the power and capital of corporations. Many non-union workers have also benefited from major gains achieved by unions including weekends, health and safety, hours of work, good wages, pensions, benefits, job security, parental leave, and more...