Negotiations Update Bulletins

As per our previous bulletin, CUPW members continue to raise serious concerns about the email sign-up process being conducted by Canada Post on behalf of the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). According to the CIRB, this is being done: “To ensure receipt of your PIN necessary to vote, by email, the Board is requesting that everyone update their email address... The deadline to update your email address is Monday, July 7, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (ET).” The Union has asked for an extension, but we do not yet know if one will be granted. We are concerned that Canada Post is focused on speed rather than ensuring members get access to vote.

Yesterday July 2, hearings for our unfair labour practice complaint against Canada Post started at the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). Hearings continued today, July 3. Our complaint is under sections 94 (1) and 97 (1) of the Canada Labour Code. Yesterday, we brought evidence to the CIRB to show that Canada Post has chosen to bargain directly with members and undermine the Union’s exclusive bargaining rights, all while trying to discredit the Union’s reputation.

As you are aware, on June 12th, 2025, the Minister of Jobs and Families ordered the conduct of a vote on Canada Post’s final offers from May 28th, 2025 for the Urban and RSMC bargaining units and has directed that the CIRB be in charge of conducting said votes.

Canada Post says its wage offer provides for a pay increase of 6% in the first year followed by increases of 3%, 2% and 2% in subsequent years. CUPW says CPC’s offer for the first year does not come close to being a pay increase of 6%. Who is telling the truth?

In its efforts to convince postal workers to accept its so called “best and final offer”, Canada Post claims to have dropped many of its original proposals for rollbacks. It says it no longer has plans to put all new employees on defined contribution pensions. It says its proposals will not end route ownership for letter carriers and RSMCs. It says it is not attacking job security. It even says it is no longer demanding higher premiums for retiree benefits. What it does not say is that it has plans to bring every one of these rollbacks back to the negotiating table.

Union membership entitles you to: Attend and vote at General and Special meetings of the Union; Vote on referenda; Represent the Union or your Local as a delegate or hold Office; Exercise any other rights afforded under the Constitution and by-laws of your Local; Request a dues waiver; Receive strike pay during a work disruption; FREE life insurance for you and your family under the Union’s insurance plan. COMPLETE YOUR CUPW APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP TODAY AND SUBMIT TO YOUR LOCAL OR SHOP STEWARD!

Today, June 12, the Minister of Jobs and Families, Patty Hajdu, has chosen to accept Canada Post’s request to force a vote on the Employer’s May 28 offers for both CUPW bargaining units. The Minister’s decision is yet another assault on our collective bargaining rights, just the latest we have faced in a matter of just months. In December, former Minister of Labour, Steven MacKinnon used section 107 to put our legal strike on “pause,” and section 108 to strike an Industrial Inquiry Commission (IIC).

Today, the negotiating committees continued to work on drafting the Terms of Reference for a binding interest arbitration process to settle new collective agreements for both postal bargaining units.

Wednesday, June 4, Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, called on both the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post to return to the bargaining table. Today June 5, we have started that process, meetings are now underway. The Minister has requested both parties to focus on two key priorities: working with federal mediators to negotiate terms for an arbitration process, and continuing efforts to reach settlements for new collective agreements.

Fact Sheet Available Online - Now that the extension of our collective agreements has expired, we have started a nationwide overtime ban, and Canada Post has pushed for a forced vote on its “best and final offers,” it is important to remind ourselves of some of the major issues at stake right now.

Today, May 30, CUPW met with Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, and John Zerucelli, Secretary of State for Labour. It was our second meeting with them since they were appointed to their positions after the federal election. At the meeting, we shared our thoughts and concerns about negotiations and the recent global offers from Canada Post. We were assured that the Minister would continue to play an intermediary role in the bargaining process but will not intervene at this time.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Canada Post put out a message today to all CUPW members in the Urban Postal Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers units about benefits coverage and working conditions upon the expiry of the collective agreements on May 22.

The Union has been actively pursuing confirmation from Canada Post that it will respect the post-retirement benefits entitlements of retiring members. The Union was looking to confirm that members who retire will be eligible for post-retirement benefits in the event that the retirement would occur during a labour disruption.

As reported in Negotiations Bulletin #75, CUPW and Canada Post returned to the bargaining table on Wednesday and Thursday this week in Ottawa. The meetings were facilitated by two Mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) who are very familiar with our file.

The past several months have been very busy for the Union. And in the month ahead, there is still more to come: a federal election, the Industrial Inquiry Commission (IIC) report, Canada Post’s 2024 annual report, and the end of the extension of our collective agreements. We know members have lots of questions about what is going to happen, especially after the extensions of our collective agreements.

On March 3rd and 4th, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) continued with its constitutional challenge before the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).

This weekend, March 1 and 2, CUPW and Canada Post negotiators will reconvene in Ottawa to resume bargaining and trying to secure new collective agreements for Urban and RSMC units. Your National Executive Board and Negotiating Committees remain steadfast in their commitment to reaching fair collective agreements.

Today, February 20, the Industrial Inquiry Commission resumed for a fourth day of hearings with both CUPW and Canada Post presenting their rebuttals. The Parties were asked to provide detailed costed proposals for this month’s hearings. While CUPW presented well-thought out and researched proposals, the Corporation repeated the same old talking points without submitting documentation or costing to prove that its proposals could return Canada Post to financial sustainability. The Corporation instead proposed new language.

On February 19 and 20, the second round of hearings of the Industrial Inquiry Commission will be held in Ottawa. The format for these hearings will be similar to the first. Commissioner Kaplan has asked both CUPW and Canada Post to provide him with written submissions before the hearings begin.

For two days this week, the Negotiating Committees worked to resolve our bargaining dispute with Canada Post and achieve new collective agreements.

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.

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 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.

Following the minister of Labour’s order on December 13, 2024, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) rendered its decision late last night. The minister ordered the CIRB to “Assess the likelihood of the parties reaching negotiated agreements by December 31, 2024, in the current circumstances.” If the CIRB was to determine that agreements were unlikely, it was to “order the Canada Post Corporation and all employees represented by the CUPW RSMC and CUPW UPO to resume and continue their operation and duties until May 22, 2025.”

Today, CUPW successfully challenged the temporary layoff notices that Canada Post improperly issued to approximately 328 striking CUPW members in November 2024.

This afternoon, December 9, the Urban and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers Negotiations Committees met directly with Canada Post to present revised proposals in response to the Corporation’s latest proposals.

Today, the National Executive Board finalized the Union’s latest counter proposals for the Urban, RSMC and combined demands. CUPW Negotiators quickly forwarded the new proposals to the Special Mediator. The Union has been ready to return to the mediation process since it was suspended by the Government’s Special Mediator. As such, our counter proposals contain movement on both our demands and Employer demands to help bring the parties closer to an agreement.

Today, CUPW Negotiators carefully reviewed the Corporation’s December 1st “comprehensive framework” documents which contain Canada Post’s latest adjustments to their demands.

On November 29th, 2024, CUPW has filed an Unfair Labour Practice complaint with the CIRB against lay offs imposed by CPC on workers who are exercising their legal right to strike. We feel this unprecedented move on the part of CPC is a clear intimidation tactic in violation of the Canada Labour Code. It is an attack on your fundamental right to strike that is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

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?

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.

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.

Yesterday, the Negotiators continued bargaining with the help of the government’s mediators. The parties discussed several issues.

Today, November 15, Canada Post informed the Union that as of 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the collective agreements for both the Urban Operations and Rural Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) bargaining units no longer apply. Today is the day you find out what Canada Post would do if there was no Union or collective agreement to protect you.

With the Union issuing a 72-hour strike notice and the Employer issuing a 72-hour lockout notice, members should be aware that Canada Post has stated that as of November 15 at 8 a.m. ET, the collective agreements will no longer apply, and the Corporation will change working conditions. Nonetheless, all postal workers have basic rights under various federal legislation...

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Today, the RSMC Negotiating Committee met with Canada Post to respond to the Corporation’s September 25 global offer. Since the start of Negotiations, the Employer has told us that it does not want to change the company on the backs of its employees. But after reviewing the Corporation’s offer, we are not satisfied the Employer has lived up to its word.

On September 25, the Negotiators met with Canada Post to receive global offers for both the Urban and RSMC Units. Canada Post has published a mailer outlining what it considers the “highlights” of its offers. As your Lead Negotiators, we will take the liberty to offer some perspective on these “highlights.”

Today, September 25, the Negotiators are meeting with the Employer to receive global offers for both the Urban and RSMC bargaining units. Details to follow...

Continuing from our last bulletin, we can lay out two of our issues that need to be dealt with as we develop a new hourly rate system.

As part of the 2021 contract renewal, CUPW and CPC agreed to transition RSMCs to an hourly rate of pay system dependent on a new way to assess workload and work content. Any issues outstanding were to be dealt with during this round of negotiations.

On Tuesday August 13, the Union received notification from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) that two Conciliation Officers have been appointed to work with both bargaining units. One of the conciliators is the FMCS Senior Director.

Since bargaining began in November 2023, the Negotiators have met with the Employer more than 100 times. Since then, we have had many open and lengthy discussions on several issues. It must be said: There has been little progress on our major demands.

As bargaining continues, and Canada Post steps up its attack on our rights, CUPW negotiators are doing everything in their power to stand up and fight back! Canada Post needs to know that we will not accept rollbacks and our negotiators need to know that they have the full support of the membership. To show our support, we invite members to purchase a t-shirt.

Since releasing its 2023 annual report, Canada Post Corporation and the Minister of Procurement and Public Services, have publicly indicated that they're contemplating service cuts including delivering mail less than five days per week.

Canada Post has presented two more major rollbacks at the bargaining table that would widen the gap of newer workers’ second-tier status, the rollbacks apply to both RSMC and Urban Units.

At the bargaining table, Canada Post has proposed major changes to our benefits package. The Corporation wants to convert our traditional group benefits plan into a “flexible benefits plan” with a Heath Spending Account (HSA).

In their initial presentations, Canada Post has proposed major changes to Group 2 staffing rules, overtime, and work patterns. According to the Corporation’s presentations, one goal of these changes is to introduce “Dynamic Routing.” Dynamic Routing uses software to adjust delivery routes depending on mail volumes, distances, and workloads.

As we approach the expiry date of the Urban and RSMC collective agreements, we would like to clarify any questions members may have about the application of their rights.

Since mid-November, the Urban and RSMC Negotiating Committees have met several times with Canada Post to exchange bargaining proposals. On the Union side, so far, we have presented a number of demands from our Program...

Today, CUPW officially served notice to bargain to the Canada Post Corporation for both the Urban Operations and RSMC units.

In the coming weeks, members are being asked to make some big decisions about the future of our Union. Not only are we voting on our program of demands for our next round of bargaining, but we are also holding a referendum on a topic we’ve debated for a long time: the merger of our two biggest bargaining units into one.

For the 2023 – 2024 round of negotiations, the National Executive Board has appointed the Rural and Suburban Mail Carrier (RSMC) Negotiation Committee. Four members will be joining Lead Negotiator, Brother François Senneville.

The National Executive Board has selected François Senneville as Lead Negotiator of the RSMC Negotiating Committee. It’s time to call for applications from members who are interested in serving on the Negotiating Committees for our two biggest bargaining units – Urban Postal Operations (UPO) and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC).