CUPW and CPC Exchange Bargaining Demands

On Wednesday, January 27, 2016, CUPW and CPC presented their respective program of demands.

Union Presentation: Positive Solutions to Real Problems

We presented the Union’s unified program of demands that was ratified by 81.6% by the RSMC members and 93.8% of the urban members.

In our presentation, we emphasized the absolute necessity to improve conditions while maintaining defined benefits, pensions and job security for all regular employees. We also stressed the Union’s determination to finish negotiations with one collective agreement that would include both urban and rural workers. We told the employer that the days of RSMCs being treated as second class workers are over and that it is time for full equality.

We also identified the importance of correcting staffing for Group 1 workers. Currently, CPC is violating the collective agreement by deleting full-time positions and refusing to fill vacancies while maximizing the use of part-time and temporary hours. We told CPC it is time to create full-time positions.  We described the Union’s position that the future of Canada Post must focus on growth, not cutbacks. The Corporation should follow the example of other countries and introduce postal banking which would provide much needed services to the public while creating an additional source of revenue. 

Employer Presentations: Rollbacks Cutbacks and Fear

The Employer made two presentations, one to explain its RSMC proposals, which are mainly rollbacks, and one for its Urban Operations proposals which include rollbacks for almost every area of the collective agreement.

For both units, the employer is proposing major rollbacks in:

• staffing provisions;
• seniority rights;
• benefits;
• working conditions;
• pay for time not worked.

Concerning pensions CPC has signaled that they want major changes but they have yet to identify what they want. In fact, for most issues CPC’s presentation only provided vague statements without identifying their precise proposals, such as:   

• the terms and conditions applicable to Groups 3 and 4, CPC says it wants to “modernize these rules by aligning them to the new realities”;
• reducing the Appendix “P” ratio for full-time employees in Group 1;
• to “review the basics such as job descriptions, staffing rules and hours of work”;
• for Group 2 and RSMC workers CPC refers to the benefits of “flexible routing” without explaining the concept;
• maintaining the compensation model for RSMCs (Appendix A) while adjusting the activity values;
• maintaining the current RSMC system for delivering unaddressed admail including number of days for delivery and dimensions.

The overall approach of Canada Post is very similar to that taken by the Corporation in the 2011 and 2012 negotiations. They constantly portray the situation as bordering on a financial crisis. No mention is made of the massive profits achieved in 2014 even though CPC predicted a net loss of almost $200 million. No mention is made of the tremendous efforts made by Canada Post workers whose work has resulted in the profits that finance the large bonuses received by top management.

Keep Informed

In the coming weeks we will learn much more about the precise nature of CPC’s proposals and will inform you as details become available.

Go to cupw.ca/CUPW-eDigest and sign up for CUPW eDigest today and you will receive negotiations information directly to your email inbox.

In Solidarity,