A message from former CUPW National President Jean-Claude Parrot: Go Vote!

We have received this message from Brother Jean-Claude Parrot, legendary leader of CUPW.  Brother Parrot makes it clear that this election is one of the most important in our history.  Our rights are under attack, and the Harper government is threatening to launch a major assault on our pension plan.  For postal workers, the stakes could not be higher.  For this reason, I am passing on his message to our membership, and asking postal workers to do everything they can to stop the Tories on October 19th.

THE ATTACKS ON OUR PENSION PLAN: IT’S NOT ABOUT THE SOLVENCY DEFICIT, IT’S ALL ABOUT PRIVATIZATION!

The actual plan for retirees and active members alike does guarantee our pension and benefits. It’s called a Defined Benefit Plan.

The government and the Corporation would like to change our Defined Benefit Plan into a Target Benefit Plan. This type of plan ties pension benefits to market fluctuations, something that you and I have no control over. These plans also shift all responsibility for pension deficits onto the backs of workers and retirees.

Which plan do you think a private company would love to have? Obviously not the ones that guarantee the benefits you are entitled to, but the ones that will relieve them of all obligations for pension deficits and allow them to reduce benefits.

THE DECISION IS OURS

Are we going to allow the next government after October 19 to change our plan to make it easier to privatize the Post Office? This is why we are in a real campaign to save Canada Post and to defeat the Harper Government in this election.

We are asking all CUPW members and retirees to participate in all the efforts to defeat the Harper government.

WE WANT TO SAVE OUR POST OFFICE

We must restore and maintain home delivery; keep post offices opened and provide banking services; protect our rights to collective bargaining; stop the elimination of good jobs and protect our rights to a decent pension.

We don’t need another privatization of public services that serves only the big lobbyers, which Harper was representing when he was their spokesperson on the National Citizen Coalition whose board of directors was made up of representatives from multinationals.

Don’t leave it to others to tell you which government we should have. Be part of that decision. Let’s vote and encourage our friends and family to vote on October 19 to defeat the Harper Government.

In Solidarity,