In December, Arbitrator Flynn ruled on CUPW's application over whether Personal Contact Items (PCI) that RSMCs deliver on the weekend season are pensionable and included in the pay equity agreement. Arbitrator Flynn ruled on our historic pay equity win for RSMCs, and she retains jurisdiction on some matters of application and implementation of the award.
This is a follow-up from our bulletin dated November 25 announcing that our Cease and Desist application against Canada Post’s mandatory vaccination practice was denied. As per the jurisprudence, in order for a Cease and Desist to be granted, the Union must meet all of the five (5) criteria specified in clause 9.93 of the Urban collective agreement.
Arbitrator Burkett did not grant the cease and desist order against Canada Post’s vaccination practice. Due to the short timeline in the implementation of the practice, the arbitrator advised the parties of his decision, and will send his reasoning and the full decision at a later date.
CUPW has filed a cease and desist application against Canada Post’s vaccination practice which will be heard by Arbitrator Burkett on November 24, 2021. We have also filed national grievances against the practice. CUPW supports voluntary COVID-19 vaccination, and is proud that many of our members have been vaccinated. However, CUPW is concerned that the mandatory vaccination practice goes farther than required.
The Service Expansion and Innovation and Change (Appendix “T”) Committee is calling on locals to volunteer for the next stage of the paperless grievance pilot project, scheduled to run from January-December 2022.
We are still meeting virtually with CPC on the issue of pay increments and the corrections. Canada Post has started paying out members who were underpaid and expect everyone to be fully compensated by the end of 2020.
Following many discussions with Canada Post representatives and after reviewing the arbitration decision, in great detail, some clarifications to the June 18, 2020 Bulletin (#152) are required. Arbitrator MacPherson’s award only covers hours worked in excess of 40 hours a week. It also includes a trigger to have access to overtime payment.
Following the publication of the arbitration award of Arbitrator MacPherson, Canada Post management formally requested that she correct her award with respect to the monetary increases for the variable allowance (householder delivery) and the knowledge sort and civic address allowance.
Fairly early on in this process, the parties were able to negotiate and sign language giving the Union access to the information that Canada Post uses to restructure letter carrier and RSMC routes. To many of you this may not appear to be related to overburdening, but it is one of the keys that will allow us to fully investigate how the data is used to restructure our routes.
The Arbitrator’s decision contained some improvements to address the issue of overtime on letter carrier routes. She did not accept all of our proposals to allow letter carriers more options to reduce the overtime on their routes.
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 May 28, Canada Post released its annual report for 2024. The Corporation posted a loss before tax of $841 million, continuing a pattern of financial losses since 2018. Canada Post puts the blame for the scale of its losses to several factors
Today, May 28, Canada Post presented what it calls its “best and final” offers for both the RSMC and Urban bargaining units.
While Canada Post insists that its offers reflect the Union’s demands from our May 25 proposal, there are almost no changes from what the Employer put forward on May 21. There's no question: Canada Post is not negotiating. Canada Post is playing hardball.
Application deadline: June 30, 2025 - On the fifth anniversary of the passing of Sister Megan Whitfield, CUPW is honoured to offer the Megan Whitfield bursary, two financial awards to encourage aspiring trade union activists to continue the important work Sister Whitfield started before her life was cut short.
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.
Union negotiators and the National Executive Board spent the last few days, and nights, reviewing the Employer’s last offers and preparing responses to issues in the offers and issues important to the Union that the Employer failed to acknowledge.
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.
The National Executive Board has called for a nationwide overtime ban effective May 23 at 12:00 am local time. That means members are being called on to refuse to work any more than eight hours in a day and refuse to work more than forty hours in a week.
Today, May 21, our negotiation committees received global offers from Canada Post for both the Urban Postal Operation (UPO) and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) bargaining units. The Negotiators are currently reviewing and analyzing the offers’ contents. We will provide a more in-depth analysis shortly, but here are some of the main elements of the offers below...
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.
This year, CUPW is proud to celebrate the Pride season under the theme "Workers United Against Hate" proposed by the Canadian Labour Congress. As we face a shocking rise in anti-LGBTQ hate in Canada and around the world, this theme is more important than ever.