British Columbia provincial Election Day – October 24th – is approaching quickly. We encourage all union members to engage in this election and especially cast your ballots. The provincial government can profoundly affect the lives of workers.
Having a hard time finding child care? Having a hard time affording the high cost? You are not alone? The majority of Canadian parents (73%) cannot find or afford high quality child care. It’s time to change that.
This week, Parliament of Canada reconvenes for a new session. The new session will begin by our Governor General’s speech from the throne. The speech is pronounced by the Governor General but it represents the new agenda and priorities of the government. The speech is then submitted to a vote, and after debate, must be adopted by Parliament.
This letter was went to all federal political parties -- Dear, The Canadian Union of Postal Workers represents about 60,000 workers across every region of our country. The majority of our members work at Canada Post, but we also represent workers in the private sector; including couriers, cleaners and first responders. In short, our union represents the vital frontline workers that never stopped working during this COVID crisis.
The new Collective Agreements imposed by Arbitrator MacPherson address some of our concerns, but also leave some major issues unresolved. This award is a great example of how we cannot resolve our issues with compulsory arbitration. We need free collective bargaining and the right to strike. These rights have always been the power behind our major contractual gains.
Last week, the United Conservative Party government of Jason Kenney introduced Bill 32, the Restoring Balance in Alberta’s Workplaces Act. It’s a massive omnibus bill that amends six different labour and employment relations acts. Don’t be fooled by the title of the Bill, it is, without a doubt, an attack on workers and unions to the benefit of corporations and the rich.
In the wake of a number of murders committed by police in the United States and Canada, CUPW joins an ever-important number of voices that are calling to DEFUND THE POLICE. While attention about the senseless police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis featured widely in Canadian media, Black and Indigenous people in Canada were also killed at the hands of the police.
Minister Morneau, I am writing on behalf of over 50,000 postal workers, including Foodora couriers, whom we’ve filed an application to represent, and in support of the thousands of gig-economy delivery workers who have been deemed essential during the current COVID-19 pandemic. We call on the Federal Government to extend the Canada Emergency Response Benefit Act (CERB) to all workers who have seen a reduction or elimination or work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
Unfortunately, our scheduled meetings for Friday, August 15th and Monday, August 18th, have been postponed. The Federal mediators will not be able to assist CUPW and CPC due to their current involvement in the Air Canada negotiations.
This September, CUPW joins its Malayali brothers and sisters with joy and pride to observe Onam celebrations in Canada. Onam is one of the most significant regional festivals celebrated in Kerala, the southernmost state of India.
After pressing the Employer to come back to the bargaining table early last week, we received a response from Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger on Friday evening, just hours after we posted Bulletin 128, “CUPW is Waiting for Canada Post.” In his letter, Mr. Ettinger stuck to the lines we’ve heard from Canada Post for many months now.
A week ago, CUPW members spoke loudly and rejected what Canada Post called its “best and final” offers. The goal of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers remains negotiating ratifiable collective agreements which meet postal workers’ needs, help grow the current services provided by a public post office and to better serve Canadians with new services.
Last week, postal workers decisively rejected Canada Post’s “best and final offers” in the government-forced vote. With a turnout of over 80%, nearly 70% of our members told Canada Post, “No, these offers won’t do it!”
Every employer in the Federal and Provincial sector has been watching us. Rejecting these offers was a victory not only for our Union, but for the labour movement as a whole.
To all CUPW members,
Thank you for showing up, for standing together, and for participating in the government forced vote. Regardless of how you voted, your participation was an act of solidarity and strength. And for those who voted to reject the final offers, your decision sent a powerful message: “We know our worth, and we deserve better”.
After almost two weeks of voting, the results are now in: CUPW members in both bargaining units have spoken, and they have rejected Canada Post’s global offers.
We’ve now entered the second and final week of the government-imposed forced vote on Canada Post’s “final” offers. As of July 28, 69 % of Urban members and 71.4 % of RSMC members have already casted their vote. Voting continues until 5 pm EST on August 1.
On March 24, 2021, the House of Commons voted to designate August 1st as Emancipation Day to commemorate the slavery abolition act of 1833, which took effect in 1834 and paved the way for the liberation of over 800,000 enslaved Black people across the “British Empire”, including parts of the Caribbean, Africa, South America and Canada.
On July 23, Canada Post shared some information about its “final” offers and the vote that is currently underway with members. Information was shared via email as well as distributed in some workplaces.