We are very sorry to hear about the passing of Brother Bob White. Bob was a passionate defender of the working class throughout his life. CUPW owes him a debt of gratitude for the role he played, as head of the Canadian Labour Congress, in helping our union win employee status and a collective agreement for over 6000 Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers. We shall forever be grateful for his assistance and support.
On February 2nd we were notified that Maureen Flynn has been appointed as our arbitrator under the Pay Equity Study Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Though the parties have not had a disagreement that requires Arbitrator Flynn’s intervention, we welcome her appointment. Her appointment will allow for any disagreements to be handled expeditiously.
Our Union mourns the tragic loss of the fathers, husbands and sons massacred while they prayed at the Islamic cultural centre in Quebec City. These acts of hate harm everyone. Now is a time for reflection, compassion and meaningful solidarity. Muslim Canadians are represented in every field of work. They are our families and our co-workers.
Dear Mr. Yangi, On behalf of the 50,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers I wish to extend our support, compassion and recognition of the tragic loss of members for the Muslim community and the citizens of Quebec City at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec.
Every February is a chance for us to reflect on the connections between Black history and our engagement with the living present. It’s not just a month to reflect, and to educate, but also a time to consider the history we are now making, and make sure we take pride in our work for a better future.
AMENDED: The National Constitution sets the basic dues rate for Urban Operations workers at 300% of the maximum hourly rate for the lowest classification within the bargaining unit. RSMC dues have been set at 1.71% of the wage portion received by each member. Some locals have bylaws for a local assessment over and above the basic dues.
Last year, the House of Commons voted to “recognize the contributions that Tamil-Canadians have made to Canadian society, the richness of the Tamil language and culture, and the importance of educating and reflecting upon Tamil heritage for future generations by declaring January, every year, Tamil Heritage Month.” The Tamil people are one of the oldest ethnic groups in the world and Tamil is the oldest written language in the world. Toronto is home to the largest Sri Lankan Tamil population outside Sri Lanka. Many Tamils migrated from Sri Lanka following the outbreak of a brutal civil war in the early 1980s, making Canada home to one of the largest Sri Lankan diasporas in the world.
Our National Executive Board has prepared this paper to facilitate a discussion with members – a discussion that will develop collective bargaining demands for the 2017-2018 negotiations. Currently the Urban Postal Operations unit (UPO) and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) are under two distinct Collective Agreements (CAs). CUPW will eventually unify these units. Some sections below will lead to demands that either affect one CA or the other (should we not to gain unity in this round), or else create classification-specific language in a unified CA.
Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, In a case of great urgency, I am appealing that you recommend to President Obama that he grant clemency and/or commutation of sentence to Leonard Peltier, a Native American indigenous prisoner who has served more than 40 years in maximum-security prisons, falsely extradited from Canada, and wrongly convicted in the United States. The late Hon. Warren Allmand, M.C., Q.C., in his distinguished career as a Liberal Member of Parliament, had spent four decades in examining all the facts and circumstances of Mr. Peltier’s extradition and his case of wrongful imprisonment.
In the winter, parts of the country may be affected by extensive periods of extremely cold weather. Take steps to protect yourself and encourage your co-workers to do the same.
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 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.
Canada Post deducted union dues on your December 31, 2024 pay, representing the dues from pay period # 27 (December 2024). Your January 16th pay will include dues owed for pay period # 1 (January 2025). These two pay periods represent dues at the 2023 rate of $90.61.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers becoming members of CUPW in 2004, CUPW published “Road to Equality”, a book about the courage, determination and solidarity of the Suburban Mail Carriers.
There has been an important development in our ongoing efforts to secure negotiated collective agreements for Urban and RSMC members. In addition to the work being done through the Inquiry Commission, a parallel three-day negotiation process will also be taking place on January 15, 16, and 17. William Kaplan, who was appointed by the Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon to carry out the Commission, will be taking on the role of Mediator.
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 beginning of 2025 is marked by a period of extreme cold across the country. After a hectic autumn at Canada Post, and after having their right to strike denied by Minister MacKinnon in mid-December, postal workers were greeted back to work by milder weather during the holiday period. Mother Nature may have a few pleasant surprises in store for us during the winter of 2025, but we need to be prepared for the cold temperatures ahead and take all the necessary steps to work safely.
A new year has begun, and with it, the Union faces new challenges and new opportunities. The first five months of 2025 are shaping up to be particularly important. Public hearings for Commissioner William Kaplan’s Industrial Inquiry Commission are scheduled to begin January 27 and 28. While the hearings will take place in Ottawa, proceedings will be livestreamed for wider viewing. Mr. Kaplan is due to publish his final report on May 15.
Hello all, hope you are well,
We spoke with National Labour Relations this morning about reported violations of the collective agreement and here is where we stand for now...
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.
This January, we are celebrating the Tamil Heritage Month in Canada. It is a special time to commemorate and value the significant contributions of Canadians of Tamil origin to our country. Tamil Canadians have positively impacted Canada's cultural, economic, social, and political landscape.