Talks are continuing and some progress is being made. Now is the time to send a strong message to Canada Post that we are still ready to negotiate seriously, to get new collective agreements.
For Immediate Release - OTTAWA - While pay equity and pensions have grabbed headlines during the current round of bargaining with Canada Post, postal workers say there are other matters on the table, including bringing back postal banking, an idea which has just been rejected by the big bank lobby.
We remain committed to the negotiating process and continue to meet with Canada Post and the mediators. We are attempting to move talks forward by discussing issues with little or no monetary impact, but progress is very slow.
Negotiations are continuing in an effort to achieve new collective agreements for both the RSMC and Urban bargaining units. The parties are working long hours to achieve this goal. We remain committed to negotiating fair collective agreements, as we have since the beginning of this process. We're encouraged that Canada Post now shares that perspective. We have no plans to issue a 72-hour notice.
The Union continues to be opposed to interest arbitration. As mentioned in previous bulletins, the Union fought against the unfair and unconstitutional legislation that took away our right to free negotiations in 2011 and we won. Why would we give up that right?
On July 7, 2016 Canada Post served the Union with a second 72- hour notice of lockout. This notice takes effect as of 12:01 am on Monday, July 11, 2016. CPC claims that they want to negotiate but they refuse to move on our key issues. Will CPC continue to issue 72-hour notices? In locations across the country, CPC has begun the process of reducing Group 1 part-time schedules to the bare minimum hours and swipe or access cards are being deactivated. What will happen on Monday? Only time will tell.
For Immediate Release - OTTAWA – Postal workers are proposing a 30-day cooling off period to Canada Post management to address concerns about “uncertainty” in the mail system and give negotiations a chance to succeed. “Our members, their families and all Canadians do not deserve to have this threat of a lockout ‘looming’ over our heads from a profitable public service. Postal workers want to work and people need to know that it’s safe to use the mail system,” said Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
For Immediate Release - OTTAWA - Postal workers currently living under the shadow of a threatened lockout are relieved that the value of their 30-day truce proposal to keep talks going and the mail moving was acknowledged by Canada Post management. But giving up their right to freely negotiate is a poison pill that shouldn’t be part of the deal, they say.
CPC has effectively refused CUPW’s offer for a 30-day cooling off period to address concerns about “uncertainty” in the mail system and give negotiations a chance to succeed. Instead management is proposing a process of compulsory arbitration to commence 30 days from now. If CPC knows there is a process of arbitration after 30 days they will simply continue to issue ultimatums and use the time to prepare their arbitration presentations. That is a prospect that the Union will not accept.
For Immediate Release - OTTAWA- Postal workers have politely declined a suggestion from federal Minister of Labour
MaryAnn Mihychuk to bring negotiations with Canada Post management to binding arbitration, saying it’s a matter of principle. “We appreciate the offer to help, but paying women equally for work of equal value is the law of the land; it’s not something that can be awarded or withheld by an arbitrator,” said Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
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.
It is with deep sadness I must convey news of the passing of Darrell Tingley, former CUPW President and lifelong union activist.
From a very early age Brother Tingley committed his life to further the struggle of postal workers and the Canadian and international working class.
The past several months have been very busy for the Union. And in the month ahead, there is still more to come: a federal election, the Industrial Inquiry Commission (IIC) report, Canada Post’s 2024 annual report, and the end of the extension of our collective agreements. We know members have lots of questions about what is going to happen, especially after the extensions of our collective agreements.
The CUPW child care fund has been working with communities across Canada to create affordable, high quality non profit and public child care for nearly 30 years. From the beginning, the push for universal child care has been interwoven in the development of child care projects and the funding of research that informs and shapes policy.
April 28 is the National Day of Mourning. A day to honour and remember those who have lost their lives, suffered injuries, or become ill because of their work. On this day, we reflect and reaffirm our commitment to fight for workplace health and safety.
Founded in 2011 by Paul and Raven Lacerte, the Moose Hide Campaign began as a grassroots initiative along British Columbia’s Highway of Tears—a region marked by the tragic disappearance and murder of many Indigenous women and girls. The campaign encourages men and boys, alongside all Canadians, to commit to ending gender-based violence.
The April 28 election is happening as we are engaged in a fight for the future of our post office and our jobs. Canada Post is pushing for drastic changes which could lead to job cuts and negatively impact our communities. Canada Post’s sole shareholder is the Government. Who is in government matters. We represent a big voting bloc which could have an impact on election results – particularly in tight races. We can make the future of our public post office an election issue.
Now that hearings for the Industrial Inquiry Commission are complete, we'd like to remind members of some important dates in the weeks ahead. Commissioner Kaplan’s final report to the Minister of Labour is due May 15. His report will give the Minister recommendations about how to resolve the issues in dispute in bargaining. It may also include recommendations about the structure and operations of Canada Post. We made our position clear throughout the hearings that these types of questions must only be dealt with in a fully public mandate review.
Postal workers are well aware that the planet is getting hotter. More and more, we are facing extreme events - such as an increasing number of wildfires with their toxic smoke, lethal heat domes and atmospheric rivers bringing more rain, more coastal storms and more flooding. But it’s children who are most at risk.