In December 1995, the House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month in Canada following a motion introduced by Dr. Jean Augustine, the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament. The House of Commons carried the motion unanimously.
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU), the independent union of Amazon workers who won a union election at the JFK8 facility in Staten Island, New York in the Spring of 2022, have had their election victory upheld by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the highest labour tribunal in the United States.
As per the Memorandum of Agreement extending the Urban Collective Agreement until January 31, 2024, the CUPW and Canada Post held discussions with the goal of resolving the Two Bundle grievances. As the parties were not able to come to an agreement, we asked the Arbitrator to provide his decision to the parties.
The CUPW 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, to a monthly maximum equal to the dues for Urban Operation members.
Before the peak season lull, the Building Worker Power campaign was moving ahead full force as our eight Regional Organizers visited Locals throughout the country to promote workfloor empowerment, collect contacts and, most importantly, recruit workfloor captains to grow our capacity to fight back against CPC and the government.
During a recent audit of the employer-provided database, CUPW found that 1754 routes with RMBs were not using the reaching device for delivery to RMBs.
Yet some of these routes have actually been using the reaching device for a long time. If the system indicates that the tool has not been implemented, it means that these routes are not receiving the proper compensation.
Is this your case?
Once again this year, cold weather is knocking at our door. This fall, it has been present and felt earlier in the Prairie and Pacific regions. Although late in most of eastern Canada, extreme cold spells will soon be a reality that we will have to deal with.
Appendix “T” is part of the Collective Agreement covering the Urban Operations Unit. Officially called the Service Expansion and Innovation and Change Committee, Appendix “T” is made up of representatives from both Canada Post and the Union. The committee’s mandate is to work together to identify ways of enhancing customer satisfaction, businesses growth, and opportunities to create new jobs.
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As you may be aware, on December 13th, 2024, Minister of labour McKinnon ordered under section 107 of the Canada Labour code for the CIRB to determine if the parties were “likely” to achieve a collective agreement by December 31st, 2024. If the CIRB was to answer negatively to the above question, they were to order the Corporation and its employees to resume and continue their operations and duties until May 22nd, 2025.
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.