What is Canada Post doing? While your Negotiating Committee is getting ready for the mediation phase outlined in the Act, Canada Post is packing up and leaving the hotel without even letting the Union know. What a show of class and respect! It appears that Canada Post has no intention of fully taking part in the mediation set out in the back-to-work legislation.
Ottawa – Early this morning, we were informed that union and community members set up picket lines outside the mail processing plant in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and outside the airport in Edmonton, Alberta to protest back to work legislation imposed on postal workers last week and fight for the right to free collective bargaining. In solidarity with postal workers, the protest-line allowed workers in, but did not allow mail out.
Have you ever been to jail in the name of justice? Six of our friends and allies recently have. Austin Hiltz, Art Bouman, Justin Whitten, Brad Fougere, Darius Mirshahi and Tony Tracy were arrested on Sunday, December 2 and held overnight, all because they protested peacefully outside the Halifax Mail Processing Plant. They have since been charged with mischief and obstruction and will return to court January 4 to enter their pleas.
Ottawa – Early this morning, union and community members in Ottawa, Ontario set up picket lines outside Canada Post’s mail processing plant on Sandford Fleming Avenue to protest back to work legislation imposed on postal workers last week and fight for the right to free collective bargaining. In solidarity with postal workers, the protest-line allowed workers in, but did not allow mail out.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has recently filed four National Grievances. These violations of our Collective Agreements affect both Urban and RSMC members.
Brothers & Sisters, The holiday season is upon us once again. This is the busiest time of the year in terms of workload, as parcel and Admail volumes are at their highest in the weeks leading up to the holidays. While your employer alleges it takes your health and safety seriously, you are the one who can best protect yourself from harm. You have the right to refuse to perform dangerous work! At times, we are faced with having to decide between serving our customers well and protecting our physical and mental well-being and safety.
Ottawa – This morning, we were informed that Union and community members in London, Ontario set up picket lines outside the Mail Processing Plant. In solidarity with postal workers, the protest-line allowed workers in, but did not allow mail out.
We continue to hear of news that allies have blockaded Canada Post facilities in various locations. The labour movement is stepping up in a big way to support postal workers and fight for the right to free collective bargaining. In Toronto, allies blocked the Gateway facility, facing down an injunction and police threats. In Halifax over the weekend, six people were arrested for blocking the Halifax Mail Processing Plant. This morning we have heard of reports of blockades/pickets in Ottawa, Oshawa and Hamilton. This comes after a weekend of demonstrations in 27 cities across the country.
After almost a year of negotiations, over 5 weeks of rotating strikes and the adoption of an unconstitutional law suspending negotiations there were some who thought the fight was over. WRONG! The ground has shifted, there is an updated playbook and there are some new players on the field.
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.
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.
After almost five weeks of a nationwide strike, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), under the direction of the Minister of Labour, has stripped the right to strike from postal workers. Legal strike action ends at 8:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, but the fight goes on.