Over 600 CUPW members across the country gathered in Toronto during the first week of May for the CUPW National Convention. Over five days, delegates decided on the future direction of the Union and adopted an action plan to guide us as we continue the fight for better working conditions and wages, and for a strong and innovative public post office that serves all communities.
The Canada Post Group of companies 2022 annual report released during CUPW’s National Convention sends clear signals about how Canada Post Corporation sees its future – and what the battlegrounds will be for our members.
The Corporation is likely to focus on belt-tightening as it hopes for a post-pandemic recovery. Uncertainty around global issues and a recession hang in the air - but it can’t be the workers who pay the price.
We need union representatives to sit on the national working groups (section 8 (b) of Appendix “AA”). The mandate of these working groups is to carry out work related to projects approved by the Appendix "AA" National Committee (section 5 of Appendix "AA").
Forest fires are raging again this year, and once again, Alberta’s resilience is being tested. Reports estimate that as of May 7, 122,000 hectares have been lost. More fires have been reported, like in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, also in the Northwest Territories, where roughly 25,000 residents have already been evacuated. The surrounding communities are currently on high alert, fearing the worst.
In September 2021, CUPW and the employer signed a Memorandum of Agreement to establish a committee responsible for the transition to an hourly rate for RSMCs. The work of the committee started in May 2022.
In our previous bulletin, we stated there would be an update once the locations and dates were finalized.
Below you will find the agreed to validation sites for the remaining 20 locations
Ottawa – Jan Simpson, the first Black woman to lead a National Union in Canada, has been re-elected to an historic second term as National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). This gives her a decisive mandate to take the Union forward as it faces tough collective bargaining negotiations. In another first, the National Executive Committee is now predominantly female.
In our previous bulletin we stated there would be an update once the location and dates were finalized.
Below you will find the agreed to validation sites for May and June :
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.
May 18 is Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. Every year, on this day, we remember the Tamil people who have died since 1948 because of the genocide committed against the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state, including the massacre in Mullivaikkal, Sri Lanka, in May 2009.
We received Commissioner Kaplan’s lengthy report today on bargaining between CUPW and Canada Post. It comes out of the Industrial Inquiry Commission convened by the former Minister of Labour, Steven MacKinnon, under section 108 of the Canada Labour Code.
Canada Post put out a message today to all CUPW members in the Urban Postal Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers units about benefits coverage and working conditions upon the expiry of the collective agreements on May 22.
This afternoon, Canada Post negotiators informed CUPW that they were leaving the bargaining table, calling it a “temporary pause,” to put together another set of offers. Canada Post would not provide a date for when the Union will receive these proposals. It could be in a few days; it could be next week. Given the seriousness of the matter, it is reprehensible to keep workers and the public on edge when we should all be focused on negotiating good collective agreements that will benefit workers and grow our public service to meet the needs of all Canadians.
The Union has been actively pursuing confirmation from Canada Post that it will respect the post-retirement benefits entitlements of retiring members. The Union was looking to confirm that members who retire will be eligible for post-retirement benefits in the event that the retirement would occur during a labour disruption.
Many members and their dependants are on prescription drugs commonly known as maintenance drugs or long-term medications. These are drugs you may take on a regular basis to treat conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes.
As reported in Negotiations Bulletin #75, CUPW and Canada Post returned to the bargaining table on Wednesday and Thursday this week in Ottawa. The meetings were facilitated by two Mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) who are very familiar with our file.
This May, CUPW proudly joins the Asian community across Canada in celebrating
ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH. It’s a time to honour the history and rich cultural contributions of Canadians of Asian descent.
The results from yesterday's federal election are in, and we now know that the next government will be led by Prime Minister Mark Carney of the Liberal Party.
Few could have predicted this result just a few months ago. But a trade war with the US and threats to annex Canada upended the campaign and completely changed the political landscape.
On Wednesday April 30, your Negotiators are returning to the bargaining table in Ottawa to continue their efforts to secure good collective agreements for both the Urban Postal Operation (UPO) and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) bargaining units.