On June 30 1981, CUPW members from sea to sea to sea went on a nationwide strike. One of the main issues in the strike was a maternity leave top up –or paid maternity leave so that women would not lose money when they took leave to have children.
Today, May 30, CUPW met with Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, and John Zerucelli, Secretary of State for Labour. It was our second meeting with them since they were appointed to their positions after the federal election.
At the meeting, we shared our thoughts and concerns about negotiations and the recent global offers from Canada Post. We were assured that the Minister would continue to play an intermediary role in the bargaining process but will not intervene at this time.
Back-to-work legislation is always an infringement of workers’ rights --
Hearings are now concluded in the Ontario Superior Court on our constitutional challenge to the 2018 back to work legislation. CUPW leaders, activists, and our legal counsel worked hard and presented a strong case before Judge Edward Morgan to have the legislation declared unconstitutional and defend our free collective bargaining rights.
Our school system relies on these workers – meaning all working families rely on them. They are primarily women, and they have seen shrinking real wages for too long. More than half of them need to work a second job just to make ends meet. They care for and support our children’s education, and these conditions are unacceptable.
September 24 marks the Global Climate Strike. This year, organizers are drawing attention to the multiple and overlapping socio-economic crises – racism, sexism, ableism, and class inequality – that intersect and worsen the climate crisis. Organizers are calling on us to “uproot the system” that privileges the rich and powerful at the expense of the rest of us.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers stands in solidarity with striking healthcare workers and against the anti-labour government of Jason Kenney and its bid to deeply slash jobs, erode working conditions, and trample union rights. In the midst of the worst pandemic in a century, health workers have tirelessly provided the care needed to the Alberta population. The Kenney government’s plans to eliminate 11,000 unionized healthcare positions, outsourcing them to the private sector, will have the opposite effect, leaving Albertans more vulnerable, and crippling an already fragile economy.
The new Collective Agreements imposed by Arbitrator MacPherson address some of our concerns, but also leave some major issues unresolved. This award is a great example of how we cannot resolve our issues with compulsory arbitration. We need free collective bargaining and the right to strike. These rights have always been the power behind our major contractual gains.
Almost 9,000 postal workers will walk off the job at midnight on Tuesday – For Immediate Release – Ottawa – Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) in the Toronto local will head to the picket lines at 12:01 am EDT on Tuesday, October 23, to begin the second day of postal disruptions across the country. Job action will take place in the Greater Toronto Area, (excluding Scarborough) and most of the 905-region.
Historically when CUPW has been on strike, we have entered into picket protocols to allow members of UPCE/PSAC, other unions in postal facilities, and workers such as cleaners and cafeteria staff to go to work. However, these protocols do not cover supervisors, management and other senior-level Canada Post staff. This time around, the signed protocol does not cover members in the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association (CPAA) bargaining unit. They have refused to sign a protocol with CUPW.
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.
Wearing orange on Truth and Reconciliation Day, September 30 means you stand in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. Among the harms done and those that continue to hurt are...
This Labour Day, workers across Canada are gathering not just to celebrate our history, but to demand a fair future. This year’s theme, “A Canada for Workers: Made Here, Paid Here,” is a call to action: the people who power this country deserve recognition and results.
After reaching out to Canada Post through the Federal mediators to schedule a meeting, the Negotiating Committees will return to the bargaining table today, Wednesday, August 27.
The Federal mediators advised us that Canada Post has cancelled today’s (August 25) planned meeting. The Corporation says it needs more time to review our latest global offers. We are expecting to receive more questions from Canada Post about our offers through the Federal mediators.
Yesterday, August 20, CUPW’s Negotiating Committees returned to the bargaining table to present comprehensive global offers for both the RSMC and Urban bargaining units.
While we had planned to meet again tomorrow, Canada Post has told us today that it needs more time to review our offers.