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.
The employer has an obligation under the Collective Agreement and the Canadian Human Rights Act to accommodate workers and this includes accommodation for family status. Unlike accommodation for physical restrictions, which is covered by Article 54 of the Urban Collective Agreement, there is no specific article covering family status. Like other matters requiring accommodation such as religion and gender, it is included in the prohibited grounds listed in Article 5.01 of the Collective Agreements.
This bulletin is to inform you that CUPW and Canada Post have found an error in the way union dues have been calculated and deducted for Permanent Relief Employees (PRE) in the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) bargaining unit. In accordance with a resolution adopted by the National Executive Board, monthly union dues calculations are based on 1.71% of RSMC’s annual wage component, to an annually set maximum.
For immediate release - Ottawa – This morning, we were informed that union and community members in Ontario set up picket lines at the Hamilton Processing Plant in Hamilton last night and the Tecumseh Post Office in Windsor today. In solidarity with postal workers, the protest-line will allow workers in, but will not allow mail out.
You should have now received your payment from Canada Post for the partial settlement of National Policy grievances N00-10-00001/N00-07-00037. It has come to our attention that there were issues with some of the payments the members received and some members did not receive their compensation. If you believe you were not compensated correctly, please notify AccessHR at 1-877-807-9090, or by email at [email protected].
For immediate release - Ottawa – This morning, we were informed that members of several major unions in British Columbia have set up picket-lines at the Pacific Processing Centre, the third largest mail plant in the country. In solidarity with postal workers, the protest-line will allow workers in, but will not allow mail out.
The government has aligned themselves with Canada Post. They have legislated more pain, injuries and unpaid work. But they cannot legislate labour peace. Canada Post has the potential to do many great things for people and for our communities while creating safe, stable and decent jobs. And yet, we find ourselves back in a familiar place, where once again, the governing party has sided with the richest interests in the country, proving that corporations really control political power.
Ottawa – After 37 days of rotating strikes, unconstitutional legislation has removed the right to strike for postal workers. Legal strike action ends at noon today, but the struggle is not over. You cannot legislate labour peace. We are now moving to a different phase of the struggle. We are asking members to return to their regularly scheduled shifts as of 12:00 pm ET and await further instructions. In the coming days, we will be calling on our allies and membership for a campaign of mobilizations, demonstrations and non-violent civil disobedience. All options remain on the table to achieve negotiated collective agreements that address health and safety, equitable treatment, fair wages and working conditions, and the democratic right to free collective bargaining.
After 37 days of rotating strikes, unconstitutional legislation has removed the right to strike for postal workers. Legal strike action ends at noon today, but the struggle is not over. You cannot legislate labour peace. We are now moving to a different phase of the struggle. We are asking members to return to their regularly scheduled shifts as of 12:00 pm ET and await further instructions.
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.
Union negotiators and the National Executive Board spent the last few days, and nights, reviewing the Employer’s last offers and preparing responses to issues in the offers and issues important to the Union that the Employer failed to acknowledge.
Today, May 23, is the first day of a nationwide overtime ban. As of 12:01 a.m. today, members were called on to refuse to work more than eight hours a day and more than 40 hours a week. This is a legal strike action and all CUPW members must follow this direction.
The National Executive Board has called for a nationwide overtime ban effective May 23 at 12:00 am local time. That means members are being called on to refuse to work any more than eight hours in a day and refuse to work more than forty hours in a week.
Today, May 21, our negotiation committees received global offers from Canada Post for both the Urban Postal Operation (UPO) and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) bargaining units. The Negotiators are currently reviewing and analyzing the offers’ contents. We will provide a more in-depth analysis shortly, but here are some of the main elements of the offers below...
After walking away from the table for the third time, Canada Post will finally table their global offers today. Our negotiating committee is currently on the way to receive the proposals.
This year, CUPW is proud to celebrate the Pride season under the theme "Workers United Against Hate" proposed by the Canadian Labour Congress. As we face a shocking rise in anti-LGBTQ hate in Canada and around the world, this theme is more important than ever.
On Monday, May 19, CUPW issued a 72-hour strike notice to Canada Post. This action was not taken lightly, but it was done for several reasons.
The collective agreements for the Urban Postal Operations and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers bargaining units, which were extended by the Government in December 2024, are set to expire Friday, May 23 at midnight.
Commissioner Kaplan’s report of the Industrial Inquiry Commission skews heavily in favour of Canada Post’s positions and recommendations. We fundamentally disagree with the bulk of its recommendations and challenge some of the information on which it was based. We have also objected to the entire process, but we felt that we had to participate in order to give voice to postal workers. The report also outlines three possible steps forward after May 22. It is important to note that this is not a done deal. It is up to Minister Patty Hajdu to decide what to do with the report – if anything at all.
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.