The Canada Post 2016 second Quarter Financial Report has been released and it contains lots of good news for postal workers and for the public. The Report reveals that even without a rate increase for letters, CPC has reported record revenues from operations. It also reported its best financial results since 2010. All indications are that 2016 will be a very profitable year, despite the efforts of management to instruct large volume mailers to avoid mailing in June 2016 in anticipation of a planned lock-out.
As the end of our strike vote mandate looms ever closer, what is Canada Post waiting for? Are they content to sit back and see what we will do on August 25? Do they want us to take some form of strike action so that they can then lock us out? Do they want negotiated collective agreements or do they want to battle this out?
There have been many questions about how the Canada Labour Code applies to our current situation. As you know, we held a strike vote and that mandate is good for 60 days. Our 60-day period ends on August 25, 2016. What are our options at that point?
Negotiations are continuing in an effort to achieve new collective agreements for both the RSMC and Urban bargaining units. The parties are working long hours to achieve this goal. We remain committed to negotiating fair collective agreements, as we have since the beginning of this process. We're encouraged that Canada Post now shares that perspective. We have no plans to issue a 72-hour notice.
The Union continues to be opposed to interest arbitration. As mentioned in previous bulletins, the Union fought against the unfair and unconstitutional legislation that took away our right to free negotiations in 2011 and we won. Why would we give up that right?
On July 7, 2016 Canada Post served the Union with a second 72- hour notice of lockout. This notice takes effect as of 12:01 am on Monday, July 11, 2016. CPC claims that they want to negotiate but they refuse to move on our key issues. Will CPC continue to issue 72-hour notices? In locations across the country, CPC has begun the process of reducing Group 1 part-time schedules to the bare minimum hours and swipe or access cards are being deactivated. What will happen on Monday? Only time will tell.
For Immediate Release - OTTAWA – Postal workers are proposing a 30-day cooling off period to Canada Post management to address concerns about “uncertainty” in the mail system and give negotiations a chance to succeed. “Our members, their families and all Canadians do not deserve to have this threat of a lockout ‘looming’ over our heads from a profitable public service. Postal workers want to work and people need to know that it’s safe to use the mail system,” said Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
CPC has effectively refused CUPW’s offer for a 30-day cooling off period to address concerns about “uncertainty” in the mail system and give negotiations a chance to succeed. Instead management is proposing a process of compulsory arbitration to commence 30 days from now. If CPC knows there is a process of arbitration after 30 days they will simply continue to issue ultimatums and use the time to prepare their arbitration presentations. That is a prospect that the Union will not accept.
OTTAWA – Canada Post has just served notice on fifty thousand Canadian workers that it plans to drive them out onto the streets without pay in an effort to impose steep concessions on them.
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.
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.