Wednesday, June 4, Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, called on both the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post to return to the bargaining table. Today June 5, we have started that process, meetings are now underway. The Minister has requested both parties to focus on two key priorities: working with federal mediators to negotiate terms for an arbitration process, and continuing efforts to reach settlements for new collective agreements.
In a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday night, Jean-Yves Duclos, the Minister responsible for Canada Post, who heads up the Department of Public Service and Procurement Canada, discussed our ongoing strike and the future of Canada Post with the CBC’s Power and Politics show host, Catherine Cullen. The Minister told Ms. Cullen that the service first mandate “will not change” and that includes “serving every Canadian where they live including northern and remote areas.” He also said that parcel delivery was increasing “at a very high speed” which is “good news” for Canada Post.
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has dismissed CUPW’s constitutional challenge against the 2018 back-to-work legislation that ended rotating strikes and imposed interest arbitration on members of our two largest bargaining units – Urban Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers.
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.
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Miller,
CUPW represents more than 55,000 workers across the country, the majority of which work for Canada Post as letter carriers, rural and suburban mail carriers, postal clerks, mail handlers and despatchers, technicians, mechanics, and electricians. We also represent couriers, delivery drivers, warehouse workers, cleaners, emergency medical dispatchers and other private sector workers.
The federal government has been consulting with labour and employers on amendments to the Canada Labour Code. Canada Post is a federally-regulated workplace, and these changes will affect us.
In early November, CUPW wrote Steven Guilbeault, the newly appointed federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, to request a meeting to discuss Delivering Community Power and the potential for Canada Post to become a leader in the new green economy.
October 16 is the 40th anniversary of the creation of Canada Post Corporation under the Canada Post Corporation Act, intended to make the postal service more autonomous: to help it compete against other parcel and courier services, to maintain financial self-sufficiency, and to improve labour relations in the postal service after several conflicts in the 1970s and 80s.
Now that results are in, Canada's 44th Parliament, for much of the country, will look a lot like our 43rd Parliament – with a few notable changes that matter to our membership.
The history between the Conservatives and Canadian labour unions is far from being a fairy tale. Cuts, back-to-work legislations, closures, privatizations; the Conservatives’ multiple attacks to destroy our working conditions while in power should be of great concern to Canadian workers should Mr. O’Toole win the election on Monday.
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.
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.
Tomorrow, August 20, your Negotiating Committee will return to the bargaining table to present new global offers for both postal bargaining units to Canada Post.
Unfortunately, our scheduled meetings for Friday, August 15th and Monday, August 18th, have been postponed. The Federal mediators will not be able to assist CUPW and CPC due to their current involvement in the Air Canada negotiations.
This September, CUPW joins its Malayali brothers and sisters with joy and pride to observe Onam celebrations in Canada. Onam is one of the most significant regional festivals celebrated in Kerala, the southernmost state of India.
After pressing the Employer to come back to the bargaining table early last week, we received a response from Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger on Friday evening, just hours after we posted Bulletin 128, “CUPW is Waiting for Canada Post.” In his letter, Mr. Ettinger stuck to the lines we’ve heard from Canada Post for many months now.