Canada Post workers go on strike, asking for better wages, benefits
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Canada Post workers went on strike after a year-long negotiation that has seen no movement.
“Right now, the corporation is asking for concessions on pensions for new hires, concessions on benefits, concessions on wages and none of that is an option for us,” said Sean Tugby, president of Canadian Union of Postal Workers Winnipeg Local 856.
“Our new people are just as valuable as senior people and we want to make sure they have the same rights as we do.”
More than 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike on Nov. 15. The action has caused processing and delivery of mail and parcels to cease and in some cases post offices to close.
Tugby said the offer from the Crown corporation was less than the rate of inflation. “I think in the last 15 years the wages have gone up $5 an hour which comes nowhere near to what the costs actually are right now,” he said.
The union is looking for 23 percent over four years. It also wants to add 10 paid medical days to the existing seven paid personal days and to allow workers to bank medical days, but Canada Post refuses to budge from 13 personal days.
CUPW is also demanding significant improvements to the group benefits plans, including increased coverage for health specialists, fertility treatment, gender-affirming care, and vision care and precautionary cessation of work for pregnant and breastfeeding employees.
Canada Post claims that it has made offers for wage increases of 11.5 per cent over four years in addition to measures protecting defined benefit pensions and job security. Other offers include improved leave entitlements for current employees, transitioning to an hourly rate of pay for Rural Suburban Mail Carrier employees, and supporting CUPW’s proposal for a future merger of the RSMC and urban bargaining units.
In the first six months of 2024, Canada Post recorded a loss from operations of $490 million. Since 2018, Canada Post has lost more than $3 billion.
“The strike has also had a significant impact on the company, putting it in an increasingly challenging position as customers turn to competitors for their deliveries. As a result, Canada Post parcel volumes declined by 42 percent last week, compared to the same week in the previous year. With no new parcel volumes in the system over the four days of the national strike, this situation will only worsen,” read a statement from Canada Post.
A special mediator was hired on Monday and Tugby is hopeful a new deal can be hammered out where both sides are satisfied.
Tugby said the union has decided to deliver socio-economic cheques, such as the Canada Child Tax Benefit, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and Veteran Affairs Pension Plan on Wednesday.
“Our beef is not with the public. Right now, it’s with Canada Post and we’re going to make sure the cheques are delivered because people depend on them.”
People can also pick up provincial cheques, court orders, educational materials, medical supplies and resources required to maintain health-care services and other prioritized items in Steinbach at Manitoba Families on 242-323 Main Street and in St. Pierre-Jolys at the Bilingual Service Centre on 427 Sabourin Street.
Bring one form of photo ID or two pieces of non-photo ID with the current address.
The impact of the strike for some Steinbach businesses will be minimal. George Trinh, owner of Source Apparel, a sporting, apparel, and promotions goods retailer, said the only thing affected by the strike is the delivery and mailing of cheques as everything else is shipped by ground courier.
“We’re just going to move to e-transfers for the time being and then maybe not go back to the mail,” he said.
Bev Penner from Prairie Oils and Vinegars, a food specialty store, said 90 percent of her deliveries are done by courier. She said rural customers with post office boxes have been asked on the company’s website and on social media to provide physical addresses for deliveries normally done by Canada Post.
“At this point I would say it’s not going to affect us other than I won’t get anything such as cheques for anyone to pay us, but for the most part we’re fine because we tend to use couriers over Canada Post due to cost.”
According to Canada Post, once the strike is over, processing and delivery may take some time to fully return to normal with first-in, first to process being a factor in what gets mailed out first.