Canada Post work stoppage looms
Posted Jul 1, 2016 2:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Time is ticking for Canada Post and a union representing its workers to reach a deal.
Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers could walk off the job this weekend if they don’t agree to a new collective agreement.
The midnight deadline has passed, which means the next step is either a deal coming soon, Canada Post locking out its employees or workers issuing a 72-hour strike notice.
CUPW spokesperson Suzie Moore said her group wants equal pay for rural and suburban workers, who earn less than staff on urban routes.
The union is also pushing to get door-to-door delivery back from the community mailbox system and fighting back against a pension plan that offers fewer benefits to new hires.
She said it’s part of a long list, but Canada Post has refused to make compromises.
“It’s a give and take thing between the union and the corporation and this isn’t their first time doing this. So it would be really nice if we could see a little give and take in there, but right now, it’s all about taking for the corporation,” she said.
Earlier this week, the Crown corporation issued an advisory, with deadlines for people to send their mail to avoid the looming lockout.
Moore added while they’re ready to hit the picket line, it’s a last resort.
“We really do not want to have to strike, because it’s not in anybody’s best interest,” she said.
Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton told the Canadian Press earlier this week a stoppage would result in lost business in an industry that is already feeling the squeeze from other delivery services and the growth of online payments and digital flyers.
“We understand our customers have businesses to run, and we’ve been trying to give them as much advance notice as one could,” he said. “Obviously we’re hoping that we can get a deal and continue to operate, but when customers are looking for that certainty and we can’t provide it, they need to make other plans.”
