Postal workers on strike to defend jobs and a public postal service

Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) workers are defending our postal service. On Thursday Joel Lightbound, Liberal Minister for Transformation, Public Services and Procurement announced major attacks on the postal service. Immediately CUPW members walked out and resumed strike action.

 

CUPW members have been in a legal strike position since November 2024. They were on strike for five weeks when the federal government intervened and paused the strike until May.

 

The government stopped the strike for six months and appointed a commission (Kaplan Commission) to look into the impasse in negotiations. During the inquiry, Canada Post (CP) argued to cut services, create part-time gig jobs for weekend parcel delivery, end 5-day-a-week delivery for longer delivery times, replace door-to-door delivery with millions of community mail boxes, and end a moratorium on closing rural post offices, resulting in massive job losses. Kaplan, the inquiry commissioner, submitted his report in late May in which he recommended CP’s proposals and at the same time blamed the impasse in negotiations on CUPW members.

 

Buoyed by the Kaplan recommendations, which are essentially CP’s proposals, CP presented their offer again. CUPW rejected it. CUPW presented a counter offer which CP rejected out of hand saying it was up to CUPW to accept CPs last offer. CP next asked the government to bypass the CUPW negotiating committee and go directly to its members to vote on CPs “best and final offer,” another appeal through the Labor Code. The government imposed the vote and a majority 70% of members said NO.

 

After another failed attempt at negotiations, CUPW imposed an overtime ban. Another mediation attempt again resulted in a stalemate. CUPW called for strike action in the form of an overtime ban to get CP back to the negotiating table. It wanted to keep members working and continue serving its customers. When CP ignored CUPW again, it canceled the over-time ban and called for a ban on delivering flyers and non-addressed mailings. This ban meant applying significant financial pressure to get CP back to the table once again.

 

CP said it would present a proposal this week but didn’t indicate a specific day or time. Then on Wednesday, the government announced it would hold a press conference the next day.

 

The government did not advise CUPW of its intentions before it went to the press. At the press conference, Joel Lightbound, for the government, effectively rubber stamped CPs proposals, which he presented as the Kaplan recommendations.

 

Since the beginning of negotiations – January 2024! – Canada Post has stalled the negotiating process, ignored the union, negotiated through the media, and appealed for the government to impose its will on the members of CUPW.

 

It seems CP doesn’t know how to negotiate with CUPW, it has been so long since it actually took negotiations seriously. CP has begged successive governments over decades to legislate CUPW members back to work and impose binding arbitration, and it has persistently negotiated through the media.

 

CUPW members are tired of CPs anti-union measures. They feel betrayed by a management that won’t listen to its concerns and doesn’t care about its employees or the Canadian public relying on federal postal services.

 

As a CUPW member in Montreal stated, “The Canadian postal service has suffered an unprecedented attack today, and we must show our employer, our government, and our fellow citizens that we will not let a lack of vision destroy what remains of our jobs and our rights.”

 

CUPW members now join the ranks of other workers who have faced labour struggles with their employers this year, such as striking airline workers and college and university workers. It welcomes the public and union members across the country on their picket lines. A united fightback is needed now more than ever.

 

This is a fight for jobs and conditions but also a vital fight to defend a public service, which all working class people have a stake in. We can’t wait for other union leaders to put out a call for solidarity. Start organizing! Gather “neighbours for posties” groups and visibly show support on the lines and in the communities. Carney can’t be allowed to get away with this. The stakes are too high and postal workers should not be fighting this alone. We beat back attacks on home delivery under the hated Harper. We need to do it again. Public sympathy around the recent flight attendants strike can flow into this fight if there is energy and initiative.

 

Join a picket line near you at:

https://act-cupwsttp.nationbuilder.com/picket_lines