Postal strike looms as agreements expire

UPDATED:

CUPW offered a truce of two (2) weeks to continue negotiations without the threat of a strike or a lockout, but Canada Post refused. The Corporation’s actions have created widespread public uncertainty which has already pushed some customers to our competitors. At this time, the Union has decided to proceed with an overtime ban to minimize disruptions to the public, and lost days to members. Should Canada Post agree to the conditions of the truce prior to midnight, the overtime ban will not go into effect. Additional actions may take place in the future including but not limited to: if Canada Post changes our working conditions, suspends our benefits, or begin layoffs.  

The National Executive Board has called for a nationwide overtime ban effective May 23 at 12:00 am local time.  That means members are being called on to refuse to work any more than eight hours in a day and refuse to work more than forty hours in a week.

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On Monday, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) issued a 72-hour strike notice to Canada Post.

The union says although the action was not taken lightly, it was done for several reasons, mainly that the collective agreements for the Urban Postal Operations and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers bargaining units, which were extended by the Government in December, are set to expire at midnight on Friday.

CUPW negotiators met with Canada Post over several days at the end of April and early May, with the goal of resolving the bargaining dispute and achieving new collective agreements for both bargaining units.

“Last week, Canada Post walked away from the bargaining table for the third time, telling the Union it would return with new comprehensive offers. A week has passed. With the expiry of our collective agreements drawing closer by the day, we are still waiting. The clock is ticking, and so far, Canada Post has yet to deliver,” said CUPW president Jan Simpson in a statement.

“The day after Canada Post walked away and paused bargaining, it fired another shot, by threatening to unilaterally change your working conditions and suspend employee benefits if new agreements aren’t reached. This aggressive move undermines good faith bargaining and the stability of our public postal service. It had to be met with strong resistance. Postal workers won’t be threatened or coerced into accepting offers that will gut our collective agreements and undermine good, stable jobs.”

“Our right to strike was taken away from us and put on “a time out” by former Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon’s orders and the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) in December 2024. By issuing this notice, we are simply announcing our intention to continue our legal strike that was put on pause by the CIRB.”