By Michael Keefe
Postal workers are on rotating strike. The reason postal workers are frustrated to the point of striking is because the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has been in negotiations with Canada Post since November 2017 with almost no progress at the negotiating table. In January, conciliators were appointed at the union’s request. In June, after 7 months of negotiations, the union asked the government to appoint conciliators, which started a countdown to a legal lockout or strike position on September 26.
Negotiations break down
On September 7, after over 9 months of negotiations, Canada Post made its first offer to the union, which was full of rollbacks. The union countered their offer on September 14. Canada Post didn’t respond to the counter offer for almost 4 weeks. Their offer removed the rollbacks and made some movement on minor issues, but made no improvements to the major issues – health and safety, gender equality, work-life balance and preserving good, full time jobs. So, after no further progress, the union gave notice on Tuesday October 16 that it would start rotating strikes beginning on October 22.
The Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) contract expired on December 31, 2017 and the Urban Ops contract expired on January 31, 2018.
The issues
New permanent hires in Urban Ops have to work 7 years to get to the top pay scale. Temporary (or casual) workers don’t get any incremental pay increase until their hired. So if you work as a temp for 7 years (which is far from unusual), you will have to work at Canada Post for 14 years to reach the top pay scale.
We need agreements that are fair and respect us as workers. What Canada Post has offered us is simply not good enough and they know they have to do better. Overwork and overburdening have caused workers to be injured in record numbers over the last two years. We are being forced to work overtime hours, sacrificing our health and time with our families.
We’re being forced to work 12-hour days, delivering mail well into the evening and night. That’s just no way to live. We want to be treated like humans, not like machines. The way postal workers are treated is unacceptable and things need to change.
This past week, Canada Post released its 2017 Social Responsibility Report, which reported that full-day lost time injuries increased 36% in 2017 and that the lost time injury rate for 2017 was 46% greater than 2015.
Injury facts at Canada Post:
-During the last four years there have been 30,774 injuries to CUPW members. Of these 14,751 were disabling injuries.
-One out of every 12 workers at Canada Post experienced a disabling injury in 2017.
-The disabling injury rate at CPC is 5.4 times greater than the rest of the Federal sector.
-25% of letter carriers experienced an injury in 2017.
-One out of every eight letter carriers experienced a disabling injury in 2017.
-During the past three years the number of disabling injuries for RSMCs has increased 30%.
RSMCs have gained equity through the pay equity case, but we want equality. RSMCs are bargaining for pay for all hours worked, job security, and guaranteed work hours, to name a few. We will not stop until RSMCs reach full equality. It’s not just about how much they are paid, but that they are paid for all hours worked.
Fighting for the future
We aren’t just bargaining for today, we are bargaining for the future – for our members and everyone who relies on the postal service. We have innovative ideas to expand services and increase revenues to keep Canada Post relevant and self-sufficient. Canada Post does not cost the taxpayer a single dollar and has paid over $1.7 billion dollars to the government in taxes and dividends.
While letter mail is declining, Canada Post still processed 3 billion letters in 2017, which is over 8 million letters per day. And while letters have declined, online shopping has resulted in a dramatic increase in parcels. But Canada Post has failed to adapt to the massive increase in parcel volumes over the last few years and that has created a huge burden on workers.
We don’t want to go on strike, and we’ve given them more than the required 72-hours to meet with us and settle. Canada Post has the opportunity to prevent postal disruptions. We are going on rotating strikes because that allows the mail to continue moving with minor delays.
A version of this piece was first published on the Nova Scotia Advocate.
In This report i don’t see a wage increase above the rate of inflation , this demand was in the previous report has the union dropped this demand?
I support the right to fair wages and support from an employer. I support the right to fair treatment of both employees and employers.
I do NOT support the withholding of essential services from the very public you want on your side.
The usefulness of a strike, getting the public to feel pressure to join your cause. Is neither worthy nor noble.
If unions insist on the archaic notion that the millions of people watching, support this type of thing, will be long gone if they dont realize the tactics of the 1900s dont be one in 2018+ time to grow up or go home.
What is a rotating strike?
It is a 24 hour strike that moves from city to city. The mail is slowed down but does not stop. It is a tactic designed to create a mail backlog and to put pressure on Canada Post to negotiate with its employees.
The Union’s offer was for 3.5% increase and I don’t believe that it has changed. Many may feel that 3.5% is a large amount to ask for in this economic climate but Canada Post has essentially clawed back 3.7% of the workers’ wages in each of the past 7 years (not compounded) plus there was no increase in 2015 (that’s right – zero increase and a 3.7% clawback). Also during this time, they have been paying new hires a much lower rate of pay and those workers are stuck with that lower rate for years.
The corporation has plenty of money to waste on whims like fancy food and bonuses for white collars but they can’t treat workers fairly.
-they have a supervisor ($65000 /year) for every ten workers and even after cutting many workers they haven’t cut supervisors. Cutting half of the supervisors would add over $100 million to the bottom line.
-for every 5 supervisors there is a general supervisor (the supervisors’ boss) with a salary of about $70000 plus bonus
-they have so many high paid white collar jobs who add nothing to the bottom line (like safety officers who can’t stop unsafe activity but can write a paper to recommend stopping safe activity – another $65000/ year)
-they do not adhere to the collective agreements which causes an incredible frequency of grievances and they often fight grievances which they know that they will lose just to prolong the loss or just because they can
-they wasted huge money on the USA made mailboxes which they winter tested in Vancouver
-they cancelled the food drive in which postal workers volunteered their time to drive corporate vehicles through neighbourhoods to gather food donations citing costs
-they nurture a toxic environment often ensuring that employees take courses but then never ensure that the items or subjects covered in the courses are handled anywhere near the manner in which the courses say that they will be handled
I support our postal workers and hope they get a fair settlement.
I’m a postal worker and like my job. I don’t mind doing overtime sometimes but it isn’t fair to be forced to do overtime when I’m not up to it. We have family issues to deal with: picking up kids from school or karate practice, being hone in time for dinner, dental appointments to make, spending time with friends and family, or sometimes just wanting to go home and watch the game, like anyone else.
Being overwhelmed with the increased volume of parcels is not Canada Post’s fault but not dealing with it adequately is
Come work in the restaurant industry. Serious injuries every day. 12 hour days are the regular. If your job is to hard I will gladly do it and for less than you get paid.
I support our Postal Workers! Stay Strong! Fight for what’s right!
I,as a fellow union worker, stand behind you all 100 % Your story sound EXACTLY like our talks right now.
Rotating strikes because that allows the mail to continue moving with minor delays, or because the union can’t afford strike payroll for a full strike across Canada?