“Canada Post is sitting on their hands.”: Local CUPW President doesn’t mince words on labour squabble

Over 200 postal workers across Prince George, Vanderhoof, Mackenzie, Burns Lake and, Fraser Lake continue to brave the snowy cold as they fight for a fair deal.

Contract negotiations between the Postal Workers Union and Canada Post have hit another snag after not making significant progress in several days.

Local CUPW 812 President, Rick Harris told Vista Radio the company seems to be dragging its feet instead of finding a solution.

“We are pretty frustrated from the point of view that we have been trying to negotiate since last November. They don’t seem to want to do anything. What I’ve heard, is probably the same thing you have heard and that is the Canada Post corporation is sitting on their hands back East not doing a lot of negotiating.”

Harris is dumbfounded by where they are given that special mediator was at the table for over a week.

“I wish I had the answer to that. I tell you, if this goes back to Ottawa that is not a negotiated agreement, that would be forced arbitration and we are not interested in that at all.”

“We are out here on the picket lines and we are trying to hang on to some of the things that we have. We are not collecting a pay cheque just before Christmas. We are hoping people can be patient with us but once we figure this thing out, we will be going back to work.”

Canada Post has lost more than $3 billion since 2018 and a $315-million loss before tax in the third quarter of 2024.

The national postal corporation issued the following statement earlier today (Tuesday):

Canada Post is considering its options to move negotiations forward as talks with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have ground to a halt on key issues critical to the Corporation’s future.

The parties have been working with the assistance of a special mediator since November 18, but progress has been limited to minor items. Despite the current situation, we remain committed to the bargaining process.

Throughout these negotiations, Canada Post has put forward detailed proposals to bring more flexibility to its outdated, mail-based delivery model. These changes are necessary to better compete in the parcel business, better serve Canadians, and drive much-needed revenue growth.

However, after not responding over the past several days, CUPW has just informed us, through the special mediator, that it will not be responding at all.

Approximately 95 per cent of delivery teams are full-time

Employees and customers across the country are feeling the significant impacts of CUPW’s national strike, which is now on its 12th day. We had hoped the union would bring some much-needed urgency to the discussions. That has not been the case.

We have consistently put forward proposals that are critical for the future of the postal service and important to the Canadians we serve, while protecting our current employees. Our proposals would add a greater mix of part-time and full-time employees to our delivery model to respond to the daily variations in parcel volumes and provide weekend delivery.

Today, approximately 95 per cent of our delivery team is made up of full-time employees. Our approach would create new regular, permanent part-time jobs, providing greater opportunities for temporary employees to become permanent, with guaranteed hours, schedules and, eligibility for health and pension benefits.