Mail delivery maintained as postal workers’ union declares overtime ban
Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
editor@qctonline.com
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) opted out of resuming a general strike on May 22, instead announcing a national overtime ban until further notice. In practice, this means mail will continue to be delivered across the country, although Canada Post is warning Canadians to expect delivery delays, because postal workers will not work beyond their planned shifts.
The previous collective agreement between the CUPW and Canada Post expired in August 2024. CUPW members began a general strike on Nov. 15; on Nov. 27, the parties declared they were at an impasse. Then-federal labour minister Steven MacKinnon ordered postal personnel back to work on Dec. 15, appointing an outside mediator to try to resolve the dispute. At the time, MacKinnon decreed that the previous collective agreement would remain in force until May 22. Canada Post submitted a detailed proposal to the union on May 21, which is still being analyzed, according to a CUPW statement. The union requested a two-week “truce” to review the proposal in detail, but Canada Post rejected that offer. With no agreement reached by the May 22 deadline, the CUPW appeared poised to resume the strike. Instead, the union opted for an overtime ban as negotiations grind on.
“As far as I know, the parties are still negotiating, and there is no general strike,” Jean-Philippe Gagnon, second vice president of CUPW local 370, which covers the greater Quebec City region, Beauce, Charlevoix and the South Shore as far south as Lac-Mégantic, told the QCT. “We have been told the employer would continue to respect [the previous collective agreement]. They made us an offer 48 hours before the end of the agreement, which is 716 pages long.”
“Before Christmas, we were far apart, but there have been some steps forward since then,” Gagnon said.
CUPW national president Jan Simpson said in a state- ment that at first glance, several aspects of the proposal sent to workers on May 21 failed to pass muster. Simpson argued the proposed wage increase of 13 per cent over four years does not keep pace with inflation, the inflation threshold to trigger payment of a new cost-of-living allowance was too high and new measures aimed at increasing efficiency will involve hard-to-manage, short-notice changes to workers’ schedules and workloads. The union is also skeptical of Canada Post’s plans to hire more part-time staff.
Canada Post, for its part, has said the changes are needed to prevent insolvency.
The May 21 proposal goes “further on wage increases and would protect employees’ benefits and entitlements” while “reflect[ing] the corporation’s current realities,” the Crown corporation said in a statement. “Canada Post has proposed important changes to its delivery model to increase its flexibility and help address the corporation’s significant financial and operational challenges. Canada Post and CUPW are negotiating at a critical moment for the postal system. Since 2018, the corporation has recorded more than $3 billion in losses before tax, and it will post another significant loss for 2024.”
Gagnon, the Quebec City- based union officer, said members are not closed to changing the delivery model, “but it needs to be done respectfully.”
He said the last few months have been “super difficult” for members. “It’s very tiring not to know our future, and to see the employer not collaborating. There’s a lot of uncertainty, anxiety, nervousness … this is a battle for our future.”