Canada Post Received a Strike Notice from CUPW on Friday

Ottawa – Canada Post has received strike notices from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), for both Urban and RSMC (Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers) bargaining units. The notices indicate that CUPW will be in a legal position to begin strike activity on November 15 at 12:01 a.m. ET.

In a statement released on Friday, the CUPW said “After a year of bargaining with little progress, postal workers made the difficult decision to strike. Canada Post had the opportunity to prevent this strike, but it has refused to negotiate real solutions to the issues postal workers face every day. Instead, Canada Post left us no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members exposed to layoffs.”

“Our demands are reasonable: fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, and the expansion of services at the public post office. Postal workers are proud to serve their communities, and we want to do the job we love. A strike is a last resort. We still believe we can achieve negotiated collective agreements, but Canada Post must be willing to resolve our new and outstanding issues.” said the CUPW statement.

The strike will cause service delays for Canadians as Canada Post’s operations will shut down during a national strike, affecting millions of Canadians and businesses across the country.

In the event CUPW initiates rotating strike activity, Canada Post intends to continue delivering for Canadians and Canadian businesses while working to reach negotiated agreements. However, the ongoing possibility of a labour disruption has been significantly eroding Canada Post’s volumes and escalating the negative financial impact on the company.

Canada Post said in a statement today. “Customers will experience delays due to the strike activity. Mail and parcels will not be processed or delivered for the duration of the national strike, and some post offices will be closed. Service guarantees will be impacted for items already in the postal network. No new items will be accepted until the national disruption is over.”

“Items will be delivered as quickly as possible once operations resume. All mail and parcels in the postal network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible on a first-in, first-out basis once operations resume. However, a national strike of any length will impact service to Canadians well after the strike activity ends. Shutting down facilities across the country will affect Canada Post’s entire national network. Processing and delivery may take some time to fully return to normal.” said Canada Post.

Canada Post has notified the union that unless new agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday. The Corporation will then be in a position, using the means provided in the Canada Labour Code, to adjust operations based on its operational realities and business needs.

All mail and parcels in the postal network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible on a first-in, first-out basis once operations resume.

Canada Post also stated that a national strike of any length will impact service to Canadians well after the strike activity ends. Shutting down facilities across the country will affect Canada Post’s entire national network. Processing and delivery may take some time to fully return to normal.