Postal workers CUPW union on strike

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), unhappy with reforms announced by the federal government Thursday afternoon, called for a nation wide strike Thursday night.

Canada Post states its operations will be shut down for the duration of the strike, acknowledging the move is affecting millions of people and businesses across the country.

“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 are suspended for items already in the postal network. We have notified customers that their scheduled pickups have been cancelled. No new items will be accepted until the national disruption is over,” states the corporation.

“All mail and parcels in the postal network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible once operations resume. However, a national strike of any length will impact service to Canadians well after the strike activity ends. Processing and delivery may take some time to fully return to normal.”

Earlier Thursday, Joël Lightbound, the minister of public works, responsible for Canada Post, announced changes and service cuts – including ending home delivery – and implementing recommendations from William Kaplan’s Industrial Inquiry Commission (IIC) Report from May.

The government states the changes are necessary to keep the Crown corporation — which is on track to lose $1.5 billion in 2025 — open. Canada Post lost $841 million before tax in 2024. Repeated bailouts from the federal government, he said, are not the solution.

Lightbound said Canada Post will also adjust how it delivers mail, so that non-urgent post can move by ground instead of air at a cost savings of $20 million annually.

Changes include:
-Converting four million addresses to community mailboxes.
-Lifting the 1994 rural moratorium on post office closures.
-Giving Canada Post more “flexibility” in its delivery standards, including by cutting the requirement to deliver five days a week.
-Giving Canada Post the ability to raise stamp rates more frequently.

CUPW states part of the corporation’s situation is due to “uncertainty” around the ongoing labour dispute. Negotiations for a new collective agreement have been ongoing for more than a year and a half.

“Converting more addresses to CMBs makes little sense when customers want their parcels to the door,” stated Jan Simpson, CUPW president. “The government has completely failed to consider the problems it faced a decade ago when CPC last tried to convert door-to-door to CMB delivery.

“The announcement also ignores how changes to delivery standards could impact mail volumes and confidence in service. And it fails to consider the importance of the moratorium on post office closures to help ensure universal service. These recommendations could result in major job losses.”

A strike and lockout lasted more than a month during the holiday season last year, was ended when the labour minister asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order employees back to work.

Some mail carriers have stated the decision to end door-to-door delivery ignores important wellness checks they do checking in on residents.