Our Contract has expired on January 31st, 2024. While CUPW is attempting to negotiate a new one and hoping the employer will come to the table in a good faith, there are never any guarantees. We all know this round of negotiations will not be easy and we all need to take part in one way or other. While our experienced negotiation committee will be working hard on the behalf of the membership, members should be looking at their savings in preparation of possible strike.
There are some other things that can be done to help ensure that we get decent Collective Agreement:
-Let management know that you want this round settled with a fair contract negotiated in good faith.
-Take an interest in the progress of negotiations. You can see the latest information on both the National and Local websites.
-Come to the meetings and stay informed.
-Volunteer for one of the multitude of tasks that has to be done to prepare for a possible strike.
-Plan a black T Shirt day.
-Plan a potluck in your section or station and have a conversation among members about strike preparation while enjoying the meal.
If management knows that our membership is involved and ready, they have an incentive to not play the games at the negotiating table, which they have tried in the past. In previous negotiations, the employer will try to create conflict among our members and play lot of dirty games to distract our members from focusing and supporting the negotiation committee. Examples of this include playing favoritism, excessive use of attendance management program or ignoring Health and Safety concerns raised on the work floor.
During this time, we all need to stay focused and fight the good fight.
Remember our enemy is always the employer.
If you need more information, or if you would like to plan action activities in your workplace, please feel free to contact the Union hall at [email protected] or (604) 685 6581 Ext 2. You can also contact your Executives on the work floor listed below.
Bryan Schuck – 3rd Vice President
Zenaida Garcia – PPC Shift 1 
Yogesh Sharma – PPC Shift 2
Helen DeGuzman – PPC Shift 3
Martin Kosik – Letter Carrier
Lisa Quattrocchi – Letter Carrier
Joseph H McCance – MSC
Raj Deo – General Labour and Trades
Or you can also reach out to Vancouver local Organizing Director Kat Poch at [email protected]
In Solidarity,
Anju Parmar, President