Are You Ready for a Strike?

Our collective agreement expires on January 31, 2011. All indications are that the corporation will be bringing a number of demands that CUPW members simply can’t accept. Though we won’t really know what their demands are until we get to the bargaining table, rumour has it the corporation will be asking to eliminate our sick days in favour of a short-term disability plan, to eliminate pre-retirement leave and to cut the seventh week of vacation. Whatever regressive demands they bring to the table, one thing we can be sure of is that this will be our toughest round of bargaining in a generation and there is a significant chance we will end up on the picket line.

Will it be a long strike?

Many CUPW members believe we will only be on strike for two weeks before being legislated back to work. However, things may not be that simple. For starters, we could be locked-out rather than on strike, in which case the government would be less likely to bring in back-to-work legislation. There is currently a minority federal government and they might not be in a position to legislate us back right away. The point is, there is no way of knowing how long we will be on the picket line, so we should hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Here are some things you can do to prepare yourself for a strike.

Save Money. Try to put a little bit of money away each pay check. If everyone has at least two weeks pay saved, we will all be in a much better position to weather the storm.

Pay down debts. Try to pay off your credit card balances and any other high-interest debts you have. Find ways to lower your monthly expenses. If your credit card’s insurance policy covers wage-loss due to strike or lockout, you should consider it.

Consider opening a line of credit. If you are able to secure a line of credit to be used in emergencies only, you will have access to cash if you need it. Open the account, but don’t use it until you need to.

Bank your overtime. If you bank your overtime until our contract expires you will have a good chunk of money saved without even noticing it. Make sure to cash out that time before the strike.

Nobody wants a strike. Unfortunately the corporation looks like they are going to force us onto the picket lines. This round of negotiations promises to be the biggest challenge postal workers have faced in a generation. We can win this fight if we prepare now and stand together.

In Solidarity,

Mike Palecek
Recording Secretary

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