Author: anju parmar

  Heartfelt thank you for standing strong

The winter holiday season is upon us and this year like many of you I am not in the festive spirit either.   I am angry, disappointed and upset with both Canada Post and the Federal Government.

For more than a year, Canada Post has failed to negotiate with CUPW in good faith.   They have demanded rollbacks and made excuses, but have failed to put forward proposals that address real workplace issues.

The Federal Government has made statements about the right to free Collective bargaining and the right to strike, but they have invoked section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to force us back to work.

CUPW members know that back to work orders are not going to increase our morale at work.  Back to work orders do not improve labour relations.   Back to work orders do not force Canada Post to adopt a reasonable approach in bargaining.

I know that the time since November 15 when we went on strike has affected so many of you.

During this period, I tried to go to every picket line and I have seen amazing solidarity, mutual support and friendship.   The range of food on the picket lines and the many different ways your shared meals with each other has been amazing.   The spirit on the lines has given me the reasons to stay strong. Your strength on the picket lines has sent a strong message to Canada Post.   I loved the dancing, the diversity signs, the costumes, and the dogs.

I want to thank each and every one of you for your solidarity and generosity. It kept me going and I know it kept so many other people strong.  I want you all to know that I am proud of the members of the Vancouver local. Your attendance on the picket lines made a huge difference.

I know that some of you feel defeated.   But, we have not lost.   We still have tremendous support from the public and other Unions.   We stopped Canada Post from forcing their rollbacks on us.  We continued to push for our rights and justice, in the face of Canada Post’s efforts to discourage us.

Each time we were forced back to work we stayed strong.   I urge you all to keep the Solidarity momentum going. Keep on planning the day of actions at your work place.

Once again, I would like to thank the Executives, Picket Captains, Zone coordinators and the volunteers for putting in long hours every day to make things easier for all of us.

I know and I can assure you all that we will be strong, and powerful in 2025.

Season’s greetings and Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

Dear Members,

I would personally like to thank each and every one of you who made it out to the picket lines to support our Members who have struggled through the past 4 and a half weeks, showing our strength against the employer in our fight for a fair contract at the bargaining table. Unfortunately, we did not achieve our goals at the bargaining table, and the CIRB has ordered us back to work until such time as a Collective Agreement can be properly negotiated, with negotiations needing to be completed by May.

The office is working diligently to address the issues with the Discrepancy Forms, and this process has taken longer than we anticipated. Working within the parameters of Daily Strike Pay has also proven to be a challenge. That said, I would like to provide an update to the Membership.

On Tuesday, December 17th, the CIRB ordered us back to work. As a part-time Officer, and with other Members volunteering in the office, this created some challenges. Article 26.06(b) requires 5 days’ notice to the employer to be booked off on Union Business, which slowed down our progress. There was uncertainty about whether the book-offs would be honored, meaning we would have to wait 5 days before being officially booked off to resume the necessary work. I was able to get my book-off done to keep things moving, but other Members had to wait an extra day before they were booked off.

read more here

Vancouver local members will be picketing in front of liberal Ministers offices in the lower mainland.

If you are interested in volunteering your time between 8am to 10am on Monday December 16^th please show up to any of the below offices with your picket signs.

MP Parm Bains

11331 Coppersmith way, Richmond BC

Honourable Harjit Sajjan

6406 Victoria drive, Vancouver BC

Honourable Terry Beech

3906 East Hastings, Burnaby BC

MP Taleeb Noormohamed

3077 Granville street, Vancouver BC

Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

310 Esplande E #201, North Vancouver BC

Let’s make some noise and let the Liberals know ordering us back to work illegally under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code is a massive violation of workers rights and Canadian democracy.

Canada Post must bargain in good faith.  For more information please contact

[email protected]

[email protected]

In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

 

Our members are angry and disappointed  after this morning’s announcement by the minister of labour, Mr. McKinnon. It is definitely a sad day for us and it is unfortunate that the employer could not come back to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair Collective Agreement for its workers. We all need to stay strong and united at these times.

There will be much more information coming out in the next days so unless  anything changes, we will be holding the picket lines.

Stay United Stay Informed

In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

 

 

While Canada Post management continues to delay progress in negotiating a fair deal with us, they are still receiving their full wages, including bonuses. Meanwhile, our sick and injured coworkers are left to struggle on their own, as their medical costs and short-term disability payments have been callously cut off by a corporation that shows little regard for their well-being.

As your Local Grievance Officer, I am advising all members to file grievances:

• If you were receiving short term disability payments at the start of this strike
• Or you were receiving medical benefits under our long-term disability plan

If you have had these payments and benefits cut off, I will fight to have them paid for by this heartless Corporation. Please contact me directly at the Hall for further direction.

Allan Dobbs (604) 685-6581 ext. 5

In Solidarity,

 

Allan Dobbs, Grievance Officer

I have been involved since 1974 on countless strikes conducted by CUPW. Several lasted a long time.

In some situations, the employer brought in scabs and drove them through our picket lines to break our resolve.

I started in Scarborough Ontario and we held the line to stop the employer from introducing a new classification to deal with mechanized mail preparation. Because of that experience we had to strike again so that we could negotiate provisions for technological change.

The issues in those two strikes were remarkably similar to the present situation where the employer, among other concessions, seeks to create positions with lesser wages, benefits and security to deal with changing work and processes at Canada Post.

I was on picket lines in Scarborough, Vancouver, Nelson, Edmonton (as local president) and was also National Director and National Executive Board member during the 2011 strike when Stephen Harper and Pierre Poilievre legislated an end to the strike after only days of rotating strikes. That legislation aimed to destroy our pension plan and even reduced the employers wage offer at the time. These politicians are not there to help us as workers. A Liberal government jailed Jean Claude Parrot for standing up to them.

From my experience I have seen how strikes build our solidarity and create an environment of cooperation and support among workers. This solidarity will continue even after you return to work.

Strikes are a time when we question our futures at work and in society as a whole. We start to see the unfairness of the situation as it pertains to workers. The experience is remarkably similar in every local large and small across our country. Other union members from other occupations will join us on our picket lines and in our rally’s because they identify with our struggle.

During an extended strike some people will experience insecurity and some will face hardships that are frightening. We are all in.

John Bail (Retiree)