Author: CUPW Vancouver

After more than seven months of difficult and frustrating negotiations, CUPW has initiated strike activity. Tonight, members of the Winnipeg local will be the first postal workers to legally strike in more than thirteen years.

The purpose of our strike is to encourage CPC management to return to the bargaining table with a proposal that meets the needs of current and future postal workers.

The Union entered into these negotiations determined to address many workplace problems, such as excessive workload, inadequate staffing, and the constant harassment of workers when they are sick or injured. We also came with proposals to address the problems resulting from the introduction of the new equipment and sequencing of mail as part of CPC’s $2 billion Modern Post program. Examples of our proposals include greater rotation of duties, ergonomic studies, proper time values and the implementation of a one bundle delivery method for points of call other than centralize delivery and stop and go.

 

Little Progress on our Demands

During the past seven months, we have been able to make some important progress. We have convinced CPC to drop some of the concessions that they initially demanded. However, we have yet to receive a serious offer from management which addresses the very real problems experienced by postal workers. Management has yet to drop its major demands to eliminate our sick leave and impose an inferior short-term disability plan and significantly lower pay rates and pensions for new hires.

 

Negotiations Continue

Yesterday we met with senior management in an effort to break the current impasse. They made some minor adjustments to their proposal including the suggestion of final offer binding arbitration of the demand to eliminate our sick leave plan. There was almost no movement on our issues. Today there were meetings of both the delivery and operations sub-tables. There was some movement on the part of CPC but nothing on the major outstanding issues. Today we again met with the Minister of Labour, Lisa Raitt. We informed her that we would commence strike action tomorrow to provoke CPC to engage in serious negotiations. Currently the National Executive Board is reviewing the issues. We expect to meet senior post office management tomorrow.

 

Future Strike Activity

The NEB will evaluate the situation on a daily basis and determine our strike strategy based on developments at the bargaining table. All members are encouraged to visit www.cupw.ca to learn about up-to-date developments in negotiations and to see when your local will be called into action.

 

Media Advisory

 

What:	The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is holding a press conference.
When:	Friday, June 3, 2011 at 9 a.m.
Where:	377 Bank Street (corner of Lewis/James) 1st floor
Who:	CUPW National President and Chief Negotiator Denis Lemelin and members of the Negotiating Committee will be on hand to speak with the media about negotiations and strike activities.

 

Press Kits will be Available in French and in English

 

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The strike will begin at 11:59 p.m. EDT in Winnipeg (10:59 p.m. CDT). The Winnipeg local will be on strike for 24 hours, after which the strike will continue in other locations to be announced later.

The purpose of this strike activity is to encourage Canada Post Corporation to abandon their proposals for significant concessions and instead negotiate solutions to the very real problems that are being experienced by 48,000 postal workers.

Winnipeg has been chosen as the location for the first strike activity because it was the first city to be impacted by Canada Post’s modernization program. The results have been a sharp deterioration of service to the public as well as a host of health and safety problems experienced by postal workers due to the new work methods and equipment.

CUPW has negotiations demands designed to resolve these problems and we want Canada Post to address them.

Meetings with CPC President Chopra and Labour Minister Raitt

Today we had meetings with CPC President Chopra and Labour Minister Raitt. In the first meeting with CPC President Deepak Chopra and CPC Chief Negotiator Mark MacDonell, both parties reviewed their positions. CPC President Chopra discussed the financial situation of the Corporation much in line with a media statement CPC released immediately prior to the meeting.

We informed Mr. Chopra that the union remained strongly opposed to the short-term disability plan and to lower wages and benefits for new hires as proposed by management. We told CPC President Deepak Chopra that we had several very important demands concerning staffing and the work process of both internal and external workers.

 

Meeting With Raitt

We then met with Labour Minister Lisa Raitt. At this meeting we were joined by mediator Jacques Lessard and another government official. CPC President Deepak Chopra and CPC Chief Negotiator Mark MacDonell also both attended. At this meeting Ms. Raitt encouraged both parties to resume negotiations.

We reminded Ms Raitt that it is the responsibility of the Minister of Labour to honour and promote the legal rights of workers and unions, including the right to negotiate and to strike over unresolved issues if necessary. Ms. Raitt acknowledged the union’s rights and requested that the parties meet with her again in the near future to update her as to the progress of negotiations.

 

No Meetings Yet

As of 5:00 p.m. EDT, there are no meetings scheduled between the parties. To date CPC has not responded to any of the new positions advanced by the union in our final offer except to say no.

CPC Says “NO”

Today we met with the CPC bargaining committee to receive their response to our final offer. At the meeting, which lasted less than 10 minutes, the Employer stated that they were rejecting our offer in its entirety. Basically they said nothing more than what was contained in their press statement of yesterday. The only exception was that they acknowledged we had moved dramatically on some issues.

 

CPC Prefers Media Messages to Negotiations

Instead of negotiating with the Union, CPC issued a statement commenting on the importance of postal service to rural residents, seniors and small businesses. In their statement, they also say they are ‘offering employees better pay and benefits than they currently enjoy.’

They do not say:

• They are demanding an end to sick leave for all employees and the imposition of a short-term disability plan that provides inadequate coverage for short term illnesses and threatens medical privacy;

• They have been attempting to reduce service in rural areas;

• They have not responded to the Union’s proposals to extend door-to-door delivery service to seniors and persons with mobility restrictions;

• They have rejected all of our proposals to follow the example of other postal administrations and diversify into financial and banking services;

• They are demanding a starting wage, which is 22% less than the current starting rate.

 

CUPW Meets With Labour Minister Raitt

Today, we also met with the Federal Minister of Labour, Lisa Raitt. She suggested she would organize a meeting with CPC President Deepak Chopra for tomorrow. We agreed to the meeting. At the time of writing this alert, no time has been set for the meeting.