Category: Publications

Today, the Conservative government of Stephen Harper introduced legislation to deny 48,000 postal workers the basic democratic right to free collective bargaining. The law, which was introduced at the request of Canada Post management, contains arbitrary financial penalties to be applied against postal workers. It also provides for a process of final offer arbitration where the mandate of the arbitrator ensures that the process is bias towards the employer. Features of the legislation include:

Extension of the collective agreement: the collective agreement is restored until a new agreement has been determined by the arbitrator. The new agreement will expire on January 31, 2015.

Lower Wages Imposed by the law: The bill legislates wage increases that fall significantly below Canada Post’s last offer of 1.9% in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and 2.0 % in 2014. The law includes increases of 1.75 % in 2011, 1.5% in 2012, 2% in 2013 and 2% in 2014. This would take $875.50 out of the pockets of an average full-time postal worker during the four years of the agreement. It represents a theft of $35 million from postal workers and their families.

Final Offer Selection: The new collective agreement will be decided by a government-appointed arbitrator. The parties will each submit a draft collective agreement and the arbitrator must choose one in its entirety.

Guiding Principles for the arbitrator: The arbitrator must consider the following:

• conditions of employment consistent with those in comparable postal industries
• the necessary flexibility to ensure the short term long-term economic viability and competitiveness of CPC
• maintain the health and safety of workers
• ensure the sustainability of pension plan
• take into account the solvency ratio of the pension
• operate efficiently, improve productivity and meet acceptable levels of service without undue rate increases.

Penalties: The law contains the usual penalties for non compliance: $50,000 for union officers, $1,000 for members and $100,000 for the union for each day.

CUPW Fighting Back: Across the country postal workers have been joined by our allies in protests against this unjust legislation. In the House of Commons the NDP has been doing everything possible to fight the law. The Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress, Hassan Yussuf, has been assisting us in our attempts to force Canada Post to get back to the negotiations table. We continue to be determined to negotiate a collective agreement that meets the needs of postal workers.

Show your strength, show your resolve, and participate in the activities organized by your local. Let’s tell Canada Post and the Harper government that postal workers will not give up the fight.

Contrary to media reports, there have been no negotiations taking place in Ottawa. Today, CPC contacted the finance sub-table asking us to provide them with costing information. They also suggested they may have questions concerning our most recent proposals, which they have already told us they rejected. Just as they have done for almost eight months, CPC is waiting for the back-to-work legislation that they so desperately wanted. Instead of negotiating, they will be provided with a government-appointed arbitrator, who will have a mandate to attack the rights and benefits that postal workers have struggled for decades to achieve.

Timeline of Treachery

May 24: CPC begins its disinformation campaign. It issues a news release claiming CUPW demands would cost $1.4 Billion. It never attempts to explain the number.

June 1: CPC continues its disinformation campaign and claims mail volumes have declined 17% since 2006.

June 2-11:59 p.m.: CUPW begins rotating strikes.

June 3: CPC cuts off drug coverage and other benefits to all employees, including those on sick leave and disability insurance.

June 7: CPC claims mail volumes have declined by 50% since June 3^rd. This does not correspond with information from postal facilities.

June 8: CPC announces it will stop letter carrier delivery on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

June 9: Labour Minister Lisa Raitt requests that the union suspends its rotating strikes and that CPC resumes postal service. CPC Chief Operating Officer claims CUPW has more than 50 demands on the table. CPC reneges on several of their offers.

June 10: CUPW agrees to suspend strike activity and continues to negotiate.  At 6 p.m., Canada Post management rejects the union’s offer.

June 13: CUPW accuses Canada Post of aggressively trying to force postal workers out on a full-scale national strike in order to secure back-to-work legislation from the majority Conservative government.

June 14 (morning): CPC claims to have lost $70 million in revenue since June 3^rd. In answering the question of a reporter, Labour Minister Raitt says there is no need for back-to-work legislation at Canada Post since it is only a rotating strike and the mail was still moving.

June 14 (evening): CPC claims to have lost almost $100 million in revenue since June 3^rd. It announces an immediate national lockout.

June 15 (morning): Labour Minister Raitt says she has received very few complaints about the rotating postal strikes.

June 15 (afternoon): Labour Minister Raitt announces that in response to CPC’s national lockout she will introduce back-to-work legislation.

The manner by which CPC provoked the government to introduce back-to-work legislation, explains their refusal to truly negotiate during the past eight months. They began negotiations determined to attack the rights and benefits of the workers who have made Canada Post a profitable company for 16 years. Now they have been rewarded for their intransigence by the Harper government.

Meeting With Chopra

Today, we met with CPC president Deepak Chopra and other members of the CPC Negotiating Committee. We discussed all of the major issues that remain in dispute and the problems associated with CPC’s bargaining strategy during the last eight months of negotiations.

We explained to Mr. Chopra the movements that the Union has made on both our demands and management’s issues.

We also reviewed the mandate of the post office under the Canada Post Corporation Act and stressed the need to improve both labour relations and service to the public.

Mr. Chopra discussed the financial losses incurred by CPC as a result of the national lockout and our rotating strikes and stated management would be re-evaluating its position.

Time For Decision

Mr. Chopra has a major decision to make during the next few days. It is clear that the parties are still far apart because of CPC’s demands for concessions and their refusal to address the proposals of the union on issues such as health and safety, staffing and service expansion. If Canada Post management has the will, there is still a way to negotiate an agreement. The parties are both completely aware of the issues.

There is still time to negotiate if CPC wants to.

Postal Workers Can Be Proud

On behalf of the CUPW National Executive Board and National Negotiating Committee, I wish to congratulate every member of the Union for your courage and discipline during our rotating strikes and CPC’s national lockout. This has been a long and difficult eight months of negotiations.

Throughout this process, we have demonstrated, time and time again, that our greatest strength is the commitment and resolve of the membership, 48,000 strong, proud and determined.