CUPW Presents Global Offer

Negotiations Bulletin no. 46 – May 22, 2011

Today, in an effort to energize negotiations CUPW presented a global offer to the Canada Post Corporation negotiating committee.

In response to CPC’s global offer we have presented a comprehensive offer that represents the priorities of the CUPW membership. In line with our 94.5% strike vote we informed Canada Post management that we are totally opposed to their proposal for the elimination of sick leave and the imposition of the short-term disability plan administered by Manulife. We also told the Corporation that the Union rejected the Corporation’s proposal for a 22% reduction in the starting wage rate for future hires and two‑tier benefits and pensions for current temporary employees and future hires.

Major elements of the Union’s global offer include:

Job Security: Full job security to all regular employees.

Wages and Benefits:

Three and one-half year collective to expire July 31, 2014.
Wage Increases:

$0.85 per hour effective February 1, 2011
$0.88 per hour effective February 1, 2012
$0.91 per hour effective February 1, 2013
$0.94 per hour effective February 1, 2014

Cost of living allowance (COLA) that fully protects our wages from inflation.
$3.00 per hour premium for certified heavy duty truck mechanics.
Temporary employees to receive a 6% supplement in lieu of benefits.
Employees shall not be required to reimburse workers compensation payments provided there is no fraud.
Top-up payments for employees receiving EI benefits for parental and compassionate care leave.
Include dental implant coverage and accept CPC proposal for dental fee guide.
Add athletic therapy and include drugs prescribed during a hospital stay that must be taken afterwards to the Extended Health Care Plan.
Increase the Education Fund from 3 cents to 4 cents per hour and provide indexation.
Redirect the CTI money to job creation and wage increases.
Increase the minimum payment to the Childcare Fund to $550,000 per quarter and eliminate dependency on CPC profits.
Incorporate the pension plan into the collective agreement.

Service Expansion and Job Creation:

CPC provide banking and financial services.
Expanded door-to-door delivery.
Maintain a minimum of 535 corporate postal outlets.
Contract-in work of Groups 3 and 4.

Human Rights and Respect:

Prohibit harassment from Manulife or any other provider and protect the privacy of medical information.
Accept CPC’s counterproposal on human rights training.
Accept CPC’s counterproposal on aboriginal hiring.

Health and Safety:

Include measures to reduce compulsory overtime.
Accept CPC’s assurances that psychological violence and bullying is included in Workplace Violence (33.31).
Ergonomic studies to be conducted prior to the introduction of new equipment or work methods.
Improve job rotation.
Stools and oversize manual sortation cases to be referred to the National Joint Health and safety Committee.

Staffing:

Provide effective control measures to guarantee proper staffing at the local level.
Accept CPC’s counterproposal concerning the merging of the PO-2, PO-4 and PO-5 classifications into PO-5 and PO-5 Part Time classifications subject to agreement on job descriptions.
Greater access to information on staffing for Group 1.
Seniority to apply when CPC terminates the daily assignment of temporary employees.
Maintain practices with respect to 39.05 so that all employees (in the section for full-time employees and in the installation for part-time) must be compensated when CPC violates the rules governing offers of overtime.
Elimination of restrictions for the choice of periods for pre-retirement leave.
Remove the requirement for employees who have transferred to remain in a GROUP for 12 months with the exception of bilingual positions.

Work Methods:

Elimination of the multiple-bundle delivery method for all points of call except stop and go and centralized points of call.
Concerning Appendixes “V” and “CC” the Union is willing to consider several of CPC’s proposals, provided that CUPW will be able to demand the adoption of standards or time allowances where none are currently provided. Time values must be provided for all letter carrier duties.
Update the parcel delivery model (Appendix “S”) and adapt this model for letter carrier motorized routes.
Include full values and adequate weight standards for all householder preparation and delivery and establish interim and final standards.
Adjust the percentage of coverage for external duties to more accurately reflect the letter carriers’ workload.
Quick access to expedited arbitration to correct faulty route structures.
If CPC agrees to record all absences in the bar charts except those of relief letter carriers and temporary employees CUPW will agree to a combined relief complement.

Other issues:

Accept CPC’s counterproposal concerning driver’s license abstracts and the requirement that employees must have the appropriate driver’s license to obtain a position in units with a majority of motorized routes.
Provide parties an option to settle grievance backlog.
Delivery support to be performed by Group 1 employees in postal stations that have been sequenced.
Update and renew agreements in appendix “C”.
CPC to provide guarantee that disability insurance surplus to be shared equally.
CUPW proposes that the list of arbitrators must be reviewed to replace vacancies on the arbitrator panel.
Issues previously referred to interest arbitration under Article 29 will remain before the arbitrator unless resolved in these negotiations.

In solidarity,

Denis Lemelin
National President and Chief Negotiator