Every summer, Postal Workers across Canada quietly brace for the menace that is the IKEA catalogues to arrive. However as we fast forward to October, the IKEA catalogues have yet to find their way into the waiting arms of Letter Carriers. Where did they go? Many of us have heard whispers in small corners and unconfirmed rumours of their arrival, pure gossip really, but nothing has materialized. Just as summer has come and gone, so have the IKEA catalogues. So what happened? The answer may not surprise you.
At the heart of this matter lays a movement. To fully understand what transpired, we have to look no further than the membership of CUPW. The same old merry-go-round of corporate gluttony had emerged yet again and this time, focused its efforts on working class families. On May 13, 2013, IKEA locked out its workers at its Richmond location. IKEA generates billions of dollars a year in profits and is seeking more! Since the beginning of this conflict, CUPW, in solidarity, has been in the trenches alongside the Teamsters Local 213. We did not waiver.
It has been reported that in an attempt to protect their image, IKEA postponed the August catalogue delivery. A few months later, Canada Post exposed their intent to commence the delivery of these IKEA catalogues. However, that intention was short lived. Together with the Vancouver Local, both Royal City and Fraser Valley Locals banded together with Teamsters 213 and spearheaded a campaign against the corporate effort to market products by this international company in the face of over three hundred (300) locked out workers at their Richmond store. This act of solidarity created a ripple effect across Canada. Canada Post tried to impose delivery in defiance of the nationally signed Memorandum of Agreement that outlines the dates for catalogue delivery. This ploy would not stand. It only furthered our resolve.
As a result, the ability of the corporate state to pacify the labour movement was dealt a crippling blow. This mass movement forced IKEA to cancel the delivery of their own catalogues, despite their efforts to massage their image and break the will of the workers. As I sit here writing this; I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride, a sense of purpose, a moment of bliss even. We overcame the odds, stood together in strength, and prevailed. Every feel-good story touches each and every one of us in a different way. Myself, I feel truly proud to say I am a member of CUPW and part of the labour movement, and so should you.
Today, victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat. Hope has been restored and solidarity renewed. The battle has been won but the war goes on. It remains clear; we shall march on with our heads held high, our dignity intact, and prepared to fight again – because as we know all too well, the struggle continues.
In Solidarity,
Chris Zukowsky
Acting President
ck/CUPE-3338