Moya Greene Unleashes Blitzkreig on Retirement Benefits

On October 26, 2009, Canada Post launched a lightning strike on CUPW retirement benefits. In a notice sent to the National Union, Canada Post advised that it intends to offload the cost of dental and medical plan premiums onto future retirees:

The purpose of this notice is to advise you that effective November 1, 2009, all employees who are hired by Canada Post on or after November 1, 2009 and who later meet the eligibility criteria will be required to pay 100% for the premiums for the retiree dental plan. In addition, effective November 1, 2009, all employees who are hired by Canada Post on or after November 1, 2009 who are residents of British Columbia (BC) will no longer be reimbursed for the BC provincial Medical Insurance Plant Premium (Medical Services Plan (MSP) of British Columbia) once they retire.

Employees hired before November 1, 2009 will receive retirement benefits in accordance with the terms of the current plan, for the time being. But there’s no telling when CEO Moya Greene and company will strike next.

In the meantime, Canada Post has started to lay the groundwork for a two-tiered retirement benefit plan, one which will significantly reduce the quality of retirement benefits by shifting the cost of medical and dental premiums onto the retirees of the future.

More on Canada Post’s STD Plan

Our wages, benefits, and job security are tied to the collective bargaining process and remain in effect during the current Collective Agreement, set to expire on January 31, 2011.

Although the parties are still months away from formally commencing negotiations, Canada Post has already started its campaign, using employee forums and corporate propaganda to extol the virtues of the Short Term Disability (STD) that was recently forced on UPCE members, to convince CUPW members that they must give up their current sick leave benefits. Recently described by Moya Greene and Vice-President Doug Jones as “gold-plated” and “top of the line”, the STD would eliminate our current entitlement of fifteen (15) sick days per year and replace that entitlement with an entitlement to seven (7) personal days per year, with limited carryover and no wage loss coverage for sick leave absences of less than five (5) days without banked sick leave credits or banked personal days.

Using recent VMPP sick leave averages as a reference (which excludes unpaid sick leave and long-term sick leave absences) there can be little doubt that many employees would inevitably be left without adequate wage loss protection for short-term sick leave absences:

The Second Anointment of Moya Greene

On September 11, 2009, Moya Greene was re-anointed President and CEO of Canada Post. Despite imposing cutbacks on Canada Post employees, Ms Greene will continue to enjoy her lavish and ever-increasing expense account, entitlement to personal chauffer, and 33% performance bonus, thus maintaining her status as Canada’s highest paid civil servant. At a time when employees are being asked to take less, Moya Greene is personally benefiting from her Modern Post.

In solidarity,

Ken Mooney

Regional Grievance Officer