PT News: August 22, 2013

• Details and schedules for the job fairs that have been proposed by Canada Post for some time in September. These job fairs will provide more specific details of the work assignments that will be created at the new Pacific Processing Plant. Canada Post has prepared a booklet for workers that will be moving there, which describes the various sections and assignments.
• Counter-proposals to staffing profiles that were provided to the Union by Canada Post late last month. We will be raising a number of issues with respect to the greater numbers assigned to the evening and night shifts as well as their proposal to create a full-time PO5 section performing PO4 work in Parcels & Packets.
• The bidding process will be discussed. As previous bulletins have indicated, the Vancouver Local Executive has recommended to the CUPW National Executive Board that an open bid should be held for the new PPC. Given that the move-in dates for the PPC are in late February and early March of 2014, we will not be requesting the regular annual shift bid for Group 1 in the VMPPS that would ordinarily be implemented in January.
• The structure of the interim PT Joint Health & Safety Committee will be discussed. This committee will be responsible for dealing with the health and safety aspects of the move and transition to the PPC operation.
• Technical Services (Group 3/4) issues will be addressed. There have been a number of ongoing discussions regarding this group and the impact that the move and the introduction of new equipment will have upon them. Canada Post recently agreed to solicit volunteers from this group to be trained by Toshiba on the new Multi-Line equipment. While we were in agreement in principle with this exercise, we have since discovered that the canvassing may not have been done in a transparent and fair manner.
• Separate meetings will be scheduled in the future to discuss the accommodation needs of our members who have limitations. Canada Post has a legal duty to accommodate individuals with limitations. We are concerned that some of our members may have self-accommodated over the years and may find themselves with an assignment after the bid that they are not able to do. It is imperative that they contact the Union Hall immediately if they have concerns. We will provide advice and raise any issues at consultation with management to give effect to their accommodation.

Please note that the bulletins put out by the Union thus far have been primarily dealing with the move to the PPC. References made to the bidding, job fairs and so on are only applicable to Group 1 workers that are currently holding assignments in the VMPPS Post Office; which is comprised of the VMPP and the VPDC. The Metro-Vancouver Retail, Vancouver Delivery and Transportation Post Offices will be addressed in the future. The Union has not received notices from the Corporation regarding these areas yet. While we are aware that there will be significant changes coming to the MSC complement, necessitated by the move to the PPC as well other possible future movements of Letter Carrier Depots, we have not received specific details. We have been informed that PT restructures for Letter Carrier Depots will begin in the fall of 2014 with North Vancouver 3 and 4 being the first. It is expected that the rest of the Local’s Depots will follow in fairly short order in 2015. We were advised by CPC that we should expect to receive notices regarding these Group 2 work areas by October of this year. We have not received information pertaining to Retail at this time.

If you have concerns that you would like to bring to our attention please direct them to [email protected] . Telephone messages may also be left with our staff at the Union Hall.
In Solidarity,