Talks Resume (Urban Unit)

As stated in our previous bulletin, we contacted Canada Post Corporation to see if they were interested in holding talks to resolve the contract arbitration which was imposed on the parties as part of last year’s back-to-work legislation. Yesterday, we met with CPC management and both sides agreed to hold discussions late next week in an attempt to settle the arbitration of the contract. It is obvious that the parties are far apart on many issues. However, the union believes it is our responsibility to make every effort possible to reach a satisfactory negotiated settlement as opposed to having a contract imposed on us.

Discussions Must Be Confidential

Unlike normal negotiations where the members are informed of various positions of the employer and the union, in this process, the parties must maintain confidentiality to protect their position in front of the arbitrator. This allows the parties to have an open discussion and ensures that the process will not undermine any positions that may be taken if we end up in Final Offer Selection.

Should these discussions fail, we will proceed with the final offer arbitration process once the Minister of Labour appoints an arbitrator.

Results Will Be Conveyed

While the positions of the parties will remain confidential, the results of the discussions will be conveyed to you as soon as we have something definitive to say. If we are able to reach an agreement with CPC, it will be subject to a referendum vote of the membership.

The struggle continues.