Postal workers play a critical role in any country, more so with the holiday season fast approaching. Taking a page out of the NYT tech workers’ books, the same employees who went on strike to stand up for their rights during a critical period for their organization recently, Canada Post workers are now on strike. Around 55,000 workers announced a nationwide postal strike in Canada, their first in 2024, and the first since 2018.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) announced their strike on November 15 after extended negotiations with the Crown corporation were insufficient to meet their demands. For its part, Canada Post has released a brief about potential holiday mail delays as its services will be shut down for the duration of the strike.
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Canada Post Strike Announced as the Peak Holiday Season Inches Closer
Will Canada Post continue deliveries during the strike? The answer is no for the most part, as all work has come to a halt at the organization. Both Canada Post and the union have agreed that the delivery of government benefits checks for programs such as the Canada Pension Plan and Canada Child Tax Benefit, should not see any interruptions, and these should reach their destinations even during the strike period.
Explaining the consequences of the CUPW strike delays, Canada Post released a note stating “Customers will experience delays due to the strike activity. Mail and parcels will not be processed or delivered for the duration of the national strike, and some post offices will be closed. Service guarantees will be impacted for items already in the postal network. No new items will be accepted until the national disruption is over.”
Parcel deliveries will resume once the Canada Post strike ends, and the parcels will be delivered on a “first in, first out” basis. Unfortunately, there is no timeline available to understand when the strike could end, so customers with parcels already in the system can expect a long wait.
Considering Canada Post’s role in delivering packages for other organizations such as Amazon, order delays could be expected on that front as well, but only for those orders already handed over to Canada Post. Amazon has its own extensive delivery network and relies on other shipping agencies, so they may not face too many issues.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that Amazon customer returns shipped through Canada Post may be completed after the organization becomes fully functional again.
Canada Post Labor Negotiations at the Center of the Strikes
The Canada Post Strike began on Friday, November 15, when about 55,000 postal workers announced they would be off the job for the coming days. CUPW explained that after a year of negotiations, when they found the organization unwilling to negotiate “real solutions” to the concerns highlighted by the workers, the union made the difficult decision to strike.
Canada Post’s labor negotiations centered around “fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, and the expansion of services at the public post office.” In an earlier post when the union issued a 72-hour strike notice to Canada Post, it explained its demands in detail.
This included wage increases in line with inflation, COLA payments being rolled into basic wage rates, 10 additional bankable medical days to the 7 paid personal days they are currently allowed, precautionary cessation of work for pregnant and breastfeeding employees, and protection against harassment and technological changes.
CUPW Demands for RSMC and Urban Operations
Apart from the common demands, the union also posted its separate negotiation points for Canada Post’s Rural Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) and Urban Operations bargaining units. The RSMC demands include considerations such as job security, an improved hourly rate system, Improved rights for on-call relief employees, and the RSMC’s involvement in service expansion projects.
Similarly, the Urban Operations issues include improved staffing provisions, better rights for temporary workers, paid meals and rest periods for workers on the job for more than 5 hours, additional contracts, and a greater focus on service expansion projects.
The lack of consensus on these negotiation points has led to the CUPW strike and the subsequent service delays at Canada Post. The union felt that Canada Post’s threats of unwarranted changes to the working conditions and the risk of layoffs were unfair to the workers who just want to serve their communities while being fairly compensated for it.
What’s Next for Canada Post and its Delivery System
Journalist site Global News received a statement from a spokesperson from Canada Post explaining their stance on the situation. “Canada Post is at a critical juncture, losing $3 Billion since 2018 with losses continuing to mount,” the statement explained.
“Even with that, Canada Post has continued to put forward offers that protect and enhance what’s important to our current employees. We’ve offered competitive wage increases (11.5% over 4 years) and additional paid leave while protecting their defined benefit pension and job security provisions.”
The statement also explained that a new seven-day-a-week parcel delivery system was on the table and that this new delivery model could help the company regain its strength once workers return.
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon is not expected to intervene for now as he has already stepped in to resolve two similar incidents earlier this year. A formal mediator has been appointed to help further the negotiations between the two parties, according to Reuters.
As the mailing system functions as a critical public service, an extended strike by Canada Post workers could not only lead to holiday mail delays but extensive disruption to other infrastructure as well. If the negotiations do not take place in a timely manner, the labor minister could turn back to work legislation eventually.
Another consequence of a prolonged strike by Canada Post workers could be the gains made by competitor delivery services like UPS and FedEx. There are no current estimates on just how much the CUPW’s strike delays will affect Canada Post. With the business losses already mounting from before the onset of the conflict, it is in the postal service’s best interest to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
