Postal workers held rotating strikes at the country’s largest mail sorting plants in Toronto on Wednesday – impacting letter and parcel shipments nationwide.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said its members are intentionally delaying shipments of tens of thousands of letters and parcels across the country in an effort to protest the latest contract demands made by Canada Post, which is locked in fractious negotiations with the union.
The job actions have virtually shut down Canada Post’s Gateway parcel sorting facility in Mississauga, which processes two-thirds of all parcels shipped within Canada, as well as the South Central mail processing plant in Toronto’s east end.
CUPW has said the walkouts will continue until Canada Post revises its contract proposals for rural and urban mail carriers. The union and postal service have been unable to reach a new collective agreement during 10 months of negotiations.
Sticking points at the bargaining table include issues such as forced overtime, job security and pension benefits. On Monday and Tuesday, employee walkouts shut down postal operations in Victoria, Edmonton and Halifax, causing few delivery disruptions outside of those major cities. But the walkouts at the two Toronto plants impact all of Canada, especially parcel shipments.
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