Canada’s mail system could be shut down after the country’s postal workers overwhelmingly voted in favour of a strike that could begin as early as September 26.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) held strike votes at local unions across the country between August 7 and September 9, with 93.8 per cent of postal operations workers and 95.9 per cent of rural and suburban mail carriers voting to walk off the job if an agreement can't be reached with Canada Post Corporation.
“Over the last decade, the working conditions of all our members has deteriorated, leaving many overburdened, with little time for their home life,” Mike Palacek, President of CUPW, said in a written media statement that announced the strike vote results.
The union said increasing parcel volumes have been a burden on unionized staff and mail carriers need guaranteed minimum hours and job security to carry on going forward. The union added that 8,000 rural and suburban letter carriers across Canada currently earn at least 25 per cent less than urban letter carriers.
Contract negotiations between Canada Post and CUPW began in November 2017. The collective agreement for the rural and suburban letter carriers expired on December 31, 2017, while the collective agreement for the urban postal operations unit, which has 42,000 members nationwide, expired on January 31, 2018.
In a written statement, Canada Post said it continues to try and find common ground with CUPW. “We remain focused on working toward a successful resolution,” the company said.
