55,000 Postal Workers Could Strike as CEO Plans Lockout

The showdown begins: 55,000 postal workers filed a strike notice on November 12. If they don't agree on the terms of a work contract with Canada Post by tomorrow, they will walk off the job to increase the pressure. In response to this announcement, the Crown corporation is threatening to lock out workers, preventing them from returning to work, to force them to accept their terms.

Doug Ettinger, CEO of Canada Post, released a troubling statement just after the strike notice was issued. He explains that since the collective agreement expires on November 15, he reserves the right to change working conditions and fire workers as he sees fit.

He warns workers that Canada Post will “adjust staffing levels in operations to reflect operational realities, including but not limited to layoffs as well as reductions in the number of temporary/on-call employees and part-time hours.” He adds that the Crown corporation will “adjust leave provisions and benefits in line with the statutory minimum conditions established under the Canada Labour Code.”

The gulf between workers and the CEO is huge. Despite negotiating with Canada Post for the past year, many key issues the workers face remain unresolved. Some of the workers' demands include:

• safer working conditions,
• fair wages to keep up with the cost of living and inflation,
• improvements to group benefit plans,
• improved rights for temporary employees,
• improved protection against technological change, and
• improved staffing. 

“We’re not just bargaining for ourselves; we’re bargaining for the public and for all workers,” said CUPW National President Jan Simpson, in a statement released on Tuesday, November 12. “Too many people have fallen behind over the last few years while executives’ salaries keep rising.”

“When unionized workers make gains, it lifts up all communities, bringing widespread benefits. We are committed to negotiating the best collective agreements possible for our members while also protecting the valued and cherished public postal service.”

Canada Post executives are pushing for service cuts because of the corporation's financial difficulties. Online retail and the emergence of private postal services like Amazon's are causing a drop in revenues. Through their union, CUPW, postal workers are pushing for a different solution through their Delivering Community Power campaign.

The workers propose avenues that would bring in revenue and make Canada Post useful to communities. For example, they call for postal banking services, elder check-ins, affordable food delivery services, electric vehicle recharging centres and community hubs. These measures have already been applied in other countries, such as at the Banque Postale in France.