Canada Post Withdraws Insurance From Cancer-Stricken Worker

In a move described as inhumane and designed to put pressure on its striking workers, Canada Post has decided to suspend group insurance coverage for all its employees. The consequences are serious: the employer is endangering the health and even the lives of several workers and their families. The North Star spoke to one of the victims of this measure.

“There are employees who had coverage for people with cancer,” explains union leader Pierre-Marc Allaire Dally. “Now they find themselves with nothing.” He gives the example of a couple with a child suffering from leukemia. They are no longer reimbursed for his medication, worth around $14,000 a month.

Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger sent a threatening letter to workers on September 12. He warned them that, in the absence of a deal for a new collective agreement, he would proceed with massive layoffs and cut group insurance. He kept his word.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) put The North Star in touch with Sylvie, a postal worker in the Greater Montreal area. Sylvie is a pseudonym, the striking worker having wished to remain anonymous for fear of employer reprisals.

“My life is in the hands of Canada Post”

“It's a matter of survival,” says Sylvie. “My life is in the hands of Canada Post. If I don't have access to my medication, what's going to happen to me? I can't miss a single pill.” The worker was diagnosed with incurable stage 4 lung cancer in early 2023.

But Sylvie considers herself lucky in her misfortune. Every day, she takes a treatment that could extend her life expectancy by several years. So she decided to return to her daily life and do what she loves: spending time with her family, travelling and working at Canada Post.

“Being able to return to work has given me hope,” she says. “It makes me forget my illness. I eat well. I prepare my own meals. I go to work. I'm with my colleagues. We have fun.”

Before the strike began, the union had already begun preparing its members for the possibility of group insurance cuts. CUPW suggested that workers pick up several months' worth of medication at the pharmacy.

This is what Sylvie tried to do, but was refused. “The medication costs close to $10,000 a month. So you can't just leave with three boxes.” Still, she managed to pick up doses that will take her until December 28.

“It's driving me up the wall. I want my medicine. I made nearly 25 calls. I was always waiting, worried, stressed. In my situation, I can't afford to be stressed.

The feedback Sylvie received from Canada Post's insurance and human resources departments was very cold. “AccèsRH and Canada Life told me, 'We've been instructed to stop giving you access to your insurance'. Canada Post refused. I said, 'Are you going to let me die on the picket line?' They replied that this is the directive they got from Canada Post.”

She insists: “The public has to know. What we're going through at Canada Post isn't just about wage increases. We paid for our insurance! And now they're denying us access to it. We're not talking about a little cortisone cream. This is chemo treatment!”

“I challenge the people who make these decisions. If they had people like me in their family, would they say, 'Okay, we'll cut your medication,'” she adds. “I'm not the only one in this situation. I've known others who have $8,000 to pay. Some are in the hospital."

Sylvie's efforts lasted nearly three weeks. “Every day counts. Then you want to live them to the full, not in insecurity or stress. From the start, my body was shaking."

But yesterday, a stroke of luck. Her twenty or so calls may have paid off, as the hospital's oncology department managed to reach an agreement with RAMQ, Quebec's public health insurer. She's still waiting for her doctor to fill out all the paperwork. But she may well have obtained her medication for the duration of the strike, after three weeks of hell.

Sylvie says she feels fortunate to have the energy to go through all this trouble, which is not the case for everyone. “Even though the RAMQ called me yesterday and I'm safe, there are others who aren't in my situation. So, if my testimony today can help them be heard, all the better.”

“You know, I was proud when I was hired at the post office. Now, it's… I'm ashamed. I have tremendous support from my colleagues. But I felt abandoned by Canada Post, like others who are sick.”

A belligerent practice

The Crown corporation covers 95% of group insurance premiums from the profits generated by its employees' work, whereas employees pay 5% directly from their salaries.

According to many suppliers, the average group insurance premium in Canada ranges from $125 to $335 per month. A quick calculation, based on an average of $230, reveals that Canada Post has already saved over six million dollars on the backs of its employees. That's 8% of its declared deficit for the year, in just two weeks.

Quebec law requires employers to maintain group insurance coverage for at least 30 days after the start of a strike. In addition, insurers must allow workers to convert their group plan to an individual plan after these 30 days. But Canada Post is under federal jurisdiction.

In the rest of Canada, the law does not provide for this kind of protection. But agreements between the parties to maintain these protections are common. Fred Hahn, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario, said earlier this year, however, that relations with management on this issue were becoming increasingly strained.

Even though it's an essential service, companies are tending more and more to withdraw insurance during strikes. This is a rather belligerent practice, which tends to add fuel to the fire of strikers' anger. 

Unwavering support for the strike

Despite her condition, Sylvie is out on the picket lines all week. “We're approaching the holidays, and with Black Friday, people are doing a lot of shopping. Canada Post has to be aware that they're losing money too! So we want it to work. We want people to get their parcels. We want to work. We want to serve them.”

“But right now, it's taking forever. We're starting the third week, what's going to happen? I have no idea. But I support my colleagues, because I know there are issues at stake. We're seeing setbacks every time. It's a shame that the public is being told that Canada Post workers are the bad guys, but no, that's not it.”

Instead, Sylvie recalls the bonuses paid to Canada Post bosses and supervisors. “Their little bonuses are all well and good. But we don't have any. If they get the bonus, it's because of us down here, on the floor, who do the work so that they get it. Let them come down and do the work.

She concludes: “It's a cry from the heart to them. I'm fighting for my survival, and I think it's sad that Canada Post should be involved in preventing me from getting treatment. I want to take care of myself. I want to live. It's unacceptable, and I won't accept it. I won't let it happen."