How Canada Post Undermined the Strike Through Purolator

As Canada Post workers are forced back to work, the Crown Corporation made some underhanded moves to bypass the strike. Sudden influxes of freight and parcels from government offices to major courier companies such as Purolator and UPS has raised concerns from courier workers, who fear they may have unwittingly become strikebreakers. 

The North Star got in touch with Jason*, a courier for Purolator from the prairies, who described the sudden influx of freight, and what kind of parcels have appeared at Purolator since the strike began in November. 

In many cities, Canada Post workers began picketing outside of Purolator shipping centres during their strike. Workers had reported that Purolator, which Canada Post has a 90% stake in, had been delivering government lettermail cheques as Purolator signatory parcels.

When asked if he had seen parcels sent by the Government of Canada, Jason “recalled seeing parcels from the 'CPC' [...] that is to say I have seen pieces that originated from the 'Case Processing Centre'.”

The case processing centres are centralized visa and immigration processing offices for the Canadian government. 

Canada Post has exclusive rights to the delivery of government lettermail, but through a legal loophole, Purolator could deliver government mail as “parcels”, completely bypassing workers who have volunteered to deliver necessary government cheques during their strike.

Purolator workers noted an unusually high number of parcels coming through their distribution hubs. Couriers like Jason have questioned if, and how many of these parcels, were being passed down from Canada Post.

“Generally, my particular hub will handle about somewhere between 300 and 400 feet of freight”, says Jason. “Our busiest day of the year is usually the Wednesday after Cyber Monday, we would see 500, maybe at most 600 feet of trailer. We received 1350 feet of trailer”, one evening during the strike. 

December 6, Purolator and UPS were forced to put a freeze on receiving any more shipments due to the immense volume that is moving through their freight hubs. 

Despite the Teamsters, the union that represents Purolator, DHL, and UPS workers stating that they would not handle any Canada Post packages for the duration of the strike, Jason reassured that “this wouldn't happen anyway, regardless of a strike; Canada Post can't just say: 'take our packages from us', to circumvent this strike.”

In other words, Canada Post could not openly pass off its backlog to its private subsidiary, and Purolator trucks could not drive to Canada Post warehouses for packages. Although according to Jason, “if you look at it, it's undeniable that we're getting twice to three times the normal amount of freight. I don't think our sales reps are that good.”

“You know, it has to be coming from somewhere, and the only plausible basis is from Canada Post. I got to get my parcels delivered, and it's got a Purolator label, and nothing that clearly says Canada Post on it. It's plausible deniability.”

Postal workers began their strike on November 15 demanding better wages and the implementation of a way forward for the company. Canada Post has been in a $315 million deficit, largely due to mismanagement. Despite pledging not to get involved, the Federal Government has invoked section 107 of the Canadian Labour Code, much to the outrage of workers. 

For Jason, it was “important that [postal workers] win their strike because I feel that, if they are able to bully workers of Canada Post successfully, then they will deploy that bargaining team and those lawyers against us. We will be bargaining in two years and I would like to be able to get a good contract, but it's important we stand strong and that we all support them because when they make gains, and they make wins it benefits us all.”

*The North Star has published Jason's statements under a pseudonym at their request