Police arrest postal workers who wanted to talk to their MP

On Friday, November 29, several members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) were arrested while occupying the office of Liberal MP Terry Beech in Burnaby. Canada Post suspended group insurance coverage—which includes medical coverage, to all of its employees—in an attempt to pressure workers to give up their right to negotiate.

Anju Parmar, President of CUPW Vancouver Local 846, was among those workers who were arrested. “We're not talking about our benefits. We're talking about the ones who are vulnerable and who are sitting at home on long-term disability,” she told The North Star.

Some workers rely on such benefits to afford treatment for life-threatening ailments like cancer, for which medication can cost as much as $2,000 per day. 

In an attempt to get benefits for their members reinstated, union members attempted to speak in person with Terry Beech, MP for Burnaby North—Seymour, but he appeared to be absent. According to residents of the riding, he is notorious for being out of office whenever people try to visit.

“These management intimidation tactics, to my mind, the Labour Minister should be stepping in and making a ruling here,” CUPW picket captain and letter carrier Doug Kellam said of the cuts. “This is where the Labour Minister could intervene and direct Canada Post to reinstate members' benefits, especially members who are on short-term disability or are on long-term disability that require those benefits.”

While union members were at the MP's office, Beech's assistant managed to get him on the phone. “We explained why we are here, and we expect him to make a call to the personnel who's in charge and let Canada Post know that we are sitting here, and they should restore our benefits,” Parmar recalled.

Beech replied that no one would be answering his calls so late into the evening before hanging up.

The workers managed to get Beech on the phone a second time, but he was still unwilling to talk. "Basically, the second call was not very friendly. It was basically 'F--- off,' right? And then he hung up on us,” said Parmar. 

After refusing to leave, Parmar was arrested with about six other workers, including former CUPW national president Mike Palecek, "for trespassing.”

“And then they start handcuffing us one by one. And they ran out of handcuffs, actually.”

Kellam spoke in support of the union leadership, “We’re absolutely 100% behind our leadership on this, and the members who stepped up and did that [occupation of Beech’s constituency office]. And if necessary we’d like to see it across the country.”

Additionally, the company began laying off workers last week who were exercising their legal right to strike. CUPW has filed an Unfair Labour Practice Complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board in response.

In between these pressure tactics, the union has forwarded counterproposals to the appointed Special Mediator in this new round of negotiations. CUPW says it has been “ready to return to the mediation since it was suspended by the Government’s Special Mediator.”

In a statement posted to its website, the union says, “We all want CUPW members to get back on the job with their rights protected, health and safety issues resolved, wages that reflect inflation, and security for the future in new collective agreements.”