Canada Post workers went on strike early Friday after failing to reach an agreement with their employer. Both parties are still at the negotiating table and talks continue.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says approximately 55,000 workers in its urban, rural and suburban mail carrier (RSMC) bargaining units are striking, claiming little progress has been made in the bargaining process.
“Canada Post had the opportunity to prevent this strike, but it has refused to negotiate real solutions to the issues postal workers face every day,” the union said in a statement.
“Instead, Canada Post left us no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members exposed to layoffs.”
55,000 Canada Post workers are on strike, a move that will force businesses and consumers to seek shipping alternatives ahead of a busy holiday season.
The strike action comes ahead of Black Friday and the beginning of the holiday season, when Canadians rely on the postal service to send and receive gifts, packages and cards.
Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton confirmed to CBC News that both parties were still negotiating as of midday Friday .
The company said in a statement Friday morning that its operations will shut down, affecting millions of Canadians and businesses.
- What impact is the Canada Post strike having on you? What should be done about it? Leave your story, questions and opinions here and you might be featured on Cross Country Checkup‘s Nov. 17 show.
Mail and parcels, the Crown corporation said, will not be processed or delivered during the strike, and some post offices will be closed. Service guarantees will be affected for items already in the postal network and no new items will be accepted.
The union and the company have agreed that benefit cheques will still be mailed out during the strike, including for the Canada Child Benefit, Old Age Security and the Canada Pension Plan.
Once operations resume, the corporation said, mail and parcels will be delivered on a first-come, first-serve basis, but “a national strike of any length will impact service to Canadians well after the strike activity ends.”
No plans for back-to-work bill right now
Earlier this week, Canada Post said progress in the negotiations had been “slow and lacking on major issues.” The two sides began talks toward a new contract on Nov. 15, 2023.
Mark Lubinski, the Toronto local president of CUPW, said that Canada Post workers have fallen behind as the cost of living has gone up, with high rent and inflation leaving employees “unable to survive.”
“We’re prepared to be out here as long as we need to be,” Lubinski told CBC News.
He said Canada Post workers know that they provide an essential service and that they have no other choice after a year of negotiations with the Crown corporation.
“The climate seems to be that Canada Post and other employers are waiting for the government to legislate us back to work,” Lubinski said. “We want to negotiate a fair contract for our workers.”
During work stoppages in 2011 and 2018, the federal government passed legislation to send Canada Post employees back to work.
So far, government officials say they have no plans to introduce legislation to end the strike.
“I’m not looking at any other solution other than negotiation right now,” Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon told reporters in Montreal on Friday morning.
“Every day is a new day in collective bargaining, and we are going to continue to support the parties in any way we can and make sure that they are able to try and get a negotiated agreement.”
In a post on social media platform X Thursday evening prior to the strike announcement, MacKinnon said federal mediators have been working with the union and the Crown corporation, and a special mediator has been appointed to support the two sides.
The labour minister or either party in a dispute can request a mediator, per the Canada Labour Code, as has been done in the work disruption at B.C. ports.
‘Our demands are reasonable’
Workers gave Canada Post 72-hour notice on Tuesday, as the Crown corporation warned that a potential strike would further impact its already dire financial situation.
Canada Post served the union with a lockout notice not long after but said it didn’t intend to lock workers out.
CUPW was in a legal strike position as of Nov. 3, after a legally mandated cooling-off period. In a vote last month, more than 95 per cent of both urban and rural workers backed a strike mandate, the union has said.
Canada Post’s latest contract offer included annual wage increases that amounted to 11.5 per cent over four years. It also offered protection of the defined benefit pension for current employees, as well as job security and health benefits.
CUPW said that wasn’t enough and that the two parties remain far apart on several issues.
“Our demands are reasonable: fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, and the expansion of services at the public post office,” it said in its statement.
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