Canada Post workers held rallies in 13 cities across the country on Saturday as the ongoing labour dispute with their employer reaches boiling point.
The rallies were organised by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, whose 55,000 members have been embroiled in contract negotiations with the Crown corporation for months.
The dispute triggered a month-long strike last year, and union members are currently banned from working overtime amid talks that appear to have become bogged down.
Saturday’s rallies, which took place in cities including Brampton, Ontario, Edmonton and Vancouver, came amid escalating tensions between the two sides.
The union issued a statement on Saturday saying it was inviting Canada Post to ‘a fair, final and binding arbitration process’ to resolve the ongoing dispute.
This was after Canada Post presented what it called its ‘final offers’ to the union last Wednesday, with proposals including an end to compulsory overtime and a signing bonus of up to $1,000.
But it stuck to a proposal for a 14 per cent cumulative wage hike over four years and part-time staff on weekend shifts, a major sticking point in the talks.
Canada Post said the two sides are at loggerheads after months of conciliation and mediation and has asked Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu to force a union membership vote on its latest proposals.
The union has been in a legal strike position as of May 23, but so far has opted to ban members from working overtime instead.
The Crown corporation claimed last week it logged nearly $1.3 billion in operating losses last year.
An annual report released last week said a month-long strike last autumn stemming from the same contract negotiations cost the organisation $208 million.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers took to the picket lines for 32 days in late 2024, snarling up mail delivery over the busy holiday shopping season.
Last Saturday, Canada Post workers gathered in cities across the nation.
In Vancouver, the CUPW members protested in front of the former processing plant on West Georgia Street to call for better wages and work conditions.
‘Across the country, there will be a lot of members. Over here, about 200 members showed up today,’ said Anju Parmar, the CUPW’s Vancouver president.
Describing the event as a ‘hands-off campaign’, Parmar said it was in place to send a strong message to the government to ‘stay away’ and keep their ‘hands off my postal office.’
In a meeting between the CUPW, Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu and Secretary of State for Labour John Zerucelli last Friday, Canada Post asked Hajdu to direct the union to vote on the proposals the Crown corporation presented to members earlier this week.
Canada Post presented its ‘final offers’ to the union on Wednesday, offering concessions including an end to compulsory overtime and signing bonuses of up to $1000, but sticking to its pitch of a 14 per cent cumulative wage hike over four years and part-time staff on weekend shifts.
‘In the end, I would say that we still want a fairly negotiated collective agreement,’ said Parmar.
‘We still expect both parties to come up with a good, fair collective agreement, and I want the employer to come back to the table and negotiate in good faith.’
Striking, said Parmar, would be the workers’ ‘last option’.
Ahead of Saturday’s rallies, CUPW warned last Friday: ‘Canada Post’s plan will result in sweeping changes to our public postal system’s regulatory framework.
‘The Corporation’s most recent contract offers to CUPW don’t drop its proposed rollbacks.
‘When combined, this is sure to result in service and job cuts.
‘Canada Post is first and foremost, a public service. It’s time they start treating it like one. Postal workers won’t stop fighting to protect and expand our public post office.
‘The future of the public post office is on the line – take action!
‘For over 150 years, Canadians have relied on Canada Post to stay connected.
‘While many things have changed over the years, the importance of the public post office has not.
‘Canada Post continues to play an integral role in communities across the country.
‘But it’s under attack. The corporation is pushing drastic cuts – closing post offices, ending door-to-door delivery, expanding Community Mailboxes, outsourcing to franchises, and even privatisation.
‘What does this mean?
‘Rural and Indigenous communities will travel farther for mail. Community Mailboxes lower property values and pose safety risks, especially for seniors and those with mobility issues, and privatisation will gut services in unprofitable areas.
‘Competing with United States e-commerce giants shouldn’t mean lower standards.
‘Workers deserve fair treatment, and Canadians deserve reliable, to-the-door service!
‘Postal workers have a better plan! The way forward is through service expansion, not cuts.
‘Canada Post can play a key role in strengthening Canada’s economy in the face of uncertainty, offer much needed new services like senior check-ins, postal banking, and community hubs, and bring new revenue to the public post office.
‘Take Action: Protect the Public Post Office!
‘CUPW strongly believes that the Canada Post-requested government-imposed vote on Canada Post’s last global offers will not bring labour relations peace to these parties for the foreseeable future, notwithstanding the outcome of a forced vote.
‘Once again, this would be another unwarranted government intervention in the free collective bargaining process.
‘In order to bring certainty to customers and Canadian businesses, and in light of the very particular circumstances surrounding the last improper government intervention in December 2024, we are inviting Canada Post to fair, final and binding arbitration to resolve all outstanding issues at the bargaining table for both bargaining units.
‘At this time and in these circumstances, only arbitration can end the ongoing labour dispute fairly and expeditiously.
‘A forced vote will not necessarily terminate the labour dispute, which should be the objective of Canada Post, which has expressed concerns about the severe impact of the labour dispute on its business.
‘We believe the Minister has the same objective in bringing labour peace to all Canadians.
‘In every other bargaining relationship where the government has interfered with the right to strike as it did in 2024 with Postal Workers, the government has imposed fair and binding arbitration to resolve bargaining differences as required by the Law.
‘During the arbitration process, the employees cannot strike, and the employer cannot lock-out the employees which is not the case in respect of the conduct of a forced vote.
‘Moreover, if the Employer’s last offers are rejected by the employees, the dispute continues arguably dividing the parties further and bringing more harm to Canadians.
‘Today, (last Friday May 30), CUPW met with Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, and John Zerucelli, Secretary of State for Labour. It was our second meeting with them since they were appointed to their positions after the federal election.
‘At the meeting, we shared our thoughts and concerns about negotiations and the recent global offers from Canada Post.
‘We were assured that the Minister would continue to play an intermediary role in the bargaining process but will not intervene at this time.
‘We all agreed that the best collective agreements are those that are negotiated between the parties.
‘However, we received a letter from Doug Ettinger later in the afternoon that Canada Post has made a formal request to the Minister to call for a vote on their last offers under Section 108.1 of the Canada Labour Code.
‘On May 28 Canada Post presented what it calls its “best and final” offers for both the RSMC and Urban bargaining units.
‘While Canada Post insists that its offers reflect the Union’s demands from our May 25 proposal, there are almost no changes from what the Employer put forward on May 21.
‘There’s no question: Canada Post is not negotiating. Canada Post is playing hardball.
‘The Employer even admits this. Its offer to the Urban unit says that “part-time flex staffing and weekend delivery” and “load-levelling and dynamic routing” are “non-negotiable”.
‘These have been the most challenging issues on the table this round, and now, Canada Post insists that they must be in the next collective agreements.
‘On other big issues, Canada Post outright ignored our positions.
‘Canada Post’s offer provides no improvements to its current wage proposal, no improvements for Group 1 staffing, and no improvements against the contracting out of our work.
‘And while we proposed changes to the Employer’s offer on STDP that would have helped both parties, Canada Post stuck to its position.
‘Canada Post says this was its final offer. But this fight is far from over.
‘The Negotiators thank all members for their continued support and solidarity.’
