Suzanne Gammon
Tribune
Canada Post workers can be seen picketing in front of the Sturgeon Falls post office as they paralyze the nation’s postal service and lobby for higher wages in line with inflation, better working conditions and group benefits, more paid leave and less reliance on contract work.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents 55,000 members, went on strike on November 15 and the employer imposed a lock-out the same day. Since then, mail and package deliveries across the country have ceased, forcing businesses to rely on digital invoicing and money exchange and on alternative, private delivery services.
Canada Post, a Crown corporation, has been losing money for the past several years, including a 548 million dollar loss in 2022 and a 748 million dollar deficit in 2023. Letter delivery has dropped dramatically over the past decade, and while packages initially made up the shortfall, fiercer competition from private carriers has eaten away at Canada Post’s market share, from 62% before the pandemic to just 29% in 2023. In response, the corporation announced plans to deliver parcels seven days a week and change its pay structure to remain competitive – but some of these changes have the union’s back up.
The union has two bargaining units, namely Urban Operations (UO) and Rural Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC). West Nipissing workers, roughly 16 unionized, fall under RSMC, who are fighting for pay stability as Canada Post moves to a new hourly rate system. “We need to ensure that route holders can count on stable pay cheques, even as volumes and points of call fluctuate,” states Jan Simpson, CUPW National President. She touts the importance of “maintaining 8-hour routes.”
Postmasters are not represented by the union and not striking, meaning that rural post offices like in Field, Cache Bay and Verner are still open. However, there is no new mail to pick up as the mail carriers are not delivering, and they are not taking mail as they cannot guarantee timely delivery.
Despite the work stoppage, the union has committed to delivering government aid cheques to recipients who need them. “Despite the strike, postal workers remain deeply aware of our responsibilities,” said Jan Simpson. “Ensuring the timely delivery of socio-economic cheques like pension cheques, disability payments, and other essential benefits, is vital to the well-being of individuals and families across the country. Our dispute is with Canada Post, not with the most vulnerable members of society.”
Among the local picketers, picket captain John Szewczyk says wages are “not the big topic”. What he is most concerned about are the temporary workers and future workers’ benefits package and pension, which he notes are “all reduced from what we have at the current time” under the proposed new contract. He is also worried about job security, as the corporation moves toward more temporary and contract work. “We understand the volume has gone down,” he acknowledges, but adds that in Sturgeon Falls, there has actually been growth due to increased density. He says that when a route is added, “we would rather have one full time rather than two part time” positions to ensure job security and proper benefits.
