An alert has been issued over a possible Canada Post service disruption due to a potential labour strike.
Since December 31, 2023, approximately 55,000 letter carriers, mail service couriers, postal clerks and mail handlers nationwide have been working without a contract.
Currently, labour negotiations between Canada Post and Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) are ongoing, however either party could initiate a labour disruption after providing a minimum of 72 hours notice. The CUPW has been bargaining with Canada Post for increased wages, safer working conditions, pension protections and the expansion of public postal services for all communities.
With the potential of a strike looming, companies such as FedEx and UPS have established contingency plans to meet increased demand. In the event of a labour disruption, Canada Post will not be picking up, processing or delivering any mail.
The Crown corporation has reported losses of $490 million through the first six months of 2024 and $3 billion since 2018.
Image: ©Canada Post
Canada post workers don’t deserve 22% wage increase over 4 years lol that’s ridiculous and greedy…..they barely do their job as it is and Canada post hasn’t turned a profit in 10 years lol where do they expect this money to come from? Grow up workers the rest of us don’t get to strike……you are all being ridiculous
Why have I had no mail delivery for the lsst 2 days? They are not on strike as yet are they?
Because CPC works only Mon-Fri, and doesnt deliver on holidays. Therefore you shotsnt have received anything in your mailbox since Nov 9th or prior.
The union has given the 72 hours notice and will be in a legal striking position by Friday. Hopefully CPC will not let this happen.
Times are hard.
essential services should not be unionized anyway
Go tell a nurse they dont deserve what they have. Unions have built this country.
CPC corporation includes projected “Losses” into this billion dollar amount they claim. This amount is a generated estimate NOT based on an actual amount! The corporation includes the amounts invested to upgrade facilities and fleets! Which are necessary to keep up with the changing infrastructure of the growing demand of the parcel market. Letter Carriers deliver these parcels TO YOUR DOOR! As well as lettermail. Lettermail has decreased, however, the revenue from Admail delivered to every door has increases exponentially. It is completely reasonable to ask for a fair wage! The corporation have already stripped new employees since 2008 from a pay decrease.
Businesses that have extraordinary losses DO NOT pay bonuses! However year after year the corporations top dogs receive higher and higher bonuses year after year! I’m shocked to read the disdain for hard working posties! If only CPC would actually be transparent and honest with their accounting, rather than trying to hoodwink the Canadian public. Canada Post is thriving! Give the workers what they deserve! The ability to keep up with inflation, retire with dignity and go home safely with their families at the end of a work day!
Canada Post workers during Covid were deemed ‘essential’.
We deliver your essential medication, your important business documents, tax documents, even your loved ones human remains! We are out in every form of weather including scorching hot and humid days, rain, freezing temperatures and anything in between! We have one of the highest slip trip and Falls incident of any company in Canada due to the physical nature of the job. We also have a huge turnover. The job is not as mindless and easy as you might think. Many new employees quit after getting a reality dose of what it’s like out there. So NO, employees are NOT selfish, they’ve been without an agreement, minimum wage keeps climbing and cost of living keeps climbing but yet our wage is supposed to stay the same?
Get off the internet Chris. Itll only make you crazy 😉
Thank you. You make good points and thanks for the work you do! Do you feel these community boxes have significantly affected how often people use Canada Post as people are using other delivery companies? I do and think it was a huge mistake. Also they hire less workers with this arrangement!
Many of them they don’t read , delivering mail from different addresses , I am not gonna do their jobs , plus the price for service to send small package is way to high!
So many of them have connection with shipping company and when teams arrived at Canada post they changing address sticker and sending ordered I teams to different address
And at the call centre no one have a clue how is this possible
Teams? Please elaorate.
Please step into each other’s shoes and assess company’s financial position and accordingly negotiate. There should be accountability and transparency of what went wrong and who is responsible for losses of past years. What proactive steps were taken to address the issue of loss? Every single penny can be accounted for and traced back if there is a will and attitude to serve the company, community and country. This will pave a way forward for the company to be successful and profitable.
I’ve switched to other carriers, because I can pay less for better service and faster service. Mail prices are going up again in January, including Lettermail (25 cents for the perm stamp). So I can pay more for my mail to take the same time? I mailed a Letter in January 2024 within Ontario. It arrived 3 months later. Fantastic. Like, you had ONE job here. Deliver. Mail.
Having friends at the post office and many mail carrier friends, I know that you can finish your route in 4 hours and you still get paid for 8. Just pay for the actual hours worked. The pension and benefits are more than the vast majority of what others in skilled jobs make. When I worked corporate jobs, I had 2 personal days a year. 13 is apparently not enough for Canada Post workers. I was lucky to get a 1.5 percent raise. If you got 2%, you were ‘perfect’ at your job. 22% over four years is the current union demand. My neighbour works in the Mississauga distribution center. During covid he said he had asthma and couldn’t work around others for fear of getting sick, so he was off, getting his pay, to smoke like a chimney at home and be constantly visiting friends and going out when we were on lockdown. But too afraid to work. Another carrier was doing overtime at Christmas years ago, would hang out with me at my place while they were supposed to be delivering packages. Said because they were getting double time, they were going to take the whoooole day to deliver just to maximize the extra pay.
Since the pandemic a whole slew of carriers were taking pictures of their post office scan codes and instead of doing the job they were paid to do, they were scanning the barcodes hours ahead of time from their phone and pretending they were picking up from the post office or mail boxes when they weren’t or picking up hours earlier than they should’ve. Still happening these days and a carrier at a nearby PO got caught this Summer. Post offices have to report back to the regional manager if the carrier did or didn’t pick up at the appropriate time now. Not everyone is a saint, but these kinds of workers are protected by the union when they would’ve lost their job in any other place, so they know they can keep up this kind of behaviour.
When everyone switches to electronic bills and people realize it’s not worth it to send a Letter anymore, when they find out they can ship packages for a 1/3 of the price with places like Chit Chats, Stallion Express, Sendle, etc. then what, Canada Post? If I can ship to BC from ON for $6 tracked in 3 days using Stallion or Chit Chats or 8-10 days oversized Lettermail for the same item for $4 hoping CP doesn’t lose it along the way or $21+ tracked, the choice is pretty clear on who gets my business.
Canada Post didn’t lose a dime this year. They spent 450 million in one new building another 250 million in another new building. Millions in a electric fleet, hundreds of thousands in new right and drive vehicles.
The CEO and the 22 1st VPs (yep 22 1st VPs) take millions home in pay and bonuses ( cups members get no bonuses) and you say that the cups members are the greedy ones.
When the country shut down during COVID 19 and All the Canada Post upper management ( CEO and all the other office workers) were at home, the cups members were still working and delivering the mail/parcels. They are still only now working 3 days a week in the office and home the rest of the time.
The CEO takes 7 million home a year plus bonuses.
I think Canada Post and CPWU should sit together to avoid more damages to revenue as well as emloyee’s demands . I hope and wish they both resolve the issue and will get back to track again .
Dear Canada Post Management Team,
We understand that mail volume has significantly declined over recent years. In light of this, we believe it may be beneficial for Canada Post to assess the current management structure, particularly with regard to the number of positions at the executive, managerial, and supervisory levels. Given the reduced volume, it may be feasible to adjust the management framework to better align with operational needs and ultimately reduce overall costs.
In today’s digital age, it appears unlikely that letter mail volumes will return to previous levels.
As such, a reassessment of the management structure could contribute to more efficient
resource allocation. Additionally, exploring diverse business opportunities might offer a sustainable path forward, supporting long-term growth without placing additional strain on frontline employees.
We respectfully urge Canada Post to consider these potential adjustments as part of a strategic approach to future operations.
why assume management is the issue when an org chart is not available?
That is the issue. Don’t listen to the media bs.
If management isn’t responsible, then who else would be?
When it comes to corporations, management is always responsible.
Wow how ignorant can one get striking with Christmas around the corner. Shame on all of you Canada Post. Talk about the Grinch who stole Christmas
1970 business model in 2024…you can’t pay carrier employees 8 hours pay for 5 hour work..delivering mainly advertising
cpcHas a government Act from 1800′ that determines the responsibilities…needs updating
The Canada Post workers are selfish and it’s INSANE that they’ve waited RIGHT BEFORE Christmas to go on strike… As if the cost of living in Canada isn’t insane enough as it is, now people with side hustles are SOL right before the holiday season. Very, very selfish.
THEY (the workers) didn’t wait. Thats not how it works. They are not selfish- they make peanuts and work insane conditions like through the wildfire smoke with no PPE to protect them from future cancer or lung issues, freezing cold, slippery icy conditions and extreme heat. You literally just said “cost of living in canada is insane”….. so that is why they deserve better pay!!! Why not look into what Canada Posts management (who don’t get exposed to hazardous work conditions) take home compared to the lowly workers who are striking that are doing all the grunt work. The public should be sticking up for these workers, not throwing ‘selfish’ accusations out. This ‘richer get richer’ on the backs of low paid workers is everything that is wrong with modern day businesses. Also, Canada Post employees are NOT paid by your tax dollars. Thats a huge misconception so just clearing that up.
Wow, so dramatic with all the weather and smoke, get out of here. They don’t even send you out when it’s extreme. Also, you think a few managers are moving the company into the poorhouse? 55,000 out of 65,000 are CUPW. That is the anchor, not the foundation like you think. By the way, there are no rollbacks for you either. That’s for the people who choose to work there in the future.
They chose their job!
In reference to Shawna’s comment. It’s not like canada post works in unsafe working conditions. Typically, other than inside sorters, the workers have a clean and safe environment to work in. Try working in the military if you feel canada post employees work in an unsafe environment. Like many jobs, from farming to manufacturing, everything has risks of an unsafe period of time, however, for the most part, we live and work in a country that makes it safe to work in compared to other countries. Christmas time is an ideal time to protest when you work in the delivery service of mail and packages. Hopefully soon, the contact obligations will be honored by all parties concerned, saving this from becoming worse than it is now.
Yes, blame the workers who are caught between the union and the corporation (a corporation that lies to a gullible public, such as yourself). If you believe that Canada Post is losing billions of dollars (after some very creative accounting for billions spent on infrastructure and modernization), I have some moon land to sell you.
Well said 👏
Agreed.
CUPW keeps posting 95 % + voted to strike yet refuses to publish the TOTAL number of votes
why?
CUPW has a gag. They are not allowed to “talk to the media” in the same way that CPC is. Its absolute bull, but CUPW has no recourse against the falacies that CPC spews. Meanwhile, gullible armchair warriors continue to beleive everything they read on the internet.
Canada post is owned by the government. So it would be in the public interest to have the auditor general to make recommendations on how Canada post spends its money.
In fact I suspect that Canada post hasn’t lost all this money that they claim to have lost. In fact you can’t claim a lost when you’ve spent the money on investments that did not yield expected results.
Canada Post employees have been patiently waiting for a new collective agreement for over a year now- the union has been at the table with Canada Post for over a year. The Corporation(management and supervisors) received’Hazard Pay’ during Covid. Also, last round Of negotiations, the union was lenient with the corporation during Covid and kept the cost-of-living and other inflationary cost low during bargaining and worked with the corporation. Now we are fighting for the monies we lost during that time, To bring us up to the current cost of living and interest rate hikes, The workers didn’t get a pennie of the ‘Hazard Pay’. We are not LAZY, and you don’t pay our wages. I may lose my house if I we don’t get the wage increase we deserve. Hitting the Corporation mid November is our right and our only option left right now.
We have no collective agreements CPAA or cupw . We want what’s fair. Not asking for the world. Canada post is making billions not loosing. We’re are the ones loosing. They say we’re carbon neutral 🤣no where near that our trucks run on oil and diesel and our mail carriers vehicles run on gas and oil. Carbon neutral my ars. So if we’re fed up deal with it. We’re all tired and burnt out. Amazon has not slowed down and now Christmas. It’s actually been Christmas all year around. We all just want what’s fair.
We work hard in all weather conditions put up with miserable people, worked through Covid, work alone unloading just to keep up on the weekends. Work short handed most all the time. Do way more than is asked of us. Canada post doesn’t give a shit about us, no bonuses no recognition of good work, nothing. They take more than we make and think we’re making too much wage. We go a stress ball and a coffee cup for Christmas last year with keep doing what you’re doing. Work hard. Well I bet you know what we said and how we felt after that. Somethings have to change and quick. We’re always at work burning ourselves out to better Canada post and customers when also expect the unknown. So yes CUPW we stand beside you.
I have had many problems with Canada post. Packages are not delivered because they choose not to. Canada post owns Purolator Courier. Give all the business to Purolator and save all Canadians more grief.
My late dad was a letter carrier. I remember the Winnipeg blizzard of 1966 when my dad walked 3 miles in 7 foot snow banks to get to work.
The federal government and management try and turn the public against the letter carriers.
Canada Post is still the most economical way to send mail and parcels.
“An alert has been issued” – by whom?
What does the “alert” say? When was it issued?
Has CUPW or Canada Post given 72 hours of notice re: strike or lockout? I can’t find anything to that effect.
This article is poorly written. If you want to know if Canada Post is striking please go to the CUPW website. Secondly, the CUPW collective agreement ended on January 31 2024, thus the second sentence incorrect. Third this newspaper does not cite where this alert came from. My guess is that many businesses are “preparing” for the event of a strike as they have been for quite some time and use the word “alert” as a clickbait phrase to direct web traffic to this site. Whoever wrote this article is terrible at doing research.
I went to the CUPW page, the LATEST news is 5 days ago!!
The RSMC bargaining unit contract ended on Dec 31, 2023.
A 72 strike notice was issued early this morning. Both parties will continue talks at the table, until Thursday night. If an agreement cannot be reached than we will be in a legal position to strike Friday morning first thing.
There are many people who would do the job the union is complainign about. All the while being accommodating to flex delivery and having an understanding that Canads Post is losing business to other companies every day. The union is asking for alot while millions are doing jobs that don’t have near as much. Go get another job with a different company and see how cushy you had it before.
I LOVE this type of message. Where are all the people wanting to walk 30kms every single day, often in minus 40, to be treated like crap by management and the public? In Edmonton we had an attrition rate approaching 90 percent for people starting, within the first year. Where are all these people wanting to destroy their bodies for barely above minimum wage? I dare you to go for a 30km walk every day in January, and see how you feel then.
Agreed. Most people would not last. It is hard on the body.
My daughter tried working for Canada Post at her local post office. She went through all the training, then, as happens to all post office newbies, she got put on the desk instead of in the back sorting mail, she was face-to-face with the public, a very angry public, every single day, all day long, and had the prospect in front of her of being at that desk situation for at least two years before she could move to the back. She quit after two weeks.
Be kind to the workers. Understand the pressures they are all working under. Give them a smile and thanks. You’ll feel better for it, and so will they.
Yes, we definitely should tell the workers that they don’t deserve more because other workers are treated like disposable garbage, rather than that the other workers should also have a union and be able to strike for better. That definitely makes sense, I hope you also work a harsh job for little pay.
They’re trying to get better working conditions and to just barely keep up with inflation losses. Canada Post’s current offer expects employees to take an inflation-based pay cut, despite Canada Post having raised rates on deliveries. It’s up to Canada Post to charge the amount that breaks even, not employees to take cuts to subsidize delivery.
Becareful for what you wish for folks! You may be striking yourself out of a job! Nothing saying the CPC won’t sell the business. Then where will the employees be? Working for minimum wage and no pension!!! Just keep in mind this could happen!
theres lots to say this wont and cant happen …. It wold take years and hundreds of millions of dollars to even contemplate what your suggesting …. You should research before commenting
Be careful what you wish for. If Canada Post is gone, it will cost much more to send letters or parcels.
Privatization is being considered. Canada Post, as a crown corp., has a monopoly on mail, no competition. If Canadians could choose to send their mail with FedEx, or Purolator, or UPS, or even Intelcom, for much cheaper rates, Canada Post would have to compete for business, and prices would fall for Canadians. The Fraser Institute did a report on Canada Post privatization in 2018 during that strike, and it makes sense.
Can’t sell the business, crown corporation. How about trimming fat from the top??
If the corporation is losing money, Why are supervisors & executive receiving up to 33% of their wage in bonuses?
How about looking at ways and working to reinvent the company into a modern business model?
As a casual employee, I would beside someone who does the exact same work for about $8 less per hour? We casuals pay a major percentage of out wages for union dues. approx $100 a month . Thanks union.
Howard EXACT SAME ? so I guess the years of experience and the constant questions you casuals ask the employee who has been there for 20 years shouldnt be factored in ? Geez imagine a world where someon with 0 senority starting a job and being paid the exact same as someone with 20 years experience… Silly
They deserve a raise.
These employees are fossils who don’t want the company to invest to may their wages. They’ve never worked outside of Canada Post and don’t understand the amount of privilege they have. They want $40/hr to put letters in a container and don’t believe in getting the job done. They believe going slow means you keep your job. The actual hard workers are treated poorly by the union. The union can’t even afford to go on strike themselves
With that kind of dependency on tax payers, they need a raise? The Canada Post has lost how much and still paying high wages and bonuses? I can see letter carriers out in the weather all the time, but not office workers!
Canada Post is a crown corporation and you obviously don’t know what that means. Canada Post is not funded by the Canadian government or taxpayer, and pays dividends TO the government. Please do the tiniest bit of research before you go online and sound like a moron.
Totally agree!
Back to the basement for you!
I would like to see Canada Post LOCKOUT CUPW. This union is a national joke that holds the country hostage every Christmas. Postal Workers are paid well and have excellent benefits.
Don’t @ me because I’m so done with CUPW losers
Canada post is all about parcel delivery now. Remove them from the ecosystem and that severely hampers competition. Right now, Canada post offers the best parcel pickup rates for small business. So those talking about Canada post going the way of the dinosaur need to wake up and realize that this has never been about letter mail. I want more competition for the services I value, not less. God some of you are complete idiots in here. *cough* Larry/Mammoth/Julie etc….
P.s. also Julie there hasn’t been a prolonged labour disruption since JUNE 2011 when Canada Post DID lockout CUPW. Also enjoy your MAT leave, CUPW earned that for you. My god the misinformation and misplaced anger in here.
Careful what these complainers wish for. We need Canada Post!
No one needs Canada post. It’s a dinosaur. Shut it down and lay everyone off.
Enjoy shipping rates tripling and being unable to send anything to anywhere outside of major city centers. People have zero concept of the complexity of Canada Post’s distribution and logistics network, and how important postal service is to the functioning of a “free” society. It blows my mind that people don’t know how simple economics work.
Hey folks , Canada post does great jobs for all Canadians and it’s ignorant to make those statements about postal workers when you don’t even know the nature of work they do . TTC and other workers are making more money than postal workers but their job is difficult than the bus driving. They have to do long walk
in the rain and snow exposing themselves to all the hazards out there . Let’s be honest and give them what they deserve.
Yeah lets do that … Enjoy never affording postage again …. How dumb are people to comment when they have inkiling on how econics work… Geez get educated even if just a little before spewing
You are an idiot! Climb out of the basement.
I support postal workers. No one wants to strike. The situation too often forced labour’s hand. This is about fairness. Postal workers are our friends, family members and neighbours. I want a fair deal for them.
This is not just about wages! It’s about protecting pensions for new employees! Who will be at the mercy of the markets . Removing
Defined Benefits is outrageous! Forcing those who don’t retire before Jan 1 / 2026 to face a 30 % increase for medical coverage.
I don’t think they are working anyway, letter sent to canada by mistake over 30 days ago and still not returned to sender or delivered in USA…
Ever think it could be the USPS that arent working. Or do you think Canada POST hand delivers to usa destinations too? do better
The workers of a company that loses a billion a year wants to go on strike. How reatrded can you get.
If attacking one’s intelligence…maybe a quick spell check?
Good choice of words Larry
Canada post is a vicious employer gives management bonuses while suffering losses.Crying the blues while building new facilities new trucks made for delivery of letter mail why they say it’s disappearing.
These people worked during the hard times of Covid.