The CUPW / Canada Post Urban Operations collective agreement expires on January 31, 2007. Although this is months in the future the preparation for negotiations has already started.

January 2006: Appointment of Chief Negotiator

At the January 2006 meeting, the National Executive Board (NEB) selected Pat Bertrand, National Director for the Pacific Region, to be the Chief Negotiator in the next round of bargaining with the Canada Post Corporation. Brother Bertrand has extensive experience within CUPW. Prior to being elected as National Director in 1999 he served the membership as a Union Representative in the Pacific Region, was president of the Vancouver Local, a member of the local Work Measurement Committee, shop steward, as well as holding various positions on the local executive. In addition to being on the National Executive Board during the 2000 and 2003 rounds of bargaining with Canada Post he has experience acting as chief negotiator in various rounds of bargaining for members in the private sector bargaining units.

February-March 2006: Area Councils

Area Councils will begin in mid-February and continue until the end of March. At these meetings over eight hundred delegates will examine the Area Council Discussion Paper that has been prepared by the National Executive Board and discuss the demands and priorities that the Union should take in the upcoming negotiations. These meetings are not decision-making forums. Rather they exist so that participants can discuss and debate the issues and report back to their locals.

March to Mid-April 2006: Locals Submit Bargaining Demands

Following their Area Council meetings locals will meet and decide upon their proposals for changes to the collective agreement. These proposals must be adopted at a membership meeting and forwarded to the appropriate Regional Office.

June 2006: Regional Conferences

At the Regional Conferences delegates discuss the proposals for demands that have been submitted from locals in their region. These proposed demands may be adopted, rejected or amended. The proposals that are adopted are forwarded to the National office.

August 2006: Preparation of National Program

Beginning in mid-August the National Directors meet to review all of the proposals submitted by all eight regions. The National Directors vet the proposals for duplication, they then discuss the proposals in line with the priorities of the Union, recent arbitration decisions, union policies and the discussions that occurred at the regional conferences. The National Directors develop a Draft Program of Demands that is submitted to the entire National Executive Board. The NEB then discusses the draft program and adopts the National Program of Demands that will be submitted to the membership.

September 2006: Ratification Votes

Members will discuss the National Program of Demands at membership meetings. Following the opportunity for questions and discussions members will vote by secret ballot whether or not to endorse the demands. All votes are tabulated nationally and no local can release the results of their vote tally prior to the release of the national results.

October 2006: Notice to Bargain

The Union can provide the Employer with a Notice to Bargain any time after October 1, 2006. (See clause 43.05 of the collective agreement). Within 20 days after the notice to bargain has been given the parties shall enter into negotiations.

Tough Round Ahead: We Are Ready

With the election of a Conservative minority government, and the recent actions of Canada Post to cutback services and close facilities such as the Quebec City processing plant, we can be sure that we will be in for a tough round of bargaining. This is not the first time we have faced a Conservative government. Nor is it the first time that we have been up against a management that is developing secret plans to reduce services and cut jobs at Canada Post.

But while we expect tough negotiations we are also beginning this process from a position of confidence and strength. The discussions of the National Executive Board concerning the Area Council Discussion Paper indicate that the NEB is united and determined that 2007 will be a year in which we protect service and jobs and improve working conditions for our members at Canada Post. But no matter how united the union leadership is, in 2007 your national negotiating committee will need the support of a membership that is strong and active.

The best way for you to ensure that the 2007 collective agreement meets your needs, and that of your fellow members, is to participate in the process. Get active. Go to the meetings. Submit your proposals. It is your union. It is your future at stake.