Ten Reasons to vote YES

Throughout the bargaining process, your negotiating committee was guided by the members' demands for more money, increased premiums, improved benefits, full job security, better health and safety protections and more time values and money for the delivery of admail.We believe this collective agreement meets these objectives, and more.

1. Vote YES for a real wage increase

Over four years, wages will rise $2.38 per hour for groups 1 and 2 and $2.69 per hour for groups 3 and 4. This is a 10.9% increase for letter carriers, postal clerks and MAM-11s. At the time of bargaining the national rate of inflation was 1.2%.

2. Vote YES for better benefits

There are improvements in coverage for vision care (including for the first time, laser eye surgery), naturopaths, acupuncture, speech therapy, osteopaths, podiatrists and hearing aids. All drugs will be paid at 80%.

3. Vote YES for a safer workplace

Letter carriers will have access to carts, faster route verifications and protection against compulsory overtime. The rules on accommodation of injured workers have been improved with greater union involvement. There will be more health and safety committees and trained union health and safety representatives. There will be a study on stools for oversize sortation cases and safety watchers for workers performing high-risk maintenance work.

4. Vote YES for more time values for admail

Letter carriers will receive relay stop values if a route averages more than 1,600 householder pieces per week. They will receive an additional one-minute per day for each set over three per week if a route has 900 points of call or more. If letter carriers get two sets per week of the larger householders, they will also receive additional time values per piece.

5. Vote YES for more money for delivering admail

Payment for regular householders is increased by 15%. The 6” x 14” size has been reduced to 6” x 12” with an increase in payments. Business householders that were 10” x 14” are now reduced to a maximum of 9” x 12” and members will get more money for delivering them. The new 9” x 12” will also apply to residential householders.

6. Vote YES for improvements in equality

The agreement contains improved rights for deaf and hard of hearing members and reimbursement for members who take courses in sign language. The mandate of the Joint National Human Rights Advisory Committee is expanded to include employment equity.

7. Vote YES for job creation and expansion of public postal services

New provisions in Appendix T for contracting- in work, expanding public postal services and initiating new work for members of the bargaining unit.

8. Vote YES for improvements for groups 3 and 4

There is a special bumpup of $0.31 per hour in the third year of the agreement, safety watchers, new pilot projects for mobile maintenance and building maintenance, contracting in of monotainer repair and many MAM-10s will be able to receive the same pay as MAM-11s.

9. Vote YES for improved staffing

At least 25 new full-time positions will be created in smaller locals, full-time positions will be maximized and improved information, including all hours worked by classification and unpaid hours, will be provided to the union. All staffing grievances (39.02 and 39.03) submitted during 2006 are alive and can be arbitrated.

10. Vote YES for seniority

The change to the calculation of the seniority rules was a major priority of the membership. Seniority will be based on the first date of hire, provided there are no breaks in service over nine-and-ahalf months.

Message from the national president