This week, all levels of the union came together to plan out our strategy for a truly modern universal public postal service, not the kind of “Modern Post” that reporters or politicians or management have in mind, but the kind of public post office each worker and community will need and deserve in the midst of our global economic crisis.

With input from all levels of the union, we plan to blend everyone’s hard work into our continued coordinated national strategy to improve both working conditions and community services as part and parcel of our vision of a universal public postal service.

New technology: Who wins, who looses and who decides?

We came together because we all want to send a strong message to the employer, namely, that we will fight for every job and that we will only help Canada Post introduce new machines that also benefit workers and expand services to communities.

We also came together because we all know that new technologies change the nature of existing work. What doesn’t change is the fact that our day to day experience and expertise will always be  the best resource within Canada Post. So we need to ask: Will the new machines improve health and safety? Will they be less stressful on the environmental? Will any efficiencies they produce be used to create new work? A lot of solid and enlightened research shows that the communities we serve share our concerns about these issues.

Our vision of a truly universal public postal service provides the best solutions to who should win, who shouldn’t lose and who should decide when new technologies are introduced. That vision has a long history, a promising future and was created member by member, local by local. It is available at http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/8270/la_id/1.htm