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Publication Subject: RSMC Negotiations 2012

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1:	RSMC Negotiations: CUPW Presents Global Offer May 8, 2012 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 10 ] Yesterday the CUPW RSMC National Negotiating Committee presented Canada Post with a Global Offer for Settlement. The Union’s offer is a comprehensive proposal which includes collective agreement language on all of the issues in dispute.Central to our proposal is the Union’s demand for full equality with the terms and conditions that exist in the collective agreement which covers Urban Operations employees including wages, benefits, rights and working conditions.Key Provisions in the Union’s Global Offer include...
2:	Union Response to Employer Global Offer (RSMC) May 7, 2012 [ ] The Union welcomes the efforts the employer has made in its global offer to achieve a negotiated settlement of the collective agreement with the Union. Unfortunately, while the employer’s offer moves the parties closer to a negotiated settlement the Union believes that there have to be both modifications and additions made to the employer’s language proposals in order for the issues facing the parties to be resolved without the parties using their respective Canada Labour Code rights of lockout/strike. In general terms the Union has a number of concerns with the employer’s global offer:1)It fails to adequately address the Union demands for pay equity, fairness and progress;2)It fails to provide solutions to some of the work floor problems faced by the membership on a daily basis;3)It fails to provide all the benefits currently enjoyed by all or a majority of the unionized employees at Canada Post; and;4)When it does address the benefits enjoyed by all or a majority of the unionized employees it does so through language which differs, sometimes significantly, from the language found in the other collective agreements. With these general concerns in play the Union has either accepted the employer’s proposed language, revised it or added to it. In doing so it has followed the format found in the employer’s global offer. Similar to the employer’s global offer the Union’s proposed collective agreement language may be found in the tab that corresponds to the article number containing the issue addressed by the language.
3:	Putting an end to discrimination at Canada Post - Equality and pay equity now! (Fact Sheet 3) April 27, 2012 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations - Fact Sheet 3 ] 2012 RSMC Negotiations - Fact Sheet 3 - CUPW is in bargaining for a new collective agreement for Rural and Suburban Mail Couriers (RSMCs) who work at Canada Post. About 70 percent of RSMCs are women. They do much the same work as letter carriers, who are mostly men, but as a rule, receive much less pay and inferior treatment. RSMCs want and deserve pay equity, as well as the same rights and benefits as letter carriers. They are determined to negotiate an end to pay inequality and other inequities in the current round of bargaining. This includes inequities between RSMC and urban workers, and within the RSMC bargaining unit.
4:	An Update on the Pay Equity Issue for RSMCs April 27, 2012 [ ] Sisters/Brothers:Negotiations are underway and there’s a lot of discussion and information right now in the social media regarding pay equity. I believe we need to provide you with an update on this important issue for the bargaining unit. I would first like to remind you that at the start of this first round of negotiations with the right to strike, we put forward the following theme. “Time for Fairness, Respect and Progress.” This means that fairness is central to our Program of Demands, which states: “The 2012 negotiations represent a historic opportunity to negotiate real parity between RSMCs and urban postal workers. For decades RSMCs have performed work which requires equivalent skill, effort and responsibility. Now, the time has come to obtain equal pay and the same benefits and working conditions as other postal workers. Now it’s time for fairness, respect and progress.” The Program of Demands adopted by RSMC members reflects the Union’s intent.
5:	RSMCs have made gains (Fact Sheet 2) April 27, 2012 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations - Fact Sheet 2 ] 2012 RSMC Negotiations - Fact Sheet 2 - Prior to 2004, RSMCs had no rights andno benefits. Their working lives, wages, andfutures were subject to the whim ofCanada Post.Under section 13.5of the Canada PostCorporation (CPC) Act, RSMCs were “contractors”who had no collective bargaining or other rights. RSMCs had to bid on their routes. They were often told to accept a contract for less money than before or else they would lose their route and their job. After they deducted their expenses from their earnings, many earned minimum wage or less.RSMCs got tired of their unfair treatment and waged a long battleto gain rights.
6:	Employer Presents Global Offer (RSMC) March 9, 2012 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 9 ] On March 7, 2012, CPC presented their first Global Offer. Here are the major elements of their proposal. Further information and analysis will be available in the near future...
7:	Employer Seeks Defined Contribution Pension Plan (RSMC) March 7, 2012 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 08 ] Under the provisions of clause 22.01, RSMC members are entitled to a defined benefit pension plan, whereby each member and the employer make contributions to the plan during the member’s employment and the member becomes entitled to a guaranteed entitlement when he or she retires from Canada Post. All unionized employees at Canada Post are presently covered by a defined benefit pension plan.The employer has notified us that it is proposing the introduction of a defined contribution pension plan into the RSMC agreement for new hires. Under a defined contribution pension plan, each member and the employer make defined contributions to the individual member’s plan, with the amount available upon retirement being dependent on the relative success of the investment strategy decided by the member.The Union indicated that it was not prepared to accept a defined contribution pension plan.
8:	Some Progress Being Made (RSMC) February 28, 2012 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 7 ] At recent meetings between the Union and the employer, the parties made some progress towards achieving a new collective agreement. Permanent Relief StaffDuring a meeting on February 9, 2012, we got more information about the employer’s Relief Employee proposal. As mentioned in Bulletin # 6, the employer proposal is to use permanent relief employees in locations where the number of route holders would warrant one or more such permanent relief staff. Under the employer proposal, these permanent relief employees would primarily cover vacation leave absences and also cover all types of absences. They would be paid for a minimum of twelve (12) hours per week and be entitled to pension benefits, vacation leave, Corporate Team Incentive (CTI) payments, the drug, dental and hearing & vision plans, the short term disability plan and uniforms, if a uniform entitlement is agreed to by the parties for other RSMC members. The employer also provided a list of installations where such permanent relief staff would be employed. Our Negotiating Committee is studying the employer proposal and will respond at a future meeting.
9:	Fairness for rural workers at Canada Post (Fact Sheet 1) February 28, 2012 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations - Fact Sheet 1 ] 2012 RSMC Negotiations - Fact Sheet 1 - For decades, Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) have performed work that is much the same as urban postal workers, but they have not received the same compensation or treatment. RSMCs deliver the mail in rural and suburban areas. About 50 per cent of them work side by side with letter carriers and clerks. The rest work with rural postmasters. Approximately, 70 per cent of them are women.
10:	International Women’s Day - Justice for Rural Women February 23, 2012 [ 2011-2015/27 ] International Women’s Day (IWD) emerged from protests and demonstrations against poor working conditions at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. The United Nations formalized the annual event in 1977 by inviting countries to dedicate one day each year to celebrate the rights of women and international peace.
11:	Update on Negotiations (RSMC) January 30, 2012 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 06 ] The Union and the employer have recently had a number of meetings to discuss some of the proposals being made by the employer in the current round of negotiations. A brief explanation of the employer proposals, and the Union’s response, follows.
12:	Letter: Canada Post Still Refuses to Make Contingency Plans for Cheque Delivery January 17, 2012 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. ] Dear Mr. Lemelin:I am replying to your letter of December 15, 2011, to Mr. Deepak Chopra,President and Chief Executive Officer, which references the delivery of pension andother social assistance cheques and safety of live animals in the event of apossible work disruption involving Rural. and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) .
13:	The Goal is in Sight - Fighting for better health and safety provisions in both RSMC and UPO bargaining (Our Health Our Safety) January 16, 2012 [ Volume 10 • Number 1 • January 2012 ] (Volume 10 • Number 1 • January 2012) A historic round of Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) negotiations is about to begin. This is CUPW’s first time going into RSMC negotiations with the right to strike. While much progress has been made since January 1, 2004 when this current agreement took effect, CUPW’s eventual goal is equality with the urban operations (UPO) bargaining unit. All three of the themes of this round of bargaining— fairness, respect, and progress—apply to our health and safety (H&S).
14:	Extension Of Collective Agreement December 21, 2011 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 5 ] Negotiations with the employer will not be completed before the current collective agreement's December 31, 2011 expiry. However, this does not mean that members are left without collective agreement protections while negotiations continue. Clause 36.05 of the agreement indicates that the provisions of the collective agreement remain in full force and effect until either the parties have negotiated a new collective agreement or the requirements of section 89 (1) of the Canada Labour Code have been met. This section of the Code provides the process by which the employer may obtain the right to lock out its employees and the Union obtains the right to strike.
15:	Parties Meet in Sub-Committees December 14, 2011 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 4 ] Following the first meeting between the Union and the employer on November 10, 2011, at which each party presented their opening statement, the parties have had approximately five (5) meetings at the sub-committee level. At these meetings the Union presented more detail to the employer about the Union’s package of demands. The demands discussed included those dealing with improved seniority rights (demands 43 – 47 in the August 2011 Perspective), Union Protection and Members’ Rights (demands 33 – 41), Health and Safety (demands 11 – 15). The Union has also had a general discussion with how the employer should utilize Relief Employees and Replacement Workers to cover the absences of route holders
16:	Letter to Chopra: Processing and delivery of pension and other social assistance cheques and the safety of live animals during a work disruption involving Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) December 12, 2011 [ ] I am writing to express concern about the corporation’s refusal to meet with CUPW to work out an agreement ensuring the processing and delivery of pension and other social assistance cheques and the safety of live animals during a possible work disruption involving Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers. CUPW has sent two letters requesting a meeting to work out an agreement and has received two responses from Canada Post suggesting that it would be premature to meet.As you may know, the parties are obliged to work out what services are to be provided to ensure public health and safety during a possible work disruption. Working out an agreement on services to be provided should not be difficult. Canada Post and CUPW have been doing it for decades. Normally, working out the language of an agreement is a fairly simple matter that allows the union and corporation to consult on logistics as the parties get closer to a possible work disruption.
17:	Tell Stephen Harper to support rural communities - Keep Canadian Wheat Board - Improve rural postal service and jobs December 1, 2011 [ 2011-2015/007 ] Prime Minister Stephen Harper wantsto dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). The Wheat Board provides a fair, reliable and cost-effective service to farmers. The very existence of the CWB provides stability to rural communities in uncertain times. Harper’s attack on the Canadian Wheat Board will hurt small farmers and rural communities. It will transfer wealth created by farmers to big private, often foreign-owned grain companies instead of being returned to farmers and spent in their communities.
18:	Post office workers win pay equity– at last! December 1, 2011 [ 2011-2015/008 ] Clerical and administrative workers at Canada Post have achieved a remarkable victory. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in favour of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in a pay equity case that was originally filed 28 years ago. PSAC first filed a complaint about unequal pay at Canada Post in 1983. In 2005, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal upheld the complaint. Canada Post subsequently used every possible legal avenue to have the tribunal’s decision overturned. On November 17, 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against the Crown corporation and in favour of the clerical and administrative workers involved in the pay equity complaint.
19:	Parties Meet for First Negotiation Meeting November 17, 2011 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 3 ] The Negotiating Committees of the Union and the Employer met on November 10, 2011, at which time they each presented their opening statements. A copy of the opening statement presented by the Union may be found on the Union’s website.
20:	Letter from Canada Post President Deepak Chopra on pension and social assistance cheques and safety of live animals November 14, 2011 [ ]
21:	CUPW presentation to Canada Post on behalf of the RSMC Bargaining Unit November 10, 2011 [ ] The Union believes that the negotiations that are beginning today provide an opportunity for the parties to make significant progress in providing members of the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers with benefits and entitlements that are similar, if not equal to, the benefits and entitlements enjoyed by other unionized employees at Canada Post. There are a number of reasons as to why the Union believes there should be an equalization of benefits as between RSMC employees and those employees in the other bargaining units.
22:	DRAFT - Agreement on Ensuring the Safety of Live Animals and the Processing and Delivery of Government Cheques in the Event of an Interruption of Postal Service Resulting from a Strike or Lockout October 18, 2011 [ ]
23:	Processing of pension and other social assistance cheques and safety of live animals during a postal service disruption involving Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) October 18, 2011 [ ] Dear Mr. Chopra:CUPW representatives would like to meet with you or your representatives to come to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on ensuring the safety of live animals and the processing and delivery of pension and social assistance cheques in the event of a postal service disruption.We would like to adopt an agreement that is similar to the one used in 1997 and 2011, with two minor exceptions. The union has attached a draft agreement for your consideration. As you will see, we would like to add provisions to ensure that live animals are not trapped in the mail system as they were when the corporation locked out CUPW members and shut down post offices nationwide in June 2011. As well, we believe it will be necessary to have all RSMCs deliver on their own routes.
24:	Letter to RSMC Members about the 2012 Negotiations Process October 17, 2011 [ ] I am writing to update you on RSMC negotiations with Canada Post. CUPW gave Canada Post notice to bargain on October 13th. As you may know, negotiations will be different now that RSMCs are no longer under the constraints of the financial cap and have the right to strike if necessary to obtain a good collective agreement. The negotiations process is outlined on the reverse side of this letter.CUPW is determined to win a collective agreement that provides fairness, respect and progress, correcting historical injustices. For decades, RSMCs have performed work that is much the same as the work of urban postal workers but they have not received similar compensation or treatment. It’s time for you to obtain equal pay as well as the same benefits and working conditions as other postal workers. It is also time for a work measurement system that ensures that everyone has an equal workload, and a healthy and safe work process. You can get additional information about bargaining objectives from the RSMC Program of Demands, which is available through your local or CUPW National’s website: http://www.cupw.ca/1/3/6/0/7/index1.shtml).
25:	Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers Gear Up for Negotiations October 13, 2011 [ ] The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post are going back to the bargaining table.Today, CUPW gave notice to Canada Post to commence bargaining for its 7000-member Rural and Suburban Mail Carrier (RSMC) unit.“These negotiations represent a historic opportunity to bridge the rural-urban divide that exists in our country,” said Denis Lemelin, National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).


26:	Fighting for freedom: CUPW files court challenge October 12, 2011 [ ] OTTAWA - The Canadian Union of Postal Workers announced today it has launched its highly anticipated court challenge to the legislation used by the Conservative government to force postal workers back after they were locked out in June.The Conservatives’ heavy-handed use of back-to-work legislation has raised eyebrows across the country. Experts are saying that removing free collective bargaining and the right to strike from workers in the federal sector will be disastrous for the economy, poisoning labour relations for years to come.“Freedom of association is a fundamental right,” said Denis Lemelin, CUPW National President. “What other rights are they going to try to take from us if we let them get away with this one?”
27:	Program Of Demands Ratified By 96.3% September 30, 2011 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 02 ] The RSMC membership has given the Union’s Negotiating Committee an overwhelming mandate by voting 96.3% in favour of the program of demands.The program of demands contains proposals on wages, job security, health and safety, relief employees, union protection and member’s rights and seniority.For those unable to attend a ratification meeting in their local Union a copy of the program of demands may be found on the Union’s website (www.cupw-sttp.org).
28:	RSMC Negotiations 2012: Program of Demands September 30, 2011 [ ] The 2012 negotiations represent a historic opportunity to negotiate real parity between RSMCs and urban postal workers. For decades RSMCs have performed work which requires equivalent skill, effort and responsibility. Now, the time has come to obtain equal pay and the same benefits and working conditions as other postal workers. Now it’s time for fairness, respect and progress.
29:	Negotiating Committee Appointed September 29, 2011 [ 2012 RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 1 ] The Union has appointed its Negotiating Committee for the next round of bargaining with Canada Post, with the Committee being comprised of the following:°Brother Donald Lafleur, Chief Negotiator°Sister Nancy Beauchamp, Montreal Local°Sister Barbara McMillan, Arnprior-Renfrew Local°Sister Shelley Sillers, Guelph Local°Sister Sue Wilson, Edmonton LocalBrother Philippe Arbour, National Grievance Officer, will serve as an advisor to the Committee.
30:	National Day of Action Coming October 12th September 14, 2011 [ 2008-2011/482 ] Thirty years ago, the federal government responded to years of lobbying by Postal Workers and created the Canada Post Corporation. We are celebrating this success in a national day of action. In 1981 the government gave the Canada Post Corporation a clear mandate, including: - improved and expanded services - improved labour relations - financial self-sufficiencyFinancial self-sufficiency has been more than achieved. Now it’s time to focus on the whole mandate. Canada Post needs to invest in better services and improving its relations with the workers who keep the system running.
31:	Preparation of RSMC Negotiation Demands June 1, 2011 [ RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 31 ] The provisions of the Canada Labour Code, which will apply to the next round of bargaining between Canada Post and the Union, indicate in part that the Union may require the employer to commence collective bargaining within the four month period preceding December 31, 2011. In order to prepare for this new round of negotiations the Union has begun the process to arrive at the package of demands it will present to the employer once negotiations begin. The first parts of the process took place earlier this year with the distribution of the discussion paper produced by the National Office, the development of Local Union resolutions and the forwarding of such resolutions to the Regional Conferences.

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Publication Subject: RSMC Negotiations 2012

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