New Time Values Needed for Mechanized Sequencing

Canada Post (CPC) plans to implement mechanized sequencing of letter mail to point of delivery as part of its Modern Post (Postal Transformation) initiative.  New time values will be required because letter carriers will have to work with new work methods, tools, and equipment.  In 2008, Canada Post and CUPW held some consultation meetings regarding CPC’s proposed changes to letter carrier time values and to the Letter Carrier Route Measurement System (LCRMS) Manual.

Consultation Not Finished

In December 2008, CPC walked away from the table and filed national grievances, asking an arbitrator to impose their proposed changes on CUPW members.  To that point, only preliminary discussions had taken place on these complicated changes.

CUPW’s position was that national consultation was not complete, and that it was too soon to involve an arbitrator.

Parties Reach Agreement

After two days of hearings on preliminary matters in front of Arbitrator Deschenes, Canada Post had a change of heart.  CPC and CUPW have now negotiated an agreement to continue discussions on the proposed time values and LCRMS Manual changes.

Some highlights of the agreement:

• CPC and CUPW will do an intensive review of the time standards in the autumn of 2009.  The Preparation for Sort, Preparation for Delivery, the Mailmobile Stop, and the S-4 are among the standards that will be discussed. 
• The parties will hire a neutral industrial engineer to act as a mediator, and, if necessary, to decide what the interimstandards and time values will be 
• Any LCRMS Manual changes not agreed upon will be arbitrated by Arbitrator Ellis. 
• All work on the interim standards and LCRMS Manual changes will be completed by January 31, 2010. 
• Canada Post will implement the resulting interim standards and Manual changes where mechanized sequencing is introduced. 
• The interim standards and time values will be jointly validated by CPC and CUPW following implementation in Winnipeg and other sites where mechanized sequencing is in place. 
• The validated standards (adjusted as required) will become finalstandards. 
• Any standards not agreed to at the end of the validation process will be arbitrated by Arbitrator Deschenes. 
• Interim and final standards are only valid for the specific equipment that they were developed for, and only where mechanized sequencing is in place. 
• CUPW retains all rights to deal with related issues under articles 29 (technological change) and 33 (health and safety) and other articles of the contract.

CUPW believes that this agreement will result in more accurate standards and a fairer evaluation system for letter carriers in the depots where mechanized sequencing is implemented than leaving the matter to a technical arbitrator.