During the arbitration of the RSMC collective agreement the employer has taken great pains to differentiate the work performed by RSMC members as compared to the performance of essentially the same tasks under the provisions of the Urban Operations collective agreement. In the words of the employer the RSMC members have greater “flexibility” than Urban Operations employees. This flexibility is alluded to in many of the witness statements provided by the employer.

For example in one witness statement it is asserted that RSMC members “… make personal choices about when to start their work day and when to leave the postal installation to suit their personal preferences and conveniences.” The same statement continues by indicating that RSMC members take breaks that are longer than lunch breaks in order to attend to personal matters. According to this statement RSMC members can absent themselves from work as long as they want and have family members perform the work that the RSMC member was hired to perform. Finally, this statement indicates that while Urban Operations members are required to deliver priority courier and business mail before noon there is no such requirement for RSMC employees.

Employer Position Unrealistic

The Union believes that the employer’s view of the “flexibility” accorded to RSMC members is unrealistic. It will be leading evidence from members of the Negotiating Committee describing the similarities in the work methods used by RSMC and Urban Operations members as a basis for arguing that the benefits applicable to each group should be equalized as much as possible.

No Money in 2010

Although there is $ 23.8 million available from the financial cap for 2010 none of this money will be allocated to the RSMC membership in 2010. The primary reason for this is that the employer has refused to negotiate with the Union in a reasonable manner. Instead, throughout negotiations and the interest arbitration the employer has insisted, in an intransigent and unreasonable manner, that no collective agreement will be achieved unless the Union agrees to the introduction of the employer’s unacceptable short term disability proposal. During this holiday and festive time RSMC members should tell their employer representatives that all they want for a present is a negotiated collective agreement that distributes the $23.8 and $ 15 million available for 2010 and 2011 in a fair and just manner and provides improvements in the working lives of the RSMC membership.