Rural Mail Delivery: The Balance Between Service and Safety

For Immediate Release

May 31, 2006

Ottawa, May 31, 2006 – The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is committed to maintaining rural maildelivery while keeping those who deliver the mail safe.

“We are trying to work with Canada Post to make sure rural residents keep their home delivery,” said CUPWPresident Deborah Bourque. “But we are also trying to make sure rural mail carriers are safe while servingthe community,” she added.

Many Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers have invoked their right to refuse unsafe work conditions in thelast few months. Health and safety concerns include high traffic roads with narrow shoulders and repetitivestress injuries from leaning to the opposite side of the car through the window to deliver mail tomailboxes.

Bourque believes there are options that will keep the mail arriving at rural homes, without risking thelives of members.

“The best solution is to make it safe to deliver the mail,” said Bourque. “You can make delivery atcertain mailboxes safer by having the rural carrier get out of the vehicle to deliver the mail, moving therural mailbox back off the road or driving into a driveway to deliver the mail.

“Not every mailbox on every route is unsafe,” said Bourque. “We need to find solutions that make thoseproblem delivery spots safer,” she said.

Canada Post has responded with a blanket approach, which switches communities from lot-line delivery tocommunity mailboxes in areas where postal workers have refused unsafe work.

“This is not a reasonable response,” said Bourque. “We want rural residents to continue to receive thegreat service they have come to expect from Canada Post and that they are entitled to.”

Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers, who were formerly independent contractors, became employees of CanadaPost in 2003.

“There were problems before,” said Bourque. “However, many rural mail carriers were simply too afraid tospeak up.”

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