Wage comparisons in the urban operations bargaining unit between 1995 and the last year of the tentative collective agreement

Annual Salary (regular wages)

Note: In 2000, Group 3 members received an extra bump up of 50 cents in addition to the regular increases for the bargaining unit. Group 4 members received an extra 2.5 hours pay per week with no change in hours worked.

Why are we looking at our wages?

Comparing CUPW members’ wages and benefits with those of workers outside the post office is difficult. A truly accurate calculation of an overall wage and benefit package must include many factors — vacation leave, paid meal periods, night recovery leave, premiums, health plans, and so on.

It’s a lot easier to look at what happened to the wages of the different classifications in CUPW over the years. When we look at the negotiating experience of CUPW, we see that almost all classifications have received very similar wage increases since 1995 (this year was chosen because it was the first time CUPW bargained for all groups without back-to-work legislation).

We didn’t just increase wages over this time period. We also improved many of our benefits.