Bulletins for Members

Special Needs Project: Celebrating 20 Years! Back in 2005 our family found out about the Special Needs Project. Having almost 3 year old triplets at the time, each of them having a different diagnosis, the Special Needs Project gave us a sense of relief when it came to some of the extra cost encountered with each of their needs. Now almost 11 years later the children are excelling each at their own pace thanks to the “extras” that we can do with our children and with the funding that we receive from the project.

The Canada Labour Code provides that the parties have a duty to make every reasonable effort to negotiate a collective agreement and must bargain in good faith. Furthermore, employers are prohibited from interfering in the affairs of a Union. Today, CUPW filed a formal complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) that Canada Post management has failed to negotiate in good faith and is interfering with the Union’s right to represent its members.

Yesterday we reported that CPC provided us with letters outlining their response to our global offers, which we presented on July 1st, 2016. CPC’s letters stated that they reject our position and will withdraw their June 25th global offers “in their entirety” at the expiry of any 72-hour notice provided by either party. Last night at 11:47 PM, CPC filed its 72-hour notices of lock-out.

Mr. Sinclair: This is in response to your letter of July 4, 2016. In your letter, you conveyed your interpretation of the Corporation’s June 25, 2016 global offer by highlighting what you believed to be the offer’s greatest merits. You also roundly criticized the union’s global offer submitted on July 1st, 2016 and even went as far as condemning its timing. In a rather condescending manner, you also took the liberty of calling this offer disappointing.

Today, CUPW and Canada Post negotiators met in the presence of the mediators. There was a very frank discussion of the differences between the parties. CPC provided CUPW with a letter outlining their response to the CUPW global offer which we presented on July 1, 2016. The Corporation did not reply in any great deal except to say that it was “disappointed” with the Union’s offer. Instead, the letter of the Corporation states that it will withdraw its June 25th global offer “in its entirety” at the expiry of any 72-hour notice provided by either party. This means that with the exception of the agreement on GPS and the use of Maximo, all agreements and initialled clauses will be null and void. This includes the agreement on householders and any progress made on parcel delivery and any other issue. Other than this threat, CPC had nothing to offer.

**Alert**: The Union is not serving a 72-hour notice. For many years, CUPW has consistently taken the position that the best response to falling mail volumes is to expand into new services which meet the needs of the public and add revenues for Canada Post. Our view is that CPC should expand its existing services such as parcel delivery and direct mail, as well as initiate new services such as postal banking. With the largest vehicle fleet and the most extensive network of retail facilities in the country, there is great potential for growth. Here is how the issues stand at negotiations:

The wage offer presented by Canada Post management is an insult. The vast majority of employees would receive pay increases of 0.75% per year or less. Here it is:

The CUPW National Executive Board has decided not to file a 72-hour strike notice today. This means there will be no strike action undertaken before Tuesday, July 5th.

The year is 2036 and you’re reading this because right now, you’re thinking about what it means to call yourself a postal worker. You’re wondering if it’s really worth it to put your body and your future on the line. That’s what your union is asking you to do.

Show your support for postal workers!

 

OTTAWA - Postal workers are asking Canada Post management for a two-week extension on the cooling-off period that would otherwise entail a termination of their contract on July 2nd. At that point, the union says Canada Post might either lock its workers out or try to force a walkout through punitive changes to their working conditions.