Nearly 10,000 Postal Workers on the Picket Lines

For Immediate Release



Ottawa – Rotating strikes returned to Toronto this morning as members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) from the Toronto local and the York Distribution Centre (part of the Scarborough local), walked of the job at 6 am (ET). They joined members from the Nova local in Nova Scotia, who walked off the job yesterday at 8 pm (AT).

On Monday, the special mediator’s mandate ended with the parties still far apart on many key issues.

“In spite of the continued assistance of the mediator over the weekend, Canada Post still refuses to address our major issues of health and safety, staffing, over-burdening, job security, a reduction in precarious employment, fair wages for all and a better work-life balance,” says Mike Palecek, CUPW National President. “While we remain at the bargaining table, ready to negotiate with Canada Post, we will not sit back in silence. This fight is not over. We will never stop fighting for fair and decent contracts for our members.”

The national overtime ban for both of CUPW’s major bargaining units at Canada Post also continues. Postal workers, no matter what their job at Canada Post, will not work more than an eight-hour day and not more than a 40-hour week. ‘’Overburdening, overtime and overwork are all major issues in this round of bargaining. Until Canada Post negotiators’ address it, we can solve it for ourselves in the meantime,” says Palecek.

CUPW members are still without agreements for the Urban Postal Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) bargaining units after almost a year of negotiations.

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For more information, please contact:

EN – Emilie Tobin, CUPW Communications, at 613-882-2742 or at media@cupw-sttp.org

FR – Lise-Lyne Gélineau, President, CUPW Montreal local, at 514-914-0350 or at lise-lyne.gelineau@sttpmtl.com