LAKELAND - The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has issued an overtime ban while it reviews the latest offer from Canada Post.
According to James Ball, the president of the Edmonton local which also represents carriers in the Lakeland region, the overtime ban doesn’t have a huge impact for a lot of people, “but for some of our smaller offices where they don't have proper staffing or relief, it's already becoming a bit of a problem.”
He confirmed many of the smaller post offices in the Lakeland region are operated by the Canadian Postmaster and Assistants Association but said there are a number that are run by the CPA and still have CUPW members working at them, like St. Lina, Bonnyville, Smoky Lake and Andrew.
“Most of those are the rural delivery component, so they drive their own vehicles and they put a sign on top of their car that says Canada Post,” said Ball.
“[The routes are] built to a value, and the complaint that [Canada Post] has is that letter carriers are getting it done faster than the schedule should list. But then we also have routes where they're much more challenging, and people specifically in the rural component, will end up working eight hours but only get paid for six,” said Ball.
CUPW went on strike in November and was later ordered back to work by Canada Industrial Relations Board. As part of the ruling, the expired contract was renewed and extended until May 2025.
In statements posted to their website, Canada Post said it “will continue operating but customers may experience delays.”
“In the event CUPW initiates rotating strike activity, Canada Post intends to continue delivering for your business while working to reach agreements.”
The crown corporation presented its latest offer to the union 36-hours before the strike deadline, saying the offer would “increase wages, remove key sticking points and include changes needed to compete in the parcel delivery business. They also reflect the Corporation’s financial and operational realities.”
According to Ball, the union asked for an extension of two weeks to review the offer but Canada Post declined.
“This is the type of language where a comma matters, so we're going to need some time to assess that language,” said Ball, saying Canada Post is trying to bypass negotiations by releasing the details to the public.
According to Canada Post, they are no longer proposing “a new health benefits plan, changes to employees’ post-retirement benefits, or enrolling future employees in the defined contribution pension instead of defined benefit.”
