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Vancouver Sun
11 hours ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
What the final offer from Canada Post includes, and why the union wants workers to vote no
Unionized postal workers are voting from July 21 to Aug. 1 on the final offer presented by Canada Post. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is encouraging workers to vote against it , as it calls it a forced vote that harms the 'foundation of free and fair collective bargaining.' Canada Post says the offer protects what is important to workers while reflecting the company's current reality. Here's what Canada Post's final offer includes, and why CUPW is against it. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. What's in the final offer from Canada Post? What is different from previous offers is that for urban and rural units, Canada post offered to pay a signing bonus, $1,000 to full-time regular employees and $500 to all other employees. They also said the cost of living allowance (COLA), a benefit to employees that is paid when consumer prices increase, will have payments at a lower inflation threshold. If inflation rates exceed 7.16 per cent between Feb. 1, 2025 to Jan. 31, 2028, payments from COLA will be made. The schedule for wage increases over the next four years remained unchanged from the May 21 offer. The first year would see a six per cent increase, the second year, three per cent, and two per cent in each of the third and fourth years. The increases will be retroactive to Feb. 1, 2024. There were also changes to the short-term disability program, where employees will receive up to 80 per cent of their regular wages for up to 30 weeks, a benefit that before paid 70 per cent of regular wages for up to 17 weeks. To maintain the already existing benefits for current employees, new hires after the agreement is signed will need to work for six consecutive months before being added to the defined benefit component of the pension plan, which guarantees a set income for the employee's retirement years. There were also adjustments to the number of personal days, where employees will have 13 multi-use personal days a year, with seven paid out days a year, and up to five personal days being carried over every year. For urban workers the agreement also allows for dynamic routing, a new system that would update delivery routes daily based on mail volume and delivery points. Letter carriers will still receive per-piece payments for neighbourhood mail on top of the actual time value until 2030, and compulsory overtime will be removed. Dynamic routing would ultimately put an end to fixed routes created by the letter carrier route measurement system manual (LCRMS) that was built to assess and adjust equitable workloads for individual letter carrier routes. For the regions that won't have that implemented, a load-levelling of the work should happen, aiming to make predictable and balanced routes for employees. They also introduced a new part-time flex position, working at least 20 hours a week and helping cover for absences, as well as a new weekend parcel delivery system for urban units, and an update to the separate sort from delivery system amid union concerns, a system that divides the tasks that letter carriers used to do, sort and deliver, into two with routers sorting all that needs to be delivered while letter carriers focuses only on delivering. Canada Post also wants to remove the wash-up time before meals for urban workers, a five-minute break workers get before meals to wash their hands to 'reduce unproductive time.' For rural workers, routes would be updated to get more work done over the week and new permanent flex employees may be scheduled for weekends to help Canada Post operate seven days a week. Load-levelling would optimize routes and work schedules, and meal and rest periods would be given 'as appropriate.' Why CUPW is against it CUPW says Canada Post ignored the union's positions, and they created a fact-check portal to show how the corporation's offer is not meeting their basic demands. When it comes to the wage increases, the union says a six-per-cent increase is not much, and would amount to only a one-per-cent increase, since workers received an adjustment of five per cent to their wage in the last COLA payment. Regarding the weekend parcels delivery, the union claims that an unstructured work schedule would give more power to management to build routes that don't take into consideration workload, health or safety of workers, and would eliminate the possibility of overtime for full-time workers as part-time workers would get priority. When it comes to the new position for urban units, part-time flex, the union says the corporation would be able to assign them tasks without any union supervision, as well as eliminate overtime for full-time workers and impact the hours for part-time employees. Regarding dynamic routing, the union is concerned that managers will be able to adjust their schedule to fit in as many deliveries as they can, which the union says can't be sustainable for a long time. Regarding load levelling, the union says that this could give more power to management to give hours to certain workers over others compared to others on the floor. On the separate sort from delivery system, the union is against it because the letter carriers would be overworked and face more extreme weather and it would also overwork routers inside as when they finish sorting what they were assigned, management can assign them more until their work day is over. The union argues that removing the five minutes of wash-up time from workers before meals is a health and safety concern, as workers are dealing with many different packages throughout the day and need to clean up before eating. Full-time employees that work three hours or more get half an hour for a meal period. CUPW said in a statement on July 18 that 'the offer ignores the realities on the workfloor, fails to address key demands, and threatens hard-won protections.' The Union says that once the results are in, if the majority is against it, they will contact management and get back to bargaining and maintain the overtime ban effective since May 23, 2025. The overtime ban allows workers to say no to overtime, no matter if all deliveries were made or not. Workers are only allowed to work up to 40 hours a week. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
11 hours ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
What the final offer from Canada Post includes, and why the union wants workers to vote no
Article content Unionized postal workers are voting from July 21 to Aug. 1 on the final offer presented by Canada Post. Article content The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is encouraging workers to vote against it, as it calls it a forced vote that harms the 'foundation of free and fair collective bargaining.' Canada Post says the offer protects what is important to workers while reflecting the company's current reality. Article content Article content Article content Article content They also said the cost of living allowance (COLA), a benefit to employees that is paid when consumer prices increase, will have payments at a lower inflation threshold. If inflation rates exceed 7.16 per cent between Feb. 1, 2025 to Jan. 31, 2028, payments from COLA will be made. Article content The schedule for wage increases over the next four years remained unchanged from the May 21 offer. The first year would see a six per cent increase, the second year, three per cent, and two per cent in each of the third and fourth years. The increases will be retroactive to Feb. 1, 2024. Article content Article content There were also changes to the short-term disability program, where employees will receive up to 80 per cent of their regular wages for up to 30 weeks, a benefit that before paid 70 per cent of regular wages for up to 17 weeks. Article content Article content To maintain the already existing benefits for current employees, new hires after the agreement is signed will need to work for six consecutive months before being added to the defined benefit component of the pension plan, which guarantees a set income for the employee's retirement years. Article content There were also adjustments to the number of personal days, where employees will have 13 multi-use personal days a year, with seven paid out days a year, and up to five personal days being carried over every year. Article content For urban workers the agreement also allows for dynamic routing, a new system that would update delivery routes daily based on mail volume and delivery points. Letter carriers will still receive per-piece payments for neighbourhood mail on top of the actual time value until 2030, and compulsory overtime will be removed. Dynamic routing would ultimately put an end to fixed routes created by the letter carrier route measurement system manual (LCRMS) that was built to assess and adjust equitable workloads for individual letter carrier routes. For the regions that won't have that implemented, a load-levelling of the work should happen, aiming to make predictable and balanced routes for employees.
Global News
6 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Canada Post strike ‘yo-yoing' has some businesses turning elsewhere: CFIB
As unionized postal workers vote on the latest and 'final' offers from Canada Post, it may be too little, too late for some businesses as a new survey suggests they are 'starting to leave for good.' The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released the results of a survey conducted through June and July of 2025 on how businesses have responded to the service disruptions at Canada Post amid the roughly 18 months of union negotiations and strike action. 'Yo-yoing in and out of strike mandates is causing Canada's small businesses — one of Canada Post's last groups of profitable customers — to leave for good,' said president Dan Kelly at the CFIB. 'Small business owners and other consumers need certainty. Thirteen per cent of small businesses permanently dropped usage of Canada Post during the 2024 strike and every time Canada Post goes on strike, more and more businesses leave forever.' Story continues below advertisement According to the report, the CFIB estimates the 2024 strike cost small businesses between $75 million and $100 million each day. Most businesses (71 per cent) responded to the disruptions by encouraging customers to use digital options, nearly half (45 per cent) turned to private couriers, while 27 per cent delayed mail. 'The number one thing we're hearing from business owners is that we have tons of uncertainty already with the Canada-U.S. trading relationship, and then if we add to that ongoing uncertainty with respect to whether or not the postal service is going to work, it's a huge impact,' says Kelly. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'There are lots of small businesses that are starting to leave for good.' 5:58 CUPW urges members to reject Canada Post contract vote Where do things stand? Members of Canada Post's largest union of postal workers are currently voting on the latest and 'final' offers from the Crown corporation, which could bring an end to the uncertainty. Story continues below advertisement Although the company has described these offers as 'final,' and a smaller union of postal workers ratified their own deal, the larger Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has urged members to vote against it. If the deal is rejected by the workers it could prolong the negotiations and strike action. The voting period for the approximately 53,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers kicked off on Monday and will end on Aug. 1, with the offers from Canada Post including a wage increase, a signing bonus, and maintaining a defined benefit pension and job security. CUPW said on Monday that 'Canada Post's offers fall short of what postal workers have rightfully earned. They ignore the day-to-day realities we face on the work floor, fail to meet our key bargaining demands, and aim to weaken the protections we've fought hard to secure.' 0:44 Canada Post reaches deal with CPAA, its 2nd largest union Canada Post has been struggling financially for several years, with a recent report by the Industrial Inquiry Commission saying the company was 'effectively insolvent' as it loses market share to competition from private companies, including UPS, FedEx and Amazon, among others. Story continues below advertisement The report by the IIC found Canada Post lost $748 million in 2023, a 26-per cent increase from the $548 million lost a year prior.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘Our goal has never been a strike': Local Canada Post workers reeling from 2-year ‘mess'
As unionized workers once again vote on Canada Post's latest contract offer across the country, the president of Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Local 730 in Alberta said his members are feeling 'pretty tired.' 'I mean, we've been doing this for two years … So everybody's pretty tired, but I think overall morale is still pretty good,' said James Ball. CUPW Local 730 represents about 2,700 of 55,000 unionized postal service workers ranging from Jasper east to Lloydminster and Lac La Biche south to Ponoka. The vote on a new contract began Monday and will be open to CUPW members until Aug. 1. Ball said the newest contract is the same offer as the one given to them by the Crown corporation back in November 2023. The offer includes wage hikes of about 13 per cent over four years. It also adds part-time workers Canada Post has said are necessary to keep the postal service alive. 'It's a mess,' Ball said. Recently, some CUPW negotiators have urged members to vote against the contract. Ball still said he sees a strike vote among his members as 'unlikely.' 'Our goal has always been to get a negotiated contract,' he said. 'Our goal has never been to strike.' A Canada Post spokesperson said the Crown corporation had operating losses amounting to $10 million a day through June, and in the event the vote is negative, the uncertainty will continue. In the meantime, though, Ball said many workers are refusing overtime until a negotiation is made. 'The only two pathways out of this are negotiation and arbitration … if they choose to lock us out, then they're just there to punish us for not giving them exactly what they wanted the whole time.' According to a survey released Monday by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), a postal strike could push 63 per cent of businesses to walk away from Canada Post permanently. CFIB also said 70 per cent of businesses have encouraged customers to use digital methods, 45 per cent have switched to private couriers and 27 per cent delayed their mail altogether. With files from the Canadian Press, CTV News Edmonton's Darcy Seaton and
CTV News
7 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘Devil is in the details': Canada Post union negotiator urges members to vote against latest offer
CUPW negotiator Jim Gallant on why the union is encouraging worker to reject Canada Post's latest contract offer. As unionized workers at Canada Post begin voting on the Crown corporation's latest offer, one of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers' (CUPW) negotiators is urging members to vote against it, slamming Canada Post for trying to 'control people's lives.' Jim Gallant told CTV Your Morning in an interview Monday that despite the 18-month long negotiation, the latest offer is still not up to the mark, emphasizing 'the devil is in the details.' 'The wording that they have, and this language, just open a wide door that they could drive a motor home through to get what they want,' he said after reading through all the offer documents. Roughly 55,000 unionized Canada Post workers began voting on Monday, after the federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to intervene and put the latest offer to a vote. Meanwhile, Gallant describes the agreement as the opposite of flexible. 'They use the word 'flexibility', but this collective agreement is about control,' he said. 'They want to control people's lives, where you go to work for four hours and by the time you're at work you have to stay for eight hours.' CUPW, along with the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers and Urban Bargaining Committees, unanimously recommended that Canada Post's final offer be rejected, according a news release by the CUPW. 'These offers fall short of what we've earned, ignore the realities on the work floor, fail to address key demands, and threaten hard-won protections,' the news release said. 'Worse still, Canada Post—backed by the Government—is setting a dangerous precedent,' the press release added. 'From the start, management has shown little interest in fair negotiations. Instead, they're using this forced vote to sidestep bargaining and impose their terms without our consent.' The Crown corporation's offer includes a hike in wages of around 13 per cent over four years and adds part-time workers. Jon Hamilton, a Canada Post spokesperson, said the Crown corporation had operating losses amounting to $10 million a day through June, and in the event the vote is negative, the uncertainty will continue. According to a survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released on Monday, a postal strike could cause the corporation to permanently lose up to 63 per cent of businesses. 'Small business owners deserve a long-term plan and a postal service they can count on,' Corinne Pohlmann, executive vice-president of advocacy at CFIB said in the survey report. According to the CFIB, more than 70 per cent of businesses have encouraged customers to use digital methods, 45 per cent have put their faith in private couriers and 27 per cent delayed mail. 'People can't take care of their children or parents,' Gallant says. 'We need things so we have a reasonable day and know about that day before we show up.' With files from CTV News' Paul Hollingsworth and the Canadian Press
