eBay

axe_n_gear_music · ‎05-20-2011

My Canada Post guy today says that his contacts in Toronto are confirming a 99% chance of a strike on this Thursday. So many parcels shipped by CP over the last few days may be held in limbo for however long the strike lasts.

How many of you are putting your stores on vacation mode until we find out on Thursday?

AXE

cumos55 · ‎06-08-2011

Rotating strikes started with one city... Now it is two cities...

Could mean that three and perhaps more cities out at the same time might be a CUPW option at some time in the future

and than a full strike perhaps...

zarzuella · ‎06-08-2011

They are treading lightly.

I think CUPW will try to avoid the Govt. stepping in again and forcing them back to work, as happened last time. They will probably play this delicately (if they have any sense).

widgetc · ‎06-08-2011

I just read this in the toronto star. If mail volumes are down that much CP is losing a lot of money; how far off can a lockout be?

Vanessa Lu Business Reporter The rotating strikes have already hit Canada Post hard, with mail volumes falling by half to 20 million items a day from the usual 40 million. “Our plants are almost bare. Usually, it’s a busy stream of activity,” said Canada Post spokeswoman Anick Losier. “Carriers will tell you their bags are much lighter.” The strike by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers began Friday, with 24- to 48-hour shutdowns across the country. Union members have already walked picket lines in Winnipeg, Hamilton, Montreal, Victoria and Moncton. The union has not hit the Toronto area yet, which includes two of the country’s busiest processing plants: the mail sorting facility on Eastern Ave. and the parcel sorting facility in Mississauga. It has not ruled out a full nationwide strike at some point, but with rotating strikes, most employees are able to continue to draw a paycheque. Talks appear to be stalling with no formal meetings held on Tuesday, and none scheduled for Wednesday. Losier said the company is waiting for the union to respond. “We have a good offer on the table,” she said. “They are hurting the business.” Union officials have pointed out that management’s decision to suspend overtime and temporary or contract work means mail on some routes is not being delivered when a carrier is away. The company admitted some routes, where rotating strikes have not been called, are being affected, but it is trying to minimize the impact. On Monday, Canada Post rejected the latest proposal from the union, which represents 48,000 employees, but agreed to take a proposal to create more part-time positions off the table. The company has emphasized that in the age of email, texting and Facebook, business volume has been declining steadily because fewer people send letters. The union’s top issues include health and safety concerns resulting from new technology. With files from Canadian Press

art-in-the-making · ‎06-08-2011

Good news for us sellers in one sense - in that if the volumes are lower, then the system will get less jammed up due to the rotating strikes.

Lock-out? I don't know. How onboard could post office management be with digging their own grave? Some chance perhaps they could come out smelling like a rose - say if they lock out the workers and then showed (partly due to lower volumes) how the mail could be well handled with a much smaller workforce. Unlikely.

The two sides need to get together, make an agreement and then focus the business on areas of strength.

I read USPS volumes were down 7% in 1st quarter. Much faster decline than expected. Both sides in our dispute need to come together before there is nothing left to squabble over.

femmefan1946 · ‎06-08-2011

The company has emphasized that in the age of email, texting and Facebook, business volume has been declining steadily because fewer people send letters.

As I have said before, I suspect CP is happy about this since lettermail is probably a moneyloser.

No journalists are talking about parcel mail which they are probably unaware exists. (Journalists live in bubbles and read only press releases)

That the couriers are refusing new customers has yet to hit the media. I did see one eBay seller with a letter in the Globe and Mail this week.

axe_n_gear_music · ‎06-08-2011

13 CENTRES ARE NEXT!!!

Labrador City, N.L. Acadie-Bathurst, N.B. Summerside, P.E.I. Sainte-Thérèse, Que. Saint-Jérôme, Que. Thunder Bay, Ont. Hearst, Ont. Brantford, Ont. St. Thomas, Ont. Flin Flon, Man. Yellowknife, N.W.T. Whitehorse, Yk. Vernon, B.C

Sales are still up, less competition, maybe?

cumos55 · ‎06-09-2011

More from Canada Post

http://clients.infopost.ca/en/2011/06/labour-negotiations-with-cupw-stalled/

axe_n_gear_music · ‎06-09-2011

Next up tomorrow is Quebec City and Kitchener.

out-boards · ‎06-10-2011

I'm at times using UPS to deliver my larger items, but still using CP for the lighter stuff. UPS truck is here almost everyday. But man, they could hardly keep up... The poor delivery guy was covered in sweat and exhausted. said running 5 to 6 hrs overtime everyday, and they can't hire enough drivers.

Well at least someone is making money from the strike. I know I ain't!!

axe_n_gear_music · ‎06-11-2011

Starting to lose interest in the "strike" (that's really not even a strike).

However, for those who are still interested, Red Deer Alberta is "next" for 48 hours.

axe_n_gear_music · ‎06-12-2011

Red Beer Alberta is done...yawn...

Next up for 24 hours is:

Corner Brook, N.L. Fredericton, N.B. Cape Breton Island area, N.S. (including North Sydney, Sydney Mines, Glace Bay and New Waterford) Sherbrooke, Que. Trois-Rivières and area, Que. Cornwall, Ont. Niagara Falls, Ont. Windsor, Ont. Regina, Sask. Nanaimo, B.C.

Whatever. Shipping from here is still working fine as usual.

AXE

welcometodorysplace · ‎06-12-2011

So far I haven't had any problems...

Cindy

axe_n_gear_music · ‎06-12-2011

"So far I haven't had any problems..."

Ditto, and why would we? The "strike" has only been in our area once for only 24 hours!

zarzuella · ‎06-13-2011

What is of concern at this stage is a lockout by Canada Post; I don't know how long they will continue to operate with such reduced volume of mail.

godboma · ‎06-14-2011

What scares me is the possibility of CP going on a lockout or on full strike at any time. If you have parcel into the system at that time, you might get bad feedback or DSR from buyers.

I just came out of 2 months period without my TRS and sells where down. I do not want to go there again.

This is why my eBay operation is currently closed. I am still operating my web site and using Fedex for parcel. I know I am loosing money right now but I hope that this lost will be less than the lost sells for having a negative feedback or loosing the TRS again.

And I am certainly not counting on eBay to erase any of feedback or low DSR after the strike...

ricarmic · ‎06-15-2011

Canada post site says that they've locked out all Urban workers now. Guess the store goes back on vacation again....sighhhhhh

zarzuella · ‎06-15-2011

OK, what exactly are 'Urban Operations'? Surely everything is sorted in an 'Urban' centre at some point?

Canada Post Forced to Shut Down Urban Operations Nationwide 2011/6/14

Union actions compromise the viability of Canada Post Following 12 days of increasingly costly and damaging rotating strikes being carried out by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Canada Post has suspended operations across the country. The accelerating decline in volumes and revenue combined with the inability to deliver mail on a timely and safe basis has left the company with no choice but to make this decision. Specifically we have taken this action for the following reasons: Rotating strikes have had a significant impact on the short-term revenue of the business. Canada Post’s estimated losses are approaching $100 million after today’s strike in Montreal and Toronto and that figure is climbing daily; Over the past few days several incidents have raised concerns about the ability to move the mail while keeping our employees and customers safe;Canada Post and CUPW remain far apart on several fundamental issues and there has been no progress made at the negotiating table for weeks; If we allow the uncertainty created by the rotating strikes to continue, our ability to remain financially self-sufficient and not become a burden on Canadian taxpayers will be in jeopardy. We believe that a lockout is the best way to bring a timely resolution to this impasse and force the union to seriously consider proposals that address the declining mail volumes and the $3.2-billion pension deficit. Canada Post continues to believe that the best result from this round of bargaining is a negotiated settlement. The company had hoped to reach an agreement without a disruption in Canada’s postal service which is why the company made every effort to protect the pay, pension and job security of existing employees.

ricarmic · ‎06-15-2011

Yes as far as I know urban workers are all the folks in the urban centres which includes all the folks in the sorting plants and of course the urban letter carriers. The folks in my wee post office here in Shedden are all still working, except there's nothing coming in for them to give out!