Canada Post Strike Update August

[skylarstuff]

Update August 2, 4:14 pm

Dear Canada Post customer,

While we continue to talk, progress remains slow; but our resolve to reach tentative agreements without a work disruption has remained.

The postal system is open for business while negotiations continue. Mail and parcels are being processed and delivered across the country as normal.

Information related to negotiations can also be found at canadapost.ca/update, where you can sign up for email updates. We will continue to keep you updated on a regular basis as we have throughout this process.

Sincerely,

Serge Pitre
Vice-president, Sales
Canada Post Corporation

[skylarstuff]

Rally for Pensions, Pay Equity and Public Postal Service – August 6

When: Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.

What: March to the Prime Minister’s Montreal Office

Where: from Parc Saint-Alphonse (corner of Émile-Journault Ave. and Chateaubriand Ave.) to Justin Trudeau’s office at 529 Jarry Street East, Suite 302

Buses will depart from Ottawa and Quebec (details to follow)

Why: Canada Post isn’t taking some of our key negotiations issues seriously. We want the Liberal government to use its considerable influence to ensure that a government institution like Canada Post is onside with its objectives of improving pensions, pay equity and public postal service.

Please bring your friends and family and join us in Montreal.   Improved pensions!
Pay equity! 
Expand public postal services! #telljustin2016

[mr.elmwood]

Picky, picky, picky, but "strike" is the wrong word. There never was going to be one. It was always going to be a lock-out.

[dutchman48]

Interesting post from another site:

"The world's postal systems were built around a profit model that no longer exists: First class postage of letters. That provided the profit to support large staff, sorting houses, and many PO's.

The letters, except maybe at Christmas, are gone. Email, electronic banking, online ordering have all cut into the profit. Their parcel business is mostly dying because of FEDX, UPS, and similar courier services that are cheaper, faster, etc.

The ability of post authorities to reconfigure their operations is limited by politicians, unions, and the public:

"You cannot close that post office !! It was grandmother's favorite!"

" This is a time of few good job openings. Surely you are not proposing to lay off thousands of middle class, tax paying, loyal employees?"

"Hundred of thousands of businesses depend on Saturday delivery. Surely you are not proposing to send them into bankruptcy?"

Etc".

[cumos55]

A Review of the Future of Canada Post is currently in progress.,,, A Review by the Government of Canada..

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?mthd=tp&crtr.page=1&nid=1061389

[katlover1952]

Think the postal union needs to wake up to the new reality of Canada Post's business. You can't just keep increasing the postage costs each year to cover costs. Much more needs to be done to keep them from operating in the red. Perhaps it is reducing the days of mail delivery. Lots of food for thought.

In many ways the union shot themselves in the foot. I remember in the 70's when they would strike and everything would grind to a halt. Then people/companies began to find ways around mail - auto deposit, email delivery of invoices etc. I think they need to focus on parcels because with all the on-line shopping that is where their future is.

[mr.elmwood]

Labour cost, as a % revenue, has been DECREASING. Read the financial reports.

https://www.canadapost.ca/assets/pdf/aboutus/financialreports/2015_ar_financial_en.pdf

[tobyshitzu]

which will stop if they can't keep rolling out community mail boxes

Though its negligible compared to the $1.2 billion pension payment they have a holiday from making.  Which ends after 2017

[dutchman48]

I have seen that already.

Maybe the negotiations will slug along until after the review is finished.

The postal situation is not just an issue here, it is a worldwide problem and will continue to get worse.

I have already quit collecting the new issues for countries I collect as the cost is becoming absolutely absurd. I know others that have done the same. Postage seems to be issued to obtain revenue from collectors, but due to cost, many have discontinued and many more will do the same.

That would be an interesting discussion on it's own but more suitable for a different discussion group.

[marnotom!]

---

@dutchman48 wrote:

The letters, except maybe at Christmas, are gone. Email, electronic banking, online ordering have all cut into the profit. Their parcel business is mostly dying because of FEDX, UPS, and similar courier services that are cheaper, faster, etc.

---

My understanding is that Canada Post's parcel service has been cross-subsidizing its letter service for quite some time now.  I doubt very much that a dollar will cover how much it costs to deliver a letter to the house across the street, let alone to the east coast.

In Canada, B2C sales seem to rely more heavily on the postal system than in most other nations.  It may be due to price, but I think it's also because non-urban locations aren't served terribly well by courier services.

What you have quoted may be true of physically smaller, more populated and less geographically diverse nations, but I don't think it holds true for Canada.

[pjcdn2005]

B2C?

[dutchman48]

Business to Consumer

[cumos55]

The level of uncertainty with the negotiations  has put the postal system into a slow down mode....

Less lettermail.....  lots more parcels.......with more parcels  in the future.....and ......

Until everything is settled with a new contract.....  or alternatively a Parliamentary Order... .... nothing will get back to normal....  whatever normal should be.

[pjcdn2005]

Thanks.

[skylarstuff]

Postal Workers And Friends March To Prime Minister’s Office

Thursday August 4 2016

MONTREAL -Postal workers and friends will rally at the Prime Minister’s constituency office in Montreal on Saturday, August 6th to call for decent pensions, pay equity and a sustainable public postal service.

While the Liberal government is committed to gender equity, better pensions, and high quality postal service, one of its biggest Crown corporations is working against this agenda at the bargaining table.

“The government has created the first gender-equal cabinet, taken steps to improve retirement security, and initiated a review to ensure Canadians receive quality postal services at a reasonable price,” said CUPW National President, Mike Palecek. “But Canada Post management is moving in the opposite direction at negotiations. It wants to ignore pay equity laws, increase precarious work, provide worse pensions to new hires and make changes allowing the closure of 493 public post offices.

“There is a real discrepancy between Liberal promises and the actions of post office management.” said Palecek. “Canada Post is sticking to a Harper-era plan that needs to go.”

CUPW wants the government to update Canada Post’s agenda and tell management to get serious at the bargaining table. “The government is responsible for providing broad policy direction to Crown corporations like Canada Post. It should be using this power to ensure that government institutions are in step with priorities, ” said Palecek.

Postal workers and friends will gather at Parc Saint-Alphonse at 1:00 pm, Saturday August 6th , and march to Justin Trudeau’s office. Buses will depart Quebec City at 9:00 am and Ottawa at 10:00 am to bring postal workers and friends to the rally.

[femmefan1946]

The change from letter delivery to parcel delivery has been noted a couple of times in the past year or so both by Deeprak Chopra (President, Canada Post) and by Andrea Stairs (EBay Canada).

It is worth noting that for small businesses the postal system remains the least expensive carrier and covers the most destinations.

(Large mail order operations will use couriers, and bargain their shipping costs down.)

I was interested in Chopra's remark that at the turn of the last century Canada Post actually was in the same business as it is now, carrying more parcels than letters.

Even banks used the postal system to transport cash between branches. The labels they used are quite collectible -- and quite common.

[Anonymous]

Actually Canada Post needs to reduce the costly salaries, lay off those who earn more than $100,000, especially those so-called supervisors that do nothing but stand around.  And also those who are earning a million dollars or more, lay them off!  No "buy out" for them.

[skylarstuff]

A Message To The Prime Minister

Thursday August 4 2016

2015-2019/160

No 58

On August 6, 2016, postal workers and their supporters will be gathering in Montreal and other communities across our country to send a strong message to the shareholder and owner of Canada Post -  the Government of Canada. The Canada Post Negotiating Committee must come to the table ready to settle the key issues and work with us to achieve negotiated collective agreements.

What Is Our Message?

Prime Minister Trudeau’s election platform included issues that are key to this round of negotiations. These issues include retirement security, protecting the middle class, health and safety, pay equity and expanded public services. We are proposing the same things that the Liberals said were important during the election campaign. The Government must tell Canada Post management to negotiate these issues that are important to us and all Canadians.

The Issues

There are many issues that are key during this important round of negotiations between the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Canada Post:

• Retirement Security – So we can retire with dignity with a secure and guaranteed income by protecting our defined benefit pension plan;

• Protecting the Middle Class – Protect decent paying jobs. CPC wants precarious part-time and temporary jobs and  the ability to close all 493 retail outlets staffed by our members which could eliminate 1200 full-time jobs, many that are in small communities;

• Health and Safety – We need: a safe one-bundle delivery method for letter carriers; a social stewards network that can help our members in times of distress and better protections and investigations when we use our right to refuse unsafe work;

• Pay Equity – Our RSMC members deserve the same pay and benefits as letter carriers - they do the same work;

• Expanded Public Services – Postal banking and other expanded services will benefit all communities.

Rally on August 6

On August 6, the CUPW Negotiators along with our members and supporters will be in Montreal to personally deliver our message. The Government must give CPC the mandate to come to the table and deal seriously with the issues that need to be settled to achieve new collective agreements.

Now is the time for CPC to negotiate seriously. Now is the time to get the job done.

Sylvain Lapointe

Chief Negotiator, Urban Unit

George Floresco

Chief Negotiator, RSMC Unit

[cumos55]

The controlling factor is  the  electronic world.

The result has been less lettermail... and more, lots more parcels....  with more to come

It is the electronic world that dictates  what CPC can do... or more specifically... must do.

CPC must come out of this as a truly viable corporation in control of its destiny.

[rose-dee]

---

@femmefan1946 wrote:

I was interested in Chopra's remark that at the turn of the last century Canada Post actually was in the same business as it is now, carrying more parcels than letters.

---

That is an interesting aside, and quite believable actually.  1900-1910 was the height of the mail order catalogue business, when even a housewife in the tiniest town could order a fancy dress or a washtub from a catalogue and have it delivered to her nearest Post Office.  I have a couple of replicas of such catalogues, and the sheer volume and variety of items offered was unbelievable.  I expect Canadian consumers at the time could also order from the American catalogue retail giants, too. 

Online purchasing today is really just a revival of that idea in a different guise -- convenient shopping from your home, based upon a reliable postal service -- which is no doubt the point Chopra was trying to make. 

There was indeed a lot of such buying around 1900.  We all know the anecdotes about previous years' Eaton's catalogues being put to good, practical use in country outhouses.