| Canada Post extremely disappointed with CUPW’s response to its offers Dear Canada Post customer, I am writing to update you on our negotiations and advise you that there can be no legal work disruption before the expiry of a 72-hour notice, and one has yet to be filed. On Saturday, June 25, 2016, we tabled offers in our separate negotiations with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW-Urban and CUPW-RSMC), which represent our delivery agents and plant employees. Our offers were designed to help bring a quick resolution to the negotiations and end the uncertainty that is negatively impacting our customers and our employees. Our offers included modest and manageable wage increases for all employees and no changes to the pension for all employees in the plan. As you can read in our public statement, we are extremely disappointed with the response from CUPW. Late Friday evening, CUPW tabled offers that would add at least $1 billion in new costs over the term of a new collective agreement while rejecting the Corporation’s approach to address the long-term issues with the employee pension plan. Rather than saddle customers with more than $1 billion in new costs, Canada Post continues to remain at the table to negotiate an agreement that is reasonable and affordable. In the event of a full disruption, Canada Post will not operate, deliver or accept new items. We will keep you updated on our progress. Thank you for your business and your continued patience. Sincerely,  Serge PitreVice-president, Sales Canada Post Corporation |
‘Equality is the law, not an award’: Pay equity for rural carriers not a case for arbitration: CUPW
Thursday July 7 2016
For Immediate Release
OTTAWA- Postal workers have politely declined a suggestion from federal Minister of Labour MaryAnn Mihychuk to bring negotiations with Canada Post management to binding arbitration, saying it’s a matter of principle.
“We appreciate the offer to help, but paying women equally for work of equal value is the law of the land; it’s not something that can be awarded or withheld by an arbitrator,” said Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The union is demanding that Canada Post create an hourly wage for rural and suburban mail carriers, 70% of whom are women. They currently earn on average almost 30% less than their mostly male counterparts in the larger urban unit.
Palecek noted that Canada Post fought a major pay equity claim for 28 years, all the way to the Supreme Court, where it was eventually ordered to pay an estimated $250 million settlement in 2011. It’s still looking for some of those women, some of whom have passed away.
“Wouldn’t it be easier, not to mention cheaper, for them to just do the right thing now so rural and suburban carriers don’t have to wait?” said Palecek.
The Special Committee on Pay Equity recently recommended proactive pay equity legislation, which puts the onus on employers so that workers aren’t forced to fight wage discrimination in the court system. Canada Post has refused to conduct any investigations or studies to determine if it is in compliance with the pay equity legislation. Palecek said that postal workers don’t want to wait for years for legislation to settle the matter.
The union remains hopeful it can reach a negotiated settlement and encourages people to keep using the mail system and participate in the Liberal task force and review for the post office’s future.
“Our members want to work and keep delivering good service to all Canadians. We want to expand our valuable postal service and safeguard it for the public,” Palecek said.
When Ultimatums Don’t Work: CPC Attacks Our Right to Collective Bargaining
Thursday July 7 2016
2015-2019/136
No. 37
Why does CUPW support collective bargaining?
The CUPW agrees with the Supreme Court of Canada that collective bargaining is a fundamental right and the best way for workers to participate in the process to determine their wages, benefits, and working conditions. All of the gains we have accomplished have been through collective bargaining. Our experience with arbitration is that it is a costly and long process, often taking several years, where we have concessions imposed upon us by government- appointed arbitrators that do not have to live with the consequences of their decision.
What does CPC hope to achieve through arbitration?
CPC hopes a government-appointed arbitrator will award them concessions they could never achieve through bargaining. Management has said that they reserve the right to withdraw their global offer in its entirety and revert to their initial bargaining position.
Here is what was in their initial bargaining position:
Wage Rate: Urban: 3% over four years. $0.50 for most employees in Groups 3 and 4. RSMCs: no hourly wage rate.
Job Security: RSMCs: no job security. Urban: increasing the qualifying period to 10 years and protection to province-wide.
Householders: RSMCs: no increase in payments, no change at all. Urban: some prep time allowance for householders but no time value for delivery plus larger dimensions and increased weights.
Post-Retirement Benefits: Urban: For current employees increasing the retiree share of the premiums from 35% up to 80%. RSMCs: No post-retirement benefits.
Parcels: RSMCs: Per-piece payment non pensionable. Increased payments for delivery of more than 135 scannable pieces per week. Urban: Expand delivery into mornings, evenings and weekends using only temporary employees.
Groups 3 and 4: Work 12 hour shifts with everyone working every weekend.
Pensions: Urban and RSMCs current and future employees: Stop defined benefit pension and move to defined contribution pension for future service.
Group 1 Staffing: Reduce full-time ratio, increase part-time at wickets and have right to close all 493 retail counters.
RSMCs: No requirement to build 8-hour routes, no guarantee of hours, not all hours pensionable, not paid for all hours worked, no wage rate.
Working Time: Urban: Eliminate paid meal period, wash-up time, 7th week of vacation and pre-retirement leave. RSMCs: No paid meal period, no breaks, no wash up time. No change.
Bargaining For Our Future!
This round of bargaining is about our future. In 2011-2012 we lost our right to freely negotiate based on legislation that has now been ruled as unconstitutional. This impacted both the RSMC and urban negotiations. In 2016, we once again have the right to freely negotiate our collective agreements and it is time to stand strong and be united. We must send a message to CPC that we are bargaining based on our demands and that we will fight for our future and for all future postal workers. We will not be bullied into accepting something less than we deserve for either the RSMC or the urban bargaining unit.
When we stand together, we will get the agreements that we all deserve!
Sylvain Lapointe
Chief Negotiator, Urban Unit
George Floresco
Chief Negotiator, RSMC Unit
Sisters and Brothers: we’re here to win, not gamble away our rights
Thursday July 7 2016
2015-2019/137
We often say “solidarity” to each other. But now comes the real test of solidarity for our union. Do we practice what we preach or is “solidarity” just a catchphrase? Do we still believe that an injury to one is an injury to all? The solidarity that we share between us is the only way we will survive this. If we show each other our solidarity, not only will we survive, we will win.
We must stay firm and united against the boss’s efforts to divide us. When your co-workers are hurt, you help them. When a group of our members are getting a raw deal, we fight for them. That is what we’ve always done. We fought for cleaners, coders and part-timers. We fought for equality and human rights, and we should always be proud of that. When postal workers fought for paid maternity leave in 1981, some called us fools. I doubt they’d say that now.
Management well knows that if they can divide us and break CUPW solidarity, they can crush our union. That’s why we’re being pressured to fight amongst ourselves, not with the boss. That is why RSMCs are being pitted against urban members, casuals against permanent workers and so on. It’s a desperate ploy by Chopra and his cronies appealing to the worst in people: fear, stress, greed, self-interest, lack of concern for others. It’s not going to work for them.
Keep Calm and Show Our Strength
When they’ve got the threat of a lock-out hanging over our heads like this, the pressure becomes intense indeed. But we are strongest when we are together and this time around, we’re in the strongest position we could possibly be in. Nobody is going to bully postal workers into taking the first (and worst) deal the boss hands us. Not when there’s support and momentum behind us, and the wind in our sails!
- We’ve exposed Canada Post’s manipulation of the negotiations process and their set-up for a lock-out. Now they’re backing away from the mess they’ve made and crying for the government to step in and bail them out (again).
- We’ve put the unfair treatment of our RSMC sisters and brothers in the spotlight. Now all of Canada knows about this issue.
- We’ve been emphatic about our struggle for better and expanded services. This will be a major feature of the postal review.
- We have gained massive public support and recognition for our struggles, and both Canada Post and the Liberal government know it.
All Members Have a Stake in These Negotiations
There’s a lot still on the table that’s not in the media. It’s not just about pay equity or pensions, although those are important issues that have come to the forefront.
- It’s about fighting their incessant and greedy demands for cutbacks
- It’s about Canada Post trying to shut down almost 500 corporate retail outlets
- It’s about job security and staffing issues
- It’s about our health and safety
- It’s about maintaining standards for the next generation of postal workers and not selling out our sons and daughters to worse jobs and working conditions.
Arbitration is Not Our Friend When We Have the Power to Win
We fought for our right to free collective bargaining, which was illegally taken away from us in the last round. There are several good reasons why we need to safeguard our constitutional right to free collective bargaining and only submit to arbitration as a very last resort.
We’ve tried arbitration before and all we ever got out of it was concessions imposed on us. Arbitration doesn’t necessarily mean we will get a fair settlement. It just takes our power away and puts it in the hands of a third party. While we would almost certainly win our pay equity claim (because it’s the law), Canada Post likes to drag things out in the courts (especially pay equity claims). Sometimes, after months and years of expensive court battles, the boss agrees to abandon the process and finally bargain a collective agreement!
Canada Post is addicted to government intervention and refuses to negotiate fairly with us. If Canada Post can count on a government to step in and bail it out every time, either with back‑to‑work legislation or arbitration, what is going to make Canada Post negotiate with us next time around?
Saying we’ll stake everything on an arbitrator’s decision is a gamble. There are far many outstanding issues to risk everything on a roll of the dice. They are too important to our members. It’s much better to keep the pressure on Canada Post to sit down and negotiate.
Sisters and Brothers, we can do this. Let’s not falter at this crucial time.
In Solidarity,
Mike Palecek
National President
Sisters and Brothers: we’re here to win, not gamble away our rights
Thursday July 7 2016
2015-2019/137
We often say “solidarity” to each other. But now comes the real test of solidarity for our union. Do we practice what we preach or is “solidarity” just a catchphrase? Do we still believe that an injury to one is an injury to all? The solidarity that we share between us is the only way we will survive this. If we show each other our solidarity, not only will we survive, we will win.
We must stay firm and united against the boss’s efforts to divide us. When your co-workers are hurt, you help them. When a group of our members are getting a raw deal, we fight for them. That is what we’ve always done. We fought for cleaners, coders and part-timers. We fought for equality and human rights, and we should always be proud of that. When postal workers fought for paid maternity leave in 1981, some called us fools. I doubt they’d say that now.
Management well knows that if they can divide us and break CUPW solidarity, they can crush our union. That’s why we’re being pressured to fight amongst ourselves, not with the boss. That is why RSMCs are being pitted against urban members, casuals against permanent workers and so on. It’s a desperate ploy by Chopra and his cronies appealing to the worst in people: fear, stress, greed, self-interest, lack of concern for others. It’s not going to work for them.
Keep Calm and Show Our Strength
When they’ve got the threat of a lock-out hanging over our heads like this, the pressure becomes intense indeed. But we are strongest when we are together and this time around, we’re in the strongest position we could possibly be in. Nobody is going to bully postal workers into taking the first (and worst) deal the boss hands us. Not when there’s support and momentum behind us, and the wind in our sails!
- We’ve exposed Canada Post’s manipulation of the negotiations process and their set-up for a lock-out. Now they’re backing away from the mess they’ve made and crying for the government to step in and bail them out (again).
- We’ve put the unfair treatment of our RSMC sisters and brothers in the spotlight. Now all of Canada knows about this issue.
- We’ve been emphatic about our struggle for better and expanded services. This will be a major feature of the postal review.
- We have gained massive public support and recognition for our struggles, and both Canada Post and the Liberal government know it.
All Members Have a Stake in These Negotiations
There’s a lot still on the table that’s not in the media. It’s not just about pay equity or pensions, although those are important issues that have come to the forefront.
- It’s about fighting their incessant and greedy demands for cutbacks
- It’s about Canada Post trying to shut down almost 500 corporate retail outlets
- It’s about job security and staffing issues
- It’s about our health and safety
- It’s about maintaining standards for the next generation of postal workers and not selling out our sons and daughters to worse jobs and working conditions.
Arbitration is Not Our Friend When We Have the Power to Win
We fought for our right to free collective bargaining, which was illegally taken away from us in the last round. There are several good reasons why we need to safeguard our constitutional right to free collective bargaining and only submit to arbitration as a very last resort.
We’ve tried arbitration before and all we ever got out of it was concessions imposed on us. Arbitration doesn’t necessarily mean we will get a fair settlement. It just takes our power away and puts it in the hands of a third party. While we would almost certainly win our pay equity claim (because it’s the law), Canada Post likes to drag things out in the courts (especially pay equity claims). Sometimes, after months and years of expensive court battles, the boss agrees to abandon the process and finally bargain a collective agreement!
Canada Post is addicted to government intervention and refuses to negotiate fairly with us. If Canada Post can count on a government to step in and bail it out every time, either with back‑to‑work legislation or arbitration, what is going to make Canada Post negotiate with us next time around?
Saying we’ll stake everything on an arbitrator’s decision is a gamble. There are far many outstanding issues to risk everything on a roll of the dice. They are too important to our members. It’s much better to keep the pressure on Canada Post to sit down and negotiate.
Sisters and Brothers, we can do this. Let’s not falter at this crucial time.
In Solidarity,
Mike Palecek
National President
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