Mail strike?

[sunward-hobbies]

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/News/2004/11/27/736211.html

[shoplineca]

Lets give them a 50% increase to sit on their fat a$$es and they can raise the postal rates by 85% next year.

I am running short of patience for all the lazy SOBs who work for municipal, federal and provincial governments and think the way to repair mismanagement is to reward themselves with big healty increases.

Let them try making a buck today on their own with increasing prices for everything everywhere. I have worked on my own for 14 years and it is getting to be more and more difficult with absolutely everything that is conrolled by monopolies increasing their rates and fees ten fold while rewarding the incompetence of the people they employ.

If the Post Office goes on strike and cant deliver my items for December I am prepared to get whoever else is interested and start a class action law suit against them.

Malcolm

[sunward-hobbies]

Can't sue.

As for using other carriers, I am with UPS, but I have a lot of first class mail. I simply can't drive to the border and ship from there. 2 hour drive one way. Keep in mind that other carriers will not deal with you if CP goes on strike.

As for large companies. Yep. So try to give your business to small companies where possible.

Angelo

[shoplineca]

I believe that the Post Office can be sued. It is a Crown Corporation, not a department of the federal Government.

I just ended a 2-year legal suit against a Crown Corporation where they settled with me out of court.

Or are you suggesting that they cant be sued over a labour dispute?

The way that I look at it may be different from others who might pay cash for their postage dealing over-the-counter. I have a contract with CP to deliver my products and would suggest that because of that contract my business has suffered financially from their inability to fulfill their end of the contract.

CP demands that suppliers to them purchase performance bonds or conversely they will seek restitution should a supplier not be able to fulfill their end of a contract.

I believe that CP shares the same responsibility to financially compensate those clients that have suffered because of CP's inability to perform as promised and contracted.

UPS, Fedex and others will deal with CP customers during a strike with open arms. There are several reasons the first being financially the wisest thing to do. The second being legal that they do not have the right to discriminate who they carry for.

What they dont have to do is pass along volume discounts to customers not bound by a contract with them. In fact, because of UPS' archaic insurance policies, I cant ship with them under a contract but I can ship with them as an over-the-counter client and my items will be fully insured.

Malcolm

[llee2]

CP had posted a memo on their site saying that since these particular workers "don't handle the collection, processing or delivery of mail, service would not be disrupted". Apparently, this union represents about 2500 clerical, administrative and technical employees. CTV outlines it here:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1101561366192_92?hub=Canada

Lincoln

[sunward-hobbies]

Malcom:
I'm sure there is a strike provision in the contract.

Lincoln:
?
But I find it hard to believe the mail won't be disrupted. Those not on strike will refuse to cross the picket lines.

[niko*_*]

Even if it is true that there is not disruption to service (what would be the point of going of strike?), if the US buyers get a whiff of a strike at Canada Post, our sales could stop dead.

[discountlabelsupplies]

How is Canada Post a monopoly? The mail is just one form of delivery. Isn't it a bit like saying UPS is a monopoly because only UPS can deliver UPS shipments?

Until there is a something cheaper than the small packet rate including no brokerage fees for me or my customers, I will continue to deal with post and won't sue them :).

[sunward-hobbies]

Nothing cheaper when it comes to first class mail or small package rates.

[shoplineca]

CP is a monopoly because it delivers enveloped mail (not parcels) as well as postcards which they are 100% protected by law to be the only carrier to have that privelage within Canada.

Utility companies in Ontario attempted to deliver their own bills and customer statements and were stopped by CP under that very law.

Because of this 'privelage' no other carrier can build the infrastructure to offer a complete and competitive service.

I find that CP's service in Canada for what I ship to be stellar and would never consider change unless I had little or no alternative or their service detriorated.

Malcolm

[shoplineca]

PS: that doesnt mean that you dont seek compensation for business losses due to CP's inability to meet your needs under a contractual obligation.

It is no different than suing them should they not pay your claims for lost or damaged goods.

In business, there aren't any "feelings". Suing another company is strictly an action to have a court decide if one party has suffered any damages as a result of the other party's actions.

They can continue a business relationship following however many times one party looses confidence in dealing with the other party.

As an example, CP could NOT refuse to deal with you because you sued them however you may not wish to continue a business relationship because of a fear that they will continue the practise that led you to sue them in the first instance.

Malcolm

[rd1000]

Actually, you are allowed to deliver envelopes, as long as you charge 3 times what CP charges.

[shoplineca]

Sounds like a monopoly to me!

By the way, what's your schedule tomorrow downtown with Bush and the Bush bashers all congregating throughout the city core on Tuesday? I'm glad I work out of my house far away from all that action!

Malcolm

[rd1000]

lol....I seldom have to go downtown. And I am thankful for that. I have no time for all the baggy pants, dope smokin', nothing better to do with their time, professional picketers blocking traffic.

I do have half a mind to go downtown with a big "I support Bush" sign, but with all the police services being used up protecting the demonstrators, there would be none left for a lowly taxpayer like myself. So I think I will just stay away.

Seriously though, I feel bad for all the businesses in the downtown core that are just trying to make a living, but will likely have their customers blocked and their buildings vandalized.

Rob

[shoplineca]

Rob
I'm not a baggy pants, dope smokin', nothing better to do with their time, professional picketers blocking traffic but I a have to tell you that I sit on the same side as the 55 million Americans in the last election.

Just the same, I would warmly welcome him to Ottawa and to Canada as the only way for alternative views and opinions to be shared and perhaps partly adopted is through diplomacy and not confrontation.

I guess that is why I dont like the direction he and his administration (what is left of them) took because he is an 'in your face and do it my way or else' type of leader and I am afraid that is old school and has no place in the modern world. It has been proven far too often to be the least effective way of making change.

It appears that with his visit to Ottawa, he has been recently counseled that he cant run his government for another 4-years with that same archaic message and must compromise in order to secure some much needed support for Iraq.

Of course Canada to him is nothing more than one more opposing allie who may step up to the table and help get him military support from Russia, France and Germany.

... and yes, it is disasterous for those Ottawa businesses who will face a day of being shut down. If it was my business, it would be a good day to do my physical inventory for the year.

Malcolm

[discountlabelsupplies]

I have heard that both USPS and CPC are both heavily subsidized operations and not money makers. I hope that ONE DAY Canada will privatize the system. Even if they subsidized the private sector on deliveries to remote areas and regions we would still be far ahead in service and cost savings. I can only imagine how many pencil pushers there are sitting in those offices that are making about 30% more and 100% more in benifits than the private sector would pay.

[rd1000]

Malcolm,

You know the ones I mean. The professional demonstrators that come out of the woodwork every time a politcal event goes on downtown. Many of them wouldn't know BUsh was from the US. THey are just there to cause trouble. I know many people disagree with GB and I respect that. I know it is frustrating for them because I feel the same way every time we have an election in this country.

Rob

[rd1000]

Discountlabelsupplies

Andre Oullette was bragging about the huge profit CP made last year during the parlimentary scandal for ADSCAM.

Kind of made me nauseous when he was patting himself on the back.

Rob

[shoplineca]

Rob
I know exactly what and who you mean. I know the walk and talk very well of the bearded-wonders.

When I saw some of the protesters talking on TV tonight, I recognized them from many previous protests. They are professional protesters s and the sad part is many of them are subsidized by different levels of government through organizations that they are involved with.

I wish that the government would take a hard look at all these organizations that receive funding and begin a program of cutting them off. I cant see how keeping these organizations funded is a benefit to the Canadian taxpayer or humanity at all.

Aside from being a professor at University corrupting our young, where else could one of these people ever get a job?

Malcolm

[rd1000]

Oh yes I forgot about that. Many of them are funded by governent organizations. We get to pay for them. Lovely isn't it?

I go to Carleton twice a week for night classes. You can imagine how out of place I feel there. And I am not talking just about age. X-)

Everywhere I turn is NDP and Liberal propaganda. We talked a little politics in one of my classes this semester. I felt pretty lonely. hehe

I am taking some political science courses next year. I am really looking forward to that. Might not be safe for me to walk home at night after class.

Rob