Canada Post Possible Stike

[stanley613]

What happens now that orders are in the mail with a possible expected delivery date of September 30 and early October, what happens if not received there is no way of knowing whether these items will be received after strike is over.  Will eBay delay delivery date?

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

CUPW has a date when they can strike, which is not the same as saying that they will strike.

In 2011, the union went for rotating strikes which slowed but did not stop the mail. It was irritating, but shipments were still arriving within a day or so of estimates.

BTW, a  rotating strike means that one or two shifts go out in a city, but nowhere else. So most of the work is getting done.

The problem was that management went "on strike" and after a week or so of the rotating strikes, locked out all the workers and that stopped the mail dead.

The big issue at this time is the differential between rural and urban pay, which is complicated further because most urban letter carriers are male and most rural letter carriers are female. So there is a pay equity question in there too.

And.

Don't bother with management claims about losing money on the pay equity settlement that was forced on them a couple of years back. They could have spread it over time, but didn't.

[pocomocomputing]

 As I recall, the rotating strikes by the union caused so much lack of confidence in shippers using Canada Post that their mail volume dropped to 20-25% of their normal volume.

This made it uneconomical for Canada Post to run their system at such a loss of revenue for any extended length of time. 

[reallynicestamps]

Which was the tool the postal workers were using to get management back to the bargaining table.

[cumos55]

From the Winnipeg Free Press....

(1) Wage increase.....  
CUPW ...  3.5 %

Canada Post 1.5 %

(2) CUPW wants hourly pay rates for rural and suburban letter carriers to be the same as urban letter carriers

(3) CUPW has 42,000 urban members  and 8,000 rural carriers... (The first time these numbers have been available).

Maybe 1 and 2 could be tied together....Canada Post's offer of 1.5 % tied to salary equality, rural versus urban 

(4) postal banking.... or some measure of financial services. Some indication that Canada Post  might begin to establish some measure of this option.

Legal strike by CUPW ... OR ...  lockout by Canada Post... to start   September 26

[cumos55]

In 2016  CUPW and Canada Post agreed not to have a strike/lock out... because of the Postal Review.  Nothing was really resolved.

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So... here we are on the edge of a  strike/lock out.... Something will happen...... 

If there is a strike/lock out.....  This could result in a big change for both CUPW and Canada Post..

We shall see what that will be....   The government may be ready to step in and say...  NO!

and maybe... Never again!

[ypdc_dennis]

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@stanley613 wrote:

What happens now that orders are in the mail with a possible expected delivery date of September 30 and early October, what happens if not received there is no way of knowing whether these items will be received after strike is over.  Will eBay delay delivery date?

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eBay.ca adjusted delivery times in 2016 when the chance of a strike/lockout became very high. The odds of a strike/lockout this month are low.

[ypdc_dennis]

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@cumos55 wrote:
Legal strike by CUPW ... OR ...  lockout by Canada Post... to start   September 26

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Based on past actions neither will start September 26, maybe in October or November.

[cumos55]

It was in 2016  that it took me one month to change my listings from US dollars to Canadian dollars.     The store was vacation for this changeover period

The store was open for about a week... and then it was on vacation for two months...  in anticipation of a full postal strike

That meant a three months that the store was on vacation....  in 2016

Nothing was really resolved between CUPW and Canada Post in 2016..

Too much has been put into selling on eBay to keep the store open  and then get hit with a strike...  after 15 years of effort to get to where I am today... 

I have too many things to address on a personal basis to worry about the possible effect of a strike..  Sales have been sporadic.....  most likely for another reason.....  this will have to be addressed

A strike in the months before Christmas  will be a big problem  for Canada Post.....  CUPW is playing with the time the strike may be called

Going on vacation will give me time to examine options..... Things will be adjusted.....

[cumos55]

 CUPW  members were locked-out last in 2011-12. The federal government legislated them back to work.   However,  a judge later ruled that the legislation was unconstitutional.

If there is a full strike, the government's options to end a strike may be very restricted....

This could become a very big mess...

[cumos55]

Is Canada Post an essential service?

If the answer is YES... then if the government declares Canada Post to be an essential service... this will mean no strike in 2018  or at any other time in the future..

Then will come the question of privatization....... we shall see.

[cumos55]

For me it was the 2011-2012 strike....  and the uncertainty of two months, July and August  in 2016.... and it will be much easier to deal with this situation in 2018

Things were not perfect, but it was easier to put the store on vacation than suffer through the day-to-day occurrence of sales and the possibility of a strike in 2016.

Each Canadian seller that uses Canada Post  must make their own choice.

Vacation time will give me time to list, list and list more inventory... and then there is also a lot more to do 

[dukes37]

Anyone read Canada Post's Quarterly 2 (Q2) financial report? a disaster and guess why?... No wonder that we probably have the most expensive national postal system in the world. We'll be out of business soon or later unless another real good affordable player comes up. 

[cumos55]

Canada Post  is a Crown Corporation.   What Canada Post must do is defined by the Canada Post Corporation Act...

The Act specifies that Canada Post must be self-sufficient and  not depend on any input of funds from the Government of Canada

The privatization of Canada Post would mean that Canada Post is independent of any government guidelines...  No more  Corporation Act...Canada Post would choose what it wants to do...  

Privatization does not mean that Canada Post will not continue to do what it is doing today....  How they do IT will be Canada Post's choice

and... Canada Post would no longer have to deal with CUPW.... CUPW would lose its voice  in the activities of Canada Post.  Canada Post workers will do what Canada Post wants... or they must find a different job ....

We shall see....  because we could be due for a big change that allows Canada Post to do as it chooses

[happy_pigeon]

I've directed a couple of 'splinter' threads to this one, at the suggestion of a member in another thread:

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Listing-Tools/Canada-Post-Strike/m-p/409145

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Canada-Post-Strike-Update-September-12/m-p/409060

If we're able to keep the discussion (mostly) in one place, I think that will allow people to get the most benefit.

[cumos55]

Something most interesting has been heard this morning.

Canada Post is advertising temporary employment options when there is a strike.

This could get very interesting.  The strike will be  on... but.. the mail will still moving...

CUPW members will be  on strike... while others are doing their job.  How long will they be on strike before they no longer have money to pay the bills and live happily.

In 2011-2012  the strike lasted for about two months....  

What will the Government do in 2018?    

There are many options for Canada Post.....  We shall see.....

[femmefan1946]

While the workers were on strike in 2011, the mail kept moving because those were rotating strikes, often as little as a single shift.

It was nerve-wracking but workable.

The mail didn't stop until management locked out everybody.

If you think Canada Post rates are high, compare them to any courier.

And remember, those couriers pick and choose where they are willing to deliver.
If they get a shipment for somewhere that they are not going to make enough profit to service, they sub-contract to a cheaper shipper.

And that shipper is Canada Post.

[ypdc_dennis]

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@cumos55 wrote:
... Canada Post is advertising temporary employment options when there is a strike.

This could get very interesting.  The strike will be  on... but.. the mail will still moving...

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Canada Post is advertising as usual for temporary workers during the busy season.

This is not strike related employment.

https://jobs.canadapost.ca/job/GTA-Letter-Carrier-%28Delivery-Agent%29-On-call-ON/355141317/

...

Lots of other employment opportunities on the Canada Post website.

https://jobs.canadapost.ca/go/Canada-Post-All-Current-Opportunities/2319117/

-..-

[cumos55]

Just had a question from  someone, who lives in Toronto and may want to buy up to 25 books .

I suggested that we wait and see what happens with the possibility of a strike.

This is one big ..... OUCH!

My store will be going on vacation on September 19....  most likely at HIGH NOON

[cumos55]

Store was put on vacation... September 17  at 4:40 PM Winnipeg time.

Not happy... with no sales..... but not traumatized with many parcels in the mail.

Will mail the last three parcels tomorrow....  all purchased today.....  Two parcels to the US, one  Tracked Packet and one Expedited.... and then one parcel to Ontario.  Both parcels to the US should be out of Canada quite quickly.....