Thank you Postal Union for destroying my business

[mdf_jersey]

I dont know how its going for you, but Im listening to Crickets. Every year at this time I am super busy , if not for only 2 to  3 weeks. But this year , it's almost costing me more to list than what I make.

I hope all you Postal workers have a great Christmas

Once again, WHERE IS EBAY!! Another example of Ebays commitment to its sellers. I give kudos to them for being one of the instruments in getting the government to order the postal union back to work. but what about the damage done. I sell a lot to the USA as I am sure many do. The buyers in the USA as far as they are concerned are not buying from Canada because they are aware of the shipping  issues. Why hasn't Ebay put out the message that the strike is over and items shipped to the USA is not affected , or very little. Its  what comes into Canada that is the problem. Better yet where is some Advertising to shop Ebay. Every year the same thing , lack of Advertising from Ebay . Take the hint from the organizations that will soon bury Ebay, like Amazon, wayfair, and others . They advertise. 

Rant Done... Merry Christmas

[forester_studios]

I feel your pain. While my November sales were decent I need them to be better if I want to pay my bills at the end of the year. I doubt I'll be having much of a Christmas either this year, but I'm sure well off union members will have a big feast with family and friends. I was never anti-union before this mess, but I have nothing but contempt for them now.

It sure would be nice if ebay advertised more. I see ads for A certain River every week. All the major companies advertise constantly, but not ebay. As well would it bankrupt ebay to give us Canadian sellers a break on fees and have a December long free listing promo? Would help recover from the pain. Haven't had a promo offer in over 3 months.

My Rant is also done now... And a sincere and hopeful Merry Christmas to you! As well a Happy Hanukkah (Chanukah), Kwanzaa and Festivus for everyone else!

[teenytrinkets]

I've always hated unions because they use the general public and make them suffer to satisfy their own agenda. That's just completely selfish. They always say it's for the greater good, but since when are the Canadian public considered collateral damage?

[heartovermind]

The thing is... I shipped 5 parcels to the US last week, all got there in

5 business days tops. Some better. 

Strike really seemed to affect the parcels to the US very little if at all.

But I agree... if buyers think it is a problem it affects purchases.

[marnotom!]

May I put forth an alternative perspective?

I appreciate that your business is seriously hurting right now, but I'm wondering if it's apt to place all the blame on CUPW.  After all, it was Canada Post that discouraged people from using the mail and told Universal Postal Union members to put a hold on shipping international mail destined for Canada.   If there was indeed a serious backlog of mail developing, why would Canada Post make things easier for the workers by controlling the amount of mail in the system?  That doesn't make sense to me.

This article appeared in BC weekly papers just over a week ago.  It's interesting in that the company that puts out these newspapers is about a far from being a pinko socialist organization as you can get:

https://www.nanaimobulletin.com/news/vancouver-island-postal-worker-accuses-canada-post-of-questiona...

[momcqueen]

“ If there was indeed a serious backlog of mail developing, why would Canada Post make things easier for the workers by controlling the amount of mail in the system? That doesn't make sense to me.”

What doesn’t make sense to you?

[forester_studios]

There is enough blame to go around to all parties involved. The fact remains that it was CUPW that voted to begin rotating strikes. Canada post made an offer which would have avoided crippling a vital service during the holiday season that many Canadians depend on for their livelihoods. Do I also not have a constitutional right to earn a damned living in this Country? Are the only Canadians that have rights now union members?

[momcqueen]

And they could have gone back willingly $1000 richer than ordered back if they’d been allowed to vote on the last offer. While negotiations continued as they do now.

[forester_studios]

Exactly right. Instead they decided to merrily ruin businesses that are the best customers whose business pays their salaries. The real Grinch ain't a cartoon this year!

[vivian5612]

I asked Happy-Pigeon about a break on paying ebay fees - not cancelling them but being allowed to pay them over a 2-3 month period to get back on track after a non-existent Christmas season. It was suggested I keep selling (thus increasing my fees) or put the idea out to other vendors. I took this as ebay has no plans to do anything about late payment of fees except to suspend accounts. I'm sure Ebay Canada employees will be having a great Christmas. Thanks to the strike there will be no presents given in this home and dinner will probably be tuna. Still, I am grateful to the universe that my husband, who was not supposed to live through surgery in Oct. is alive and at home. That is the greatest Christmas gift I could ever hope for but it would be nice if we could have a few of the Christmas extras.

[vivian5612]

I blame both the union and management. They have been fighting each other since I can remember. (I lived through the postal strikes initiated by Claude Parrot.) The postal workers are not hurting financially so why even ask for wage increases except for greed. As for management, if the workers are being hurt by the job then you have the obligation to look into the matter. I like the postal workers I deal with. One of the men who delivers parcels to and from the sorting station said the biggest problem was heavy-weight parcels like Varidesks. After lifting and carrying a few of them each day he says he goes home at night with significant back pain. I appreciate this problem. Still, I don't like how the public is always stuck between these 2 sides who essentially couldn't care less about us except when we are paying excessively high prices for postage.

[vivian5612]

I couldn't believe when the union turned down a bonus of $1,000 for each worker to go back to work and avoid back-to-work legislation. If I was a postal worker I might start seriously looking at the the upper-eschelon of the union who decided not to even put it to a vote. Now, the workers are at work doing exactly what they would have been doing if they had voted to accept management's offer plus they would have an extra $1,000 in their pockets. Maybe the union would consider giving us, the business owners whose Christmas sales they have destroyed, the $1,000 instead. Of course not. Union and management have to think of their Christmas bonuses.

[forester_studios]

So glad to hear your husband is ok. All my immediate family has passed on. Lost my Mom at age 92 a few years ago 6 weeks before Christmas and we always enjoyed watching the old Christmas movies together. The holidays haven't been the same since and all this strike nonsense makes it even harder.

I just hope sales come in soon as I have fees to pay ebay and it will be tough. I know neither ebay nor the union care about our interests as sellers. It's all about money for them. The sickest part of it all is that without us their business earnings would wither and die. Something is very wrong about the modern day world. Anyway I keep listing hoping for a better day tomorrow.

[forester_studios]

My reply was intended for mommcqueen, but ebay messed up. Sorry for any confusion.

[forester_studios]

I couldn't believe it either. I can tell you the people at my post office were NOT happy about being denied a vote. They are excellent people doing their best to do their jobs, but unfortunately they are pawns in union and managements game as are we ebay sellers. I would sure take a $1,000 now as my Christmas will be bleak if sales don't improve.

[forester_studios]

Actually ebay got it right. Sorry disregard post 14.

[retroman_studios]

Many years ago on these forums I casually asked during the 2011 strike I think, what would it take to break the union.

I have heard in the past of industries that shut down for x number of months in order to break a union.

It wouldn't surprise me if a legal battle takes place that divides Canadians on labor practices. Competition to CPC doesn't have high wages and they deliver heavy parcels. UPS and FedEx now have local businesses serve as pickup locations that actually are starting to match or possibly outweigh CPC locations.

Sadly, the longer such disputes go on for, CPC loses more ground. Amazon has built its own delivery network, so in many areas, they actually can do without CPC. I'm sure many businesses who rely on quick delivery of items will use Couriers like Quick As A Wink etc for local delivery and use FedEx or UPS for other stuff. They just (if smart) roll that cost into business.

In a sense, the union is correct, that CPC is losing market. Yes, sites like eBay help with CPC numbers, but each strike more players quit CPC. So, instead of being a slow leak, CPC is now badly hemorrhaging because of decisions that haven't been really thought through.

I know CPC makes a profit, however if these disruptions continue, we face the inevitable price hikes. It's like a see saw. There is no balance. They demand more. We get charged more.

I'm trying to keep this nuetral as possible, I am not taking sides in this matter. There are valid issues on both sides however both parties have not communicated that we'll or been transparent. It's a political tug of war where the everyday Joe is the loser.

[marnotom!]

---

@vivian5612 wrote:

The postal workers are not hurting financially so why even ask for wage increases except for greed. 

---

In this case, there's also the issue of the Harper Conservatives rolling back Canada Post's wage increase offer as part of their back to work legislation.  It appears that CUPW has given up on pursuing that as their latest proposal amounts to a cost of living increase.  That doesn't sound unreasonable to me.

Public sector wages and salaries (not to mention working conditions and benefits) tend to set the bar for those offered in the private sector.  The average Canadian has lost a lot of buying power in the past couple of decades, largely due, I think, to lower wage and salary adjustments being negotiated in the public sector.

Henry Ford ensured that his workers were paid enough that they could purchase the vehicles that they made.  I don't think it's unreasonable for eBay sellers to hope that the workers they contract out to handle and transport their items have enough discretionary income to purchase from them at some point.

[momcqueen]

I don’t see anyone comparable to Henry Ford here. If you do, please introduce us.

[vivian5612]

I'm sure that the lowest paid workers in Canada Post are hurting. I should have been more specific. I took, from 3 different sources, the figure that mail carriers make on average over $50,000 a year. My husband and I get by on $28,000 a year in pensions plus help from Ebay sales. I have small ebay business which, when expenses are taken off, leaves me with an extra $200 a month. I would love to have an income of $52,000 a year, which even after taxes would be a significant financial increase. I'm sorry, but I have no real sympathy for the workers or the unions at this moment.