WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

 what are your plans to get throught he strike -- i will close my store for a couple of days to see what happens - if the mail stops -- like they say - after that ,what carrier are you going to use ??? i need advice which is the best to replace can post till the strike is settled 

Message 1 of 98
latest reply
97 REPLIES 97

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE


@ilikehockeyjerseys wrote:

I agree with people who say that it is very possible we are worrying about nothing, and there won't be a strike, or there will be a rotating strike.

 

With that said, every eBay seller has a different situation. If I was selling a handful of cheap lettermail orders a week, I wouldn't both and would just throw them in the mail and deal with refunds as needed because the time and cost of a handful of $10 refunds would be less than the cost of researching and implementing new shipping policies.

 

On the flipside, if someone is selling a handful of $100-$500 type items a day, putting them in via Canada Post this week would be a much worse risk/reward proposition. eBay put that disclaimer up about not using Canada Post for a reason. I assume they aren't going to cover sellers for INRs caused by a strike. 

 

I do think there if there was ever time for a prolonged lockout, now is it. We live in a very different time from 2011 with all the alternate carriers and shipping services. Along with most people now buying almost everything from Amazon. This is going to be a political issue that barely affects a very large portion of the population, but drastically affects a smaller portion who live in rural or remote areas that are only served by Canada Post. It's not like 2011, where it affected almost everybody to a reasosnable degree.

 

Canada Post's business model is also extremely flawed and they are losing money hand over fist. I am not arguing for or against the proposition that a service like Canada Post needs to exist for the good of the public regardless of whether it is profitable. I am only pointing out that they have crossed a rubicon where the corporation might see "losing" this negotation as something they simply cannot afford to do, so they have nothing to lose by locking out the union.

 

So I can see it both ways, but if you go off what has happened historically a prolonged full strike or lockout is less likely. 


@ilikehockeyjerseys 

From a different perspective, how will eBay be treating Canadian sellers during  whatever happens, when or if it starts happening? Are they just going to automatically believe sellers will start immediately using different shipping methods, in some cases just taking a loss or will they be supportive if or when there are delays? Like they are in the USA when there is any kind of weather situation there?

 

As others have said, using another method is not always an option for ALL sellers based on their location or what they sell.

 

-Lotz

Message 21 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

I don't think eBay reasonably believes every seller is going to put their store on pause or switch to alternate carriers. They have a wide variety of different sellers ranging from your casual person who sells one item a month, to full fledged businesses that seller hundreds of items a month.

 

I don't think they are going to do much to cover people because they clearly communicated the risk of using Canada Post with their messages that sellers should consider using other carriers. They posted a disclaimer on the shipping page. They also did not commnicate any intended remedy if Canada Post does strike and a seller has outstanding shipments in the mail that result in INR cases. 

 

My guess is that if a buyer opens an INR, they will most likely instruct you to refund them as normal and deal with the carrier to have the item returned to sender or instruct you to arrange for the buyer to repay you when the item arrives. This is the same approach they take with most mail issues when a buyer opens an INR.

 

It's not a fair situation because some eBayers (both sellers and buyers) will barely be affected, while others will not have a reasonable option to buy or sell during the strike. 

 

Ultimately, I don't think any of the above will matter because I doubt this drags on but I was just pointing out in previous posts that there was some risk to sending expensive items via Canada Post this week. Because in the small chance service is disrupted for long enough to produce an INR case, you aren't guaranteed to be covered in any way. (The same as if your item is lost/delayed by Canada Post/USPS, you're going to have to still refund the INR by the deadline.)

 

If eBay has announced some sort of plan of action or remedy (such as extensions to refund) for INRs during a potential strike, then the above is moot. 

Message 22 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

Sales have been dead for me and it just so happens that I sold something TODAY... I won't make it to the post office today anyway so I'm gonna wait and see how it goes. My handling time is still 2 weeks (I was away on a trip in Sept and just changed my handling time instead of ending listings) so it says "Ship by Nov 18 at 11:59pm EST"... Hopefully it'd be all resolved before then. I'm not going to print my shipping label now lol.

Message 23 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

marnotom!
Community Member

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

If the union walks out, revolving strikes make the most sense, since their members still get paid for the days they are at work.
Missing a day's pay here and there is doable for most workers. (There is such a thing as 'strike pay' paid by the union, which is a small percentage of the striking worker's normal rate.)

 

If the management strike, a complete shutdown makes the most sense,since the managers get paid  in any case, the newspapers (especially the rightwing Sun and National Post cartel which run most papers now) will blame the workers, calling it a Strike instead of a Lockout, and the workers who are not getting paid will be anxious to get back to work.

 

 

 

Message 25 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

I tried everything I could to reduce the weight before even coming here, nope, it has to be over 2kg.

 

And CP, UPS or Fedex are my only options. Possible strike is pushing me to research them, but even without that, UPS is cheaper for heavier items, so it would be nice to not be afraid of them. So far the things I hear or read about them are not encouraging. If they are so unpredictable, how do people rely on them on a regular basis?!

 

I ship with UPS withing Canada when it's cheaper and faster, with no issues so far (I did have surprises with Fedex, so, not using them if I can help it). Shipping cross border feels like a different beast all together...

Message 26 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

I talk to my mailman a few days ago and he said they will be doing rotating strikes if negotiations break down. 

Message 27 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

UPS is reliable. I've shipped hundreds of packages using them and only got overcharged twice which I had reversed when I called eBay. FedEx on the other hand, don't get me started. I refuse to use them. 

Message 28 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

Thank you very much!

That's what I hoped to see, someone with a lot of experience with a service in question sharing their statistics.

Feeling less anxious about the strike now too.

Message 29 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

Just thought i'd let you know what happened today and what it might mean for the strike. Went to mail a parcel at CP today and the woman there was turning people away saying to wait until Monday to see what happens. Not sure if this is just an employee jumping the gun or if this is a sign of whats coming, but turning people away before a strike is even announced seemed odd. 

Message 30 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

sounds like an over cautious employee-UNTIL an actual factual job action announcement comes from Canada Post, it is still the customer's choice to put items into the mail system...

Message 31 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

A few locations have been doing this. I saw a photo online of a location that had a sign stating that they were not taking packages.

I don't think it means anything one way or another. They likely want to avoid the liability of customers sending packages and a lockout or strike occuring shortly after. By liability, I don't mean that they would be on the hook to refund them. I mean the liability of having to deal with customer service when customers come back upset. You have to keep in mind that regular people may not even realize Canada Post is possible going to be disrupted.

I have one "lettermail" type order outstanding and if there is no announcement Monday I'll ship it Expedited Lite since it should be delivered in less than 3 days. You can always throw stuff in the red mail boxes.
Message 32 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE


@ilikehockeyjerseys wrote:

I don't think eBay reasonably believes every seller is going to put their store on pause or switch to alternate carriers. They have a wide variety of different sellers ranging from your casual person who sells one item a month, to full fledged businesses that seller hundreds of items a month.

 

I don't think they are going to do much to cover people because they clearly communicated the risk of using Canada Post with their messages that sellers should consider using other carriers. They posted a disclaimer on the shipping page. They also did not commnicate any intended remedy if Canada Post does strike and a seller has outstanding shipments in the mail that result in INR cases. 

 

My guess is that if a buyer opens an INR, they will most likely instruct you to refund them as normal and deal with the carrier to have the item returned to sender or instruct you to arrange for the buyer to repay you when the item arrives. This is the same approach they take with most mail issues when a buyer opens an INR.

 

It's not a fair situation because some eBayers (both sellers and buyers) will barely be affected, while others will not have a reasonable option to buy or sell during the strike. 

 

Ultimately, I don't think any of the above will matter because I doubt this drags on but I was just pointing out in previous posts that there was some risk to sending expensive items via Canada Post this week. Because in the small chance service is disrupted for long enough to produce an INR case, you aren't guaranteed to be covered in any way. (The same as if your item is lost/delayed by Canada Post/USPS, you're going to have to still refund the INR by the deadline.)

 

If eBay has announced some sort of plan of action or remedy (such as extensions to refund) for INRs during a potential strike, then the above is moot. 


@ilikehockeyjerseys  In the not too recent past there used to be disclaimers that "it seemed" protected international sellers for customs delays. (Your item may be delayed by customs processing"). Remember it is eBay that highly suggests shipping using a tracked service for everything. Those disclaimers have been, in an announced fashion removed. Both directions. Also important to note eIS shipments have much longer windows compared to tracked USA with CP. Once a parcel is on its way there is very little a seller can do to change its actual delivery timeframe. Tracking should still be considered a parcels status...no matter what the status is. Unless it is actually lost.

 

Are sellers only off the hook when eBay randomly/whimsically decides they are? Be it customs, weather, forest fires,  mechanical issues, miss sorts or strikes? (They announce many weather disruptions on dot com. Basically never on ca).  Clarification/justification from eBay would be nice vs the current "just switch shipping methods". I have almost 2000 listings with a variety of shipping methods attached. I can't easily go in and start changing back and forth. Many other sellers in very similar situations. 

 

This situation is going to be fluid....until it isn't. It needs flexibility. Not 1 size fits all. 

Message 33 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

Does anyone know if Purolator will be part of the strike if it happens? I keep seeing conflicting information about this.
Message 34 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

I thought they had to give 72 hours notice before striking. If they haven't said anything yet (as of Sat. Nov. 2nd evening) three days would put it past Monday anyways. Does the 72 hours not apply anymore? Just curious.

Message 35 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

@teenytrinkets 

 

Purolater will be operating as normal (although they might not want new customers).



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 36 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

You are correct. We still have full operation Monday and Tuesday as of today. They still have to give 72 hours notice to strike. Not sure what the delay is... they're obviously going to do it. 

Message 37 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE


@teenytrinkets wrote:

You are correct. We still have full operation Monday and Tuesday as of today. They still have to give 72 hours notice to strike. Not sure what the delay is... they're obviously going to do it. 


The link I posted a few posts ago has an update from Friday which outlines the conditions Canada Post must follow to to avoid the union taking job action, and apparently Canada Post has so far agreed to those conditions.

 

In addition, Canada Post gave CUPW a 500 page proposal to work through this week, so that probably has some bearing on things.

Message 38 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE


@teenytrinkets wrote:

You are correct. We still have full operation Monday and Tuesday as of today. They still have to give 72 hours notice to strike. Not sure what the delay is... they're obviously going to do it. 


My view is they already gave ample notice to strike. 

 

CUPW said if nothing is worked out over the weekend, they will strike starting Monday.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Saturday was the last day of negotiations?

 

Looks like I may be wrong. This is City News as of Saturday:

 

The cooling-off period for contract talks ends Saturday, meaning the union will have the legal right to strike starting Sunday. CUPW must provide 72 hours of advance notice if it decides to do so.

Message 39 of 98
latest reply

WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE


@needsmorerobots wrote:


My view is they already gave ample notice to strike. 


The union voted largely in favour of taking job action.  This is a mandate for job action, but is not notice that a strike will occur.  The 72 hours notice has to been given for job action to actually transpire.

Message 40 of 98
latest reply