WELL WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING ABOUT MONDAY'S STRIKE

[dobo5250]

 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 

[byto253]

There has not been a meaningful update today - still talking - so hope that no news is good news.  As @marnotom!  and others indicated the union has to give 72 hours notice to strike and with the mandate they can do it at any time.  

For me, it is a risky time frame for items shipped to get caught up in processing and sit until the strike is over.   I have a few to go that are going with Chitchats and listings are on Time Away until there is a definitive update on the status.    

[tarnvik]

I too have been checking for updates but all is quiet. Considering cancelling the auctions that currently have bids as the complications are problematical. How would I answer a shipping question froma buyer? Would Ebay offer support?

Time away already done but this does not affect auction formats.

So many questions but very few definitve answers!

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

I got a parcel going for the States... And since I'm in Vancouver, usually what I mail before the cut off of the day passes the border by the next day. Would it still be safe for me to drop off a parcel tomorrow, if technically speaking they need to give 72 hrs notice?

[darak10]

the following was taken from the cupw website this am, take it for what its worth, it clarifies some info about process but leaves other issues (like whether a strike will happen on not) clear as mud.

Friday November 1 2024

2023-2027/151

No. 37

As you are likely aware, the Union could have been in a legal strike position as of 12:01 am, November 3, but we cannot take strike action until we have issued a 72-hour strike notice to both the Employer and the Minister of Labour.

As of today, the Union remains at the table and has not issued a 72-hour notice, but this was done with agreement with Canada Post going forward. This means that a strike or lockout will not occur on November 3, 2024.

 Our Conditions

The National Executive Board (NEB) decided to continue talks with the Employer, provided the following conditions are met: 

• Canada Post does not issue a 72-hour lockout notice
• Canada Post does not change the working conditions for CUPW members
• Canada Post shows real movement to meeting our demands

We brought these conditions to Canada Post through the federal mediator. The Employer agreed to our terms for continuing toward a negotiated collective agreement.

Your Negotiators remain committed to reaching negotiated collective agreements that meet the needs of our members. Today’s major topic at the table is the Short-term Disability Plan, Personal Days and Medical/Sick Days.

While we have not given notice today, if talks breakdown it could happen at any time so pay attention to Union bulletins, visit cupw.ca and stay informed.

[marnotom!]

---

@darak10 wrote:

the following was taken from the cupw website this am, take it for what its worth, it clarifies some info about process but leaves other issues (like whether a strike will happen on not) clear as mud.

---

I think it's pretty clear from that statement by the union that job action will take place if talks break down.  Talks are considered broken down if either the employer issues a lockout notice, the employer tries changing working conditions for CUPW employees, or the employer spins its wheels in negotiations.

In the case of a lockout notice, there's no point in the union trying to take job action of its own, however, save for perhaps a short-notice work to rule campaign which I don't believe is considered a "strike" that would require 72 hours notice.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

I would drop it off. I am going to do the same thing with a few Tracked Packet/Regional Expedited Lite orders. 

The earliest a buyer can receive an INR refund is a few business days after the expected delivery date. If someone from you buys something from the USA today, it seems your listings gives them a latest delivery date of November 19th. 

It doesn't sound like any strike is taking place yet, so the odds of it not reaching the US border and then not arriving by November 19th are pretty slim. 

I am also guessing this is the $36 CAD item in your sold listings. So I wouldn't sweat it too much.

I have a few Tracked Packet/Expedited Lite type orders that I will drop off today or tomorrow because based on today's update it doesn't sound like anything is going to happen this week, and in an unlikely worst case scenario we're probably good until Thursday.

[brettjet38]

Nothing, but mail my sales as usual, no big deal, nor will it be...

This is all just a calculatedgame and the Gov will win, with the union's help, even if the posties think they have the upper hand, they will lose at the end of the day and in the long term.

[byto253]

If you are confident it will be in the US within 48 hours I would go for it.  In my case it is 2-3 days so the 72 hours is a risky time frame.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

Thanks, yes if there's no current disruption, I'm quite confident that by dropping my stuff off tomorrow it'll get to Blaine by Tuesday. I have even seen some odd ones that made it pass the border the same evening if I drop then off right when the post office opens. I use post offices located inside SDM / LD / Ruxell, and I think most of these have at least 2 or 3 mail pick ups a day since it's Vancouver. I always check the tracking status since I sell little lol. Fastest I have seen was 5 days to a major US cities. 

My listings do have long delivery estimates, as I have 2 weeks handling time set.  Sometimes work keep me so busy that I can't package stuff for the whole week. I know it impacts my search rankings but I'd prefer to not get more late shipping defects. Most of the time I do ship within 3 days. 

[needsmorerobots]

Update in my e-mail tonight (Sunday) from Canada Post:

The short of it is the cooling-off period ended November 2nd.

Both Canada Post and CUPW remain at the negotiating table. As long as discussions are productive, the parties have agreed not to provide a 72-hour notice.

[brettjet38]

NOTHING, as nothing will happen without a 72 hour notice, nothing...

So much ado about nothing...

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/negotiations...

Negotiations updates

November 03, 2024

Posted in Negotiations updates

Canada Post continues to negotiate with CUPW as cooling-off period ends

 

As negotiations continue between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), the 21-day cooling-off period ended November 2. This means either party could initiate a labour disruption after providing a minimum notice of 72 hours.

The parties remain at the table and have agreed not to provide a 72-hour notice as long as discussions are productive. Our goal throughout these negotiations with CUPW has always been to reach negotiated agreements, without any labour disruption.

Operations continue as usual

Our regular business operations continue. Going forward, it would be at least three days (minimum 72 hours) after a notice is received before any labour disruption could begin.

We remain committed to providing customers with updates as quickly as possible as negotiations evolve.

[mrdutch1001]

shipping out an order today>a within Canada destination...

[byto253]

It comes down to your shipping situation and risk assessment on whether you can get stung with 72 hours notice or not.   Most shipping from larger cities have very little risk, other locations are higher risk.   

I just took a look at a bunch of my recent shipments and most took 1 to 2 days to get to the US, with a few taking 3 days.   Overall I should be ok shipping CP until a 72 hour notice is issued but I have decided to back off and use Time Away for a bit - there is a bit of uncertainty that I am choosing not to take on.   That's just me though. 

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

A big thing to consider is what your shipping window is. If you use a generic economy shipping window, you are unlikely to have a problem unless a strike is prolonged and not rotating. 

My experience so far with alt-carriers is that it's nearly impossible to use them exclusively without Canada Post, because they don't integrate directly with eBay, and most options that are on par with Expedited Lite cost wise do not ship to rural areas. 1/4 orders will be to areas not served, but that also has to do with the fact that the item I am selling (DVDs) appeals more to a market of rural buyers who are less likely to have great internet options to stream. Outside of PO boxes, eBay has no way to filter addresses that couriers like UniUni, Chit Chats Select, or FleetOptics won't deliver to, because it's not integrated into the platform. 

What I think I will do at this point is fulfill Economy Shipping with Expedited Lite when it is an address that is likely to be delivered within 3 days. Anything above 200g to a rural area will have to go lettermail, and if it doesn't arrive by the delivery date shown to the customer, eat the refund. Then use Stallion/Chit Chats as needed. For parcels, I will continue to use UPS.

[vtwinparts2015]

Well if you do not have a secondary shipping company like Purolator, You might be out of luck. Most couiers will be so over loaded that they will not take on new customers. If there is a strike you can also locate a parcel shipping company that takes parcels across the boarder and send them via USPS this could add atleast 3 days to the customer. if you do this you should add atleast 2 extra days to your time to ship.

[byto253]

That comes down to personal risk tolerance.  I use generic shipping terms - standard or economy - to the US.  But there is no way to know how nasty or long a strike will be.   I would not expect to long a one with the Christmas season coming but am still going to take steps to avoid CP until I have certainty.   I have that luxury as this is not a main gig for me.  

And of course if a 72 hour notice is given, the CP work force will be motivated to ensure as few items get stuck in transit as possible 😎

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

You are right, but the stuff I am sending out Canada Post is reasonably cheap, so my exposure to INRs is not going to be very high. 

At this point, I think it is better for customers as well. If I get an order to Ontario, I can send it out Expedited Lite the same day and it will almost certainly arrive in 1-3 days. Stallion tacks on an extra two weeks to the entire process, because I can only drop off once per week, and there is a longer time frame to get it from Stallion to the courier (usually UniUni or FleetOptics).

The big advantage to Stallion would be that a $15-$20 parcel can be sent for $7 but that's not applicable with lettermail sized items.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

There is nothing stopping anybody here from opening accounts today with Chit Chats or Stallion. You don't need a minimum weekly order quantity. My Stallion account has sat unused for two years up until last week, and my Chit Chats account has barely been used since eBay introduced the discounted Tracked Packet rates. 

Additionally, Fedex and UPS are integrated directly on eBay.

It is a fair point that these services might experience disruptions or lowered standards if they are busier than normal but I don't think there is going to be anything stopping anybody who has an account from using them. If you're worried about that, you could pre-emptively open an account. 

[stringers_books_and_collectibles]

From the CUPW site:

Monday November 4 2024

2023-2027/152

No. 38

Over the weekend, talks continued between CUPW and Canada Post, with negotiators meeting with the employer to address two key issues.

On Saturday, November 2, we focused on the short-term disability plan.  Unfortunately, the Employer demonstrated little willingness to consider our demand to include 10 Medical Days and 7 Personal Days as part of our collective agreements. Canada Post refuses to move from its position of including 13 Personal Days, which does not represent an improvement from what we currently have.

On Sunday, November 3, we shifted our discussions to weekend delivery. Our priority in negotiating weekend delivery is to ensure that the weekend delivery does not compromise our regular full-time routes on weekdays. We are not satisfied that the Employer’s plan will protect our weekday work. The Employer’s main interest lies in achieving “flexibility” to deliver parcels at the lowest possible cost.

Although CUPW has not yet issued a strike notice to Canada Post or the Minister of Labour, if there is no real movement at the bargaining table, we won’t shy away from taking the next step.

Your Negotiators remain at the table working hard to negotiate collective agreements that address our concerns and help CPC grow the business. We all know the best collective agreements are those negotiated at the bargaining table.

The Negotiations Committee appreciates the tremendous amount of support from members. Your encouragement has not gone unnoticed.

In Solidarity,

Jan Simpson

National President

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

So this week is probably still safe unless they decide to announce a strike tomorrow.