Postal workers protest 'final offer' from Canada Post
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Ottawa postal workers, with support from Ontario and Quebec locals, protested on Saturday against Canada Post's demand that they be forced to vote on the company's 'final offer.'
Gathering in front of the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights monument near city hall, leaders from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers decried what they said was an attack on the public post office.
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CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Halifax businesses worry about uncertain future with Canada Post
Shop owners in Halifax are frustrated by uncertainties surrounding the dispute between Canada Post and The Canadian Union of Postal Workers. A family-owned Japanese-themed shop in Halifax relies heavily on Canada post's services. Most of their inventory is shipped from Japan. The strike last year had a big impact and they worry about another one. 'When Canada Post stopped services last year it was a hard time for us because we couldn't get anything and we had to switch to private couriers and that was more expensive,' says Ferdinand Ballesteros, the Ikebana Shop owner. Ballesteros said he and his wife took the hit to their company's bottom line thinking it was only temporary. They said they are ahead of things if there's another strike. 'We have tried to manage the schedule such that we don't ask our suppliers to ship out right now and not do anything for them to be caught in limbo,' says Ballesteros. Cailean Jan, owner of the Silk Route in Halifax said she's trying to figure out options to reach her customers that are more reliable than Canada Post. Ikebana Shop The storefront of Halifax's Ikebana Shop is pictured. (Emma Convey/CTV Atlantic) 'People do like to shop online and I don't want to have people being discouraged to shop because they are not sure if or when they are going to get their items.' Canada Post has rejected a request from the CUPW to send their ongoing labour dispute to binding arbitration. 'CUPW has put forward an option to go to binding arbitration, that would add another 12 to 18 months of uncertainty because it's a long lengthy process with the lawyers battling it out,' says Jon Hamilton, Vice President of Communications at Canada Post. Hamilton said it would mean their employees wouldn't have a contract for a long time and it would sideline their right to vote on another agreement because it's binding. CUPW made the request in a statement Saturday, saying it was inviting Canada Post to a fair, final and binding arbitration process to resolve negotiations. Silk Route The sign for the Silk Route in Halifax, N.S., is pictured. 'This all comes down to the government,' says Dwayne Corner, CUPW president. 'When they ordered us back to work, they did not send us to binding arbitration like they did the other parties like the rail workers and the port workers.' Corner said this would have been settled had it gone to arbitration the first time. The Crown corporation dismissed the proposal in a response on Sunday, saying it wants to 'restore stability' to the postal service and arguing the union's request for binding arbitration would do the opposite. 'We are probably further apart now than we were last year, so after 18 months we have put forward an offer and we believe employees should have a chance to voice their opinion and vote,' says Hamilton. CUPW has been in a legal strike position since May 23 and has opted to ban their members from working overtime. 'We hope that the minister will support us and deny the corporation's request to take the vote to the members. we want them to continue bargaining with us,' says Corner. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Global News
14 hours ago
- Global News
Canada Post rejects union's request for binding arbitration
Canada Post has rejected a request by the union for binding arbitration, with the Crown corporation saying it would be 'long and complicated.' The Crown corporation said in a statement Sunday that it was seeking a 'timely and fair resolution' that would ensure employees would 'have a voice' through a vote. 'The union's proposal to send the matter to binding arbitration would do the opposite,' Canada Post said, adding it could take more than a year. In a response to the rejection, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) expressed its disappointment. 'This refusal constitutes yet another demonstration that CPC (Canada Post Corporation) is not interested in a reasonable outcome to this round of negotiation,' the union wrote in a news release. 'A forced vote may fail to end the labour conflict and risks further division, prolonging uncertainty for all parties.' Story continues below advertisement The union had made the request Saturday after the Crown corporation asked Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu a day earlier to direct the postal workers' union to hold a vote on the 'final offers' the national mail carrier presented last week. 0:33 Canada Post sends 'final offer' to union amid financial struggles In a statement Friday, Canada Post said it was not possible to reach tentative agreements through negotiations 'given the level of impasse and CUPW's negotiating position.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Such a vote would effectively adopt the final offers presented by Canada Post as a new collective agreement, in a method similar to a membership-wide ratification of a tentative deal. CUPW said Saturday that a 'government-imposed vote' would not bring about an end to the labour dispute, adding it would be 'another unwarranted government intervention.' Officials with the union had met with Hajdu and Secretary of State for Labour John Zerucelli on Friday. Story continues below advertisement In a post on X on Friday evening, Hajdu said she urged both parties to work together to find an agreement that 'maintains a strong and lasting postal service,' adding that her office was reviewing the order by Canada Post for a vote and federal mediators would remain available to continue work at the negotiating table. But the union said on Saturday that arbitration was the best path forward. 'At this time and in these circumstances, only arbitration can end the ongoing labour dispute fairly and expeditiously,' the union said. The union and Canada Post have been trying to negotiate a new contract for more than 18 months. There was also a month-long strike last year. That strike was ended when then-labour minister Steven MacKinnon asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order workers back on the job if it agreed with his determination that there was an impasse in negotiations. 10:53 CUPW reviewing Canada Post offer amid overtime ban MacKinnon had also ordered an industrial inquiry commission to review the structural issues of the dispute, which were laid out in a report released last month that made several recommendations, including to phase out door-to-door letter delivery for individual addresses. Story continues below advertisement Canada Post is 'facing an existential crisis: It is effectively insolvent, or bankrupt,' the report from the Industrial Inquiry Commission said. The Crown corporation earlier this week posted a nearly $1.3-billion operating loss for 2024, while revenues fell by $800 million, or 12.2 per cent, compared with 2023. Last year's strike contributed to a 'net negative impact of $208 million' towards Canada Post's $841-million loss before tax, the latest annual report said. When the corporation presented its offers on Wednesday, it said in a news release that the final offers were 'designed to move negotiations forward and return certainty and stability to customers, Canada Post's employees, and all Canadians.' — with files from Global News' Sean Boynton and Uday Rana
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Labour dispute drags on as Canada Post rejects union's arbitration request
Canada Post has rejected a request from the union representing about 55,000 of its workers to send their ongoing labour dispute to binding arbitration. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers made the request in a statement on Saturday, saying it was inviting Canada Post to a fair, final and binding arbitration process to resolve negotiations that have dragged on for months without producing a new collective agreement. But the Crown corporation dismissed the proposal in a response on Sunday, saying it wants to "restore stability" to the postal service and arguing the union's request for binding arbitration would do the opposite. Canada Post said arbitration would be long and complicated and would likely last more than a year, adding to what it described as its significant financial challenges. The corporation presented what it called its "final offer" to the union on Wednesday, with concessions including an end to compulsory overtime and a signing bonus of up to $1,000. But it stuck to a proposal for a 14 per cent cumulative wage hike over four years and using part-time staff on weekend shifts, a major sticking point in the talks. Canada Post said the two sides are at loggerheads after months of conciliation and mediation, and it's asked Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu to force a union membership vote on its latest proposals. A statement from CUPW on Sunday evening said the forced union vote would not bring lasting labour peace — regardless of the vote's outcome. "This refusal constitutes yet another demonstration that [Canada Post] is not interested in a reasonable outcome to this round of negotiation. A forced vote may fail to end the labour conflict and risks further division, prolonging uncertainty for all parties," the statement said. The union has been in a legal strike position as of May 23, but so far it's opted to ban members from working overtime instead.
