After unionized Canada Post workers reject ‘final offers,' what happens next?
OTTAWA — Labour experts say another postal service strike is unlikely after unionized Canada Post workers rejected their employer's latest round of offers in a forced vote and the parties mull their next steps.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said Friday that the roughly 55,000 members represented by the union shot down the Canada Post's latest proposal, which would've seen wage hikes of about 13 per cent over four years and restructuring to add part-time workers to the deal.
Some 68.5 per cent of urban mail carriers who voted were against the deal, while their rural and suburban colleagues were 69.4 per cent against.
Adam King, assistant professor in the labour studies program at the University of Manitoba, said the forced ratification vote ordered by the federal government and administered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board was a 'distraction.'
'Hopefully, at the end of the day, we see an agreement reached at the table — where it should have been in the beginning,' he said in an interview.
'Canada Post management is really going to have to put something on the table that the union actually thinks members will accept.'
Negotiations for a new collective agreement have been ongoing for more than a year and a half. The federal government asked CIRB to step in and scuttle a holiday season postal strike late last year, but the parties remain at an impasse.
The Crown corporation requested Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu send its most recent proposals from late May — calling them the 'final offers' — to a forced vote from workers.
Canada Post said in a statement Friday that it was 'disappointed' in the vote results and that it was weighing its next steps.
CUPW said in a bulletin to members last week that its negotiators are ready to head back to the bargaining table.
A national ban on overtime work, in place since CUPW entered a strike position in late May, will continue in the meantime.
King acknowledged that while the vote didn't go in Canada Post's favour, it wasn't a 'resounding' rejection, with more than 30 per cent of voters coming out in favour of the deals as presented.
Larry Savage, professor in the department of labour studies at Brock University, said that apparent division in the ranks of CUPW would make it difficult to get members on a picket line.
'Even if you could effectively organize a strike, it's not obvious to me that it would produce the results the union's looking for,' Savage said in an interview.
Before Hajdu sent Canada Post's offers to a vote, she had asked the parties to come to terms for binding arbitration to put an end to the dispute.
CUPW was broadly in favour of sending talks to arbitration but Canada Post pushed back, arguing it would tie negotiations up in a lengthy process.
Canada Post has warned that uncertainty around the fate of contract talks continues to cost the struggling postal service millions of dollars in business each day as customers shift to competitors.
The Crown corporation's financial woes have been well-documented throughout the talks. An Industrial Inquiry Commission report from Commissioner William Kaplan earlier this year found the postal service was effectively bankrupt and needed substantial reforms to remain afloat.
But King said arbitrators tend to be 'conservative' in bringing parties to a middle ground and are unlikely to make the kinds of sweeping, structural changes Canada Post is looking for in a new deal.
Savage agreed that 'binding arbitration is not actually a long-term solution to the problems at Canada Post.'
'I think that management's forced final vote was a gamble and it blew up in their faces, but they still hold cards,' he said.
Canada Post could unilaterally impose new contract terms and 'dare the union to strike,' Savage said, or could start laying off workers as its business falters.
'Both of those strategies would put tremendous pressure on the union to reach an agreement,' he said.
'The danger, of course, for Canada Post is that its aggressive tactics thus far have seemingly only driven the parties further apart.'
Hajdu said in a statement Friday that the federal government expects the parties to get back to the negotiating table and find a resolution 'as soon as possible.'
Given the financial struggles mentioned in the report, Savage said he expects the federal government will look to restructure Canada Post's mandate after the current labour dispute wraps up.
That could see, as suggested in Kaplan's report, a further expansion of community mailboxes or an end to daily door-to-door delivery.
In that context, Savage said the negotiations are less about which side wins the day and more about 'who will survive long-term.'
'There is a storm brewing for both Canada Post's management and the union. And I think that getting over this hump is important, but I think that it pales in comparison to what's coming,' he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025.
Craig Lord, The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
23 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Alberta targets predatory tow-truck drivers with exclusion zones, fines
Alberta's government is creating fines and rules meant to curb predatory tow-truck drivers. Starting Friday, there will be 200-metre exclusion zones around accident scenes for tow-truck operators, who must stay back unless police or drivers involved say otherwise or face a $1,000 fine. At a Wednesday news conference, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said the government has heard concerns about tow-truck drivers showing up at car accidents and pressuring those involved to unnecessarily accept their services. In some cases, he said, tow-truck drivers have charged excessive fees and withheld necessary information from those whose vehicles were towed. 'The last thing someone needs at a collision scene is to be harassed by dishonest tow-truck drivers, pressuring them to agree to towing services,' Dreeshen said. 'These changes penalize bad actors in the tow-truck industry and shield Albertans from unethical practices.' Edmonton police Insp. Angela Kemp, speaking alongside Dreeshen, said the force has been aware of predatory towing for years. Kemp said it has been difficult to assess the scale of the problem, as police rely on self-reporting, but there have been more reports of it in recent years as people become aware. She gave two examples of police charging tow-truck companies. Police arrest 18 in Greater Toronto tow truck bust Extortions, arsons targeting South Asian businesses on the rise, Edmonton police warn In October, a company was charged with theft over $5,000 for allegedly refusing to release a vehicle it had towed unless it received a fee from an insurance company. In May, the owners of 10 towing companies were charged with fraud, Kemp said. 'During this investigation, police discovered that numerous tow-truck companies in Edmonton were reportedly fraudulently billing insurance companies for services that were not provided,' she said. 'Police also learned that these companies were allegedly inflating bills, including charges to insurance companies of upwards of over $5,000 for basic collision tows.' The government's new rules are nearly identical to a bylaw passed earlier this year by Calgary city council, though the city's fine can be up to $10,000. Dreeshen said the province's fine is lower because the government is trying to set a basic standard to ensure Albertans have the same protection. He said the government's rules are a first step and further measures could be taken, such as following Ontario in developing a mandatory code of conduct and certification process for tow truck drivers. 'The government of Alberta will continue working with industry and other stakeholders to explore additional solutions.'
National Post
23 minutes ago
- National Post
Court ruling declaring removal of bike lanes unconstitutional is 'ridiculous': Doug Ford
THORNHILL — Ontario Premier Doug Ford teed off Wednesday on a court decision declaring his law to remove three Toronto bike lanes unconstitutional, calling it the 'most ridiculous' ruling he has ever seen. Article content Ford has already said his government plans to appeal, even as it works on a compromise with the city to both keep the bike lanes and add extra lanes for vehicle traffic. Article content Article content He said he has faith that the Court of Appeal will overturn the lower-court ruling, but in the event it does not, he did not rule out using the notwithstanding clause to save the law. Article content Article content 'Let's see what happens at the Court of Appeals, and then we'll go from there, but I have confidence in the courts,' Ford said at an unrelated transit announcement. Article content Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas ruled the lane removals would put people at an 'increased risk of harm and death' and violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Article content He noted that the government had received advice from experts, reports from Toronto officials and evidence from the city and elsewhere that removing bike lanes 'will not achieve the asserted goal' of the law, to reduce traffic. Article content Ford made the removal of bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue a campaign issue during the snap election he called and won in February, and he says the judge's ruling tramples on people's democratic rights. Article content Article content 'This is the most ridiculous decision I've ever seen,' he said. Article content Article content 'I've never seen a decision like this, that a judge overrules the people of Ontario because of ideology — not because of law — ideology, but we knew when they picked this judge where it was going anyway, so it's not a big surprise.' Article content It's not the first time Ford has called judges' integrity into question. In April he blasted judges he perceives as being soft on crime, and floated ideas such as electing judges and offering them payouts to retire early. Article content
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
Food Bank of Waterloo Region sees fewer students, while overall usage is up
Record-breaking periods of high demand are something the Food Bank of Waterloo Region has seen several times over the last few years. 'The last three years have been really challenging for our community as a whole,' said Kim Wilhelm, Food Bank of Waterloo Region CEO. 'We've had record-breaking months of people accessing food assistance.' While overall usage is up, they're seeing a drop in the number of students accessing the food bank. 'Those who are in post-secondary school have additional pressures of tuition. They're not able to work as many hours as other people,' Wilhelm told CTV News on Wednesday. The data, however, points to a shift that has fewer students accessing the food bank's services. 'When we look at June 2025, there are about 750 students that identified as a student when they access food assistance. The good news is that's a 26 per cent decrease from last June 2024,' said Wilhelm. It's difficult to pinpoint why that may be, Wilhelm adds. It does come at a time when Conestoga College is seeing significant enrolment reductions due to the cap on international students. But the food bank does not track whether a student is domestic or international. 'When somebody who identifies as a student comes to one of our food programs, one of the first things we do is refer them back to their school food program for assistance,' said Wilhelm. Although, a spokesperson for Conestoga Students Inc., the student association for the college told CTV News in an email: 'CSI's on-campus food support programming paused for Spring semester while we work on a revamp we are announcing later this month.' CTV News also contacted Cheryl MacInnes, who helps supply Trinity Community Table's free lunch in Cambridge, about whether they've seen fewer international students. 'I cannot quantify the decrease in the number of international students,' MacInnes wrote in an email. 'We do not ask our guests where they are from. We offer food to all those in need.' What is clear is the overall increase in demand at the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. 'On average, we're finding that people are accessing it twice a month,' said Wilhelm. 'That's a five per cent increase in the number of people and a 13 per cent increase in the total visits from the prior June.'
