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CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘Devil is in the details': Canada Post union negotiator urges members to vote against latest offer
CUPW negotiator Jim Gallant on why the union is encouraging worker to reject Canada Post's latest contract offer. As unionized workers at Canada Post begin voting on the Crown corporation's latest offer, one of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers' (CUPW) negotiators is urging members to vote against it, slamming Canada Post for trying to 'control people's lives.' Jim Gallant told CTV Your Morning in an interview Monday that despite the 18-month long negotiation, the latest offer is still not up to the mark, emphasizing 'the devil is in the details.' 'The wording that they have, and this language, just open a wide door that they could drive a motor home through to get what they want,' he said after reading through all the offer documents. Roughly 55,000 unionized Canada Post workers began voting on Monday, after the federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to intervene and put the latest offer to a vote. Meanwhile, Gallant describes the agreement as the opposite of flexible. 'They use the word 'flexibility', but this collective agreement is about control,' he said. 'They want to control people's lives, where you go to work for four hours and by the time you're at work you have to stay for eight hours.' CUPW, along with the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers and Urban Bargaining Committees, unanimously recommended that Canada Post's final offer be rejected, according a news release by the CUPW. 'These offers fall short of what we've earned, ignore the realities on the work floor, fail to address key demands, and threaten hard-won protections,' the news release said. 'Worse still, Canada Post—backed by the Government—is setting a dangerous precedent,' the press release added. 'From the start, management has shown little interest in fair negotiations. Instead, they're using this forced vote to sidestep bargaining and impose their terms without our consent.' The Crown corporation's offer includes a hike in wages of around 13 per cent over four years and adds part-time workers. Jon Hamilton, a Canada Post spokesperson, said the Crown corporation had operating losses amounting to $10 million a day through June, and in the event the vote is negative, the uncertainty will continue. According to a survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released on Monday, a postal strike could cause the corporation to permanently lose up to 63 per cent of businesses. 'Small business owners deserve a long-term plan and a postal service they can count on,' Corinne Pohlmann, executive vice-president of advocacy at CFIB said in the survey report. According to the CFIB, more than 70 per cent of businesses have encouraged customers to use digital methods, 45 per cent have put their faith in private couriers and 27 per cent delayed mail. 'People can't take care of their children or parents,' Gallant says. 'We need things so we have a reasonable day and know about that day before we show up.' With files from CTV News' Paul Hollingsworth and the Canadian Press
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Quebec manufacturers urging Ottawa to let temporary foreign workers already here stay
Manufacturing businesses in Quebec are calling on the federal government to allow temporary foreign workers already employed in the province to stay and continue working in the industry. In September of last year, the federal government capped companies' ability to hire low-wage temporary foreign workers at 10 per cent of their workforce compared to 30 per cent previously. It also limited contracts for these positions to one year. According to Manufacturers and Exporters of Quebec (MEQ) president Julie White, this is not sustainable for the factories in Quebec's regions that are starting to see the consequences of these changes to the temporary foreign worker program. "We anticipate that the fall might be catastrophic for many manufacturers if we don't review the rules that were announced last fall," she said. Hundreds of temporary foreign workers are already packing up and leaving the province because their permits have expired and their employers can't renew them, she said. Some are leaving despite their permits still being valid for a few months because they aren't confident that their contracts will be renewed when the time comes. Despite support from the provincial government and conversations with the federal government, federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu is too slow to act, says the MEQ. Ottawa aiming to reduce 'dependence' on program In an emailed statement to Radio Canada, Hajdu's press secretary Jennifer Kozelj said the government was "committed to reducing the dependence of Canadian employers on the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP)." "To be clear, the TFWP is designed as an extraordinary measure to be used to fill critical employment gaps, only when qualified Canadians and permanent residents are unable to fill the vacancies," she wrote. "Now is the ideal time to invest in Canadian talent." But the MEQ said Canadian workers can't fill the gap. "We are in an extraordinary situation," said White, noting that the current trade war is already weakening the manufacturing sector, on top of a labour shortage. "The businesses that go and recruit TFWs [temporary foreign workers] don't do it because it's easy or fun… they don't have a choice." There are 11,000 vacant job positions in manufacturing in Quebec, according to the Institut de la statistique du Québec. "What we want from the federal government is the sensibility to our specific needs here in Quebec," said White, adding that she was disappointed with their statement. The MEQ wants Ottawa to grant the industry a special privilege that would allow temporary foreign workers already working in Quebec's manufacturing sector to stay in the province and continue working. It's something Quebec Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge has supported, said White. In a statement to Radio-Canada, Roberge's office said that maintaining a level of temporary foreign workers in certain regions was important for manufacturers facing labour challenges. It encouraged the federal government to "concentrate its reduction efforts in the Montreal and Laval regions," said spokesperson William Demers. White says the federal government needs to act fast to grant the exemption and let workers stay so Quebec's manufacturing can continue to function. Even having a few temporary workers missing can affect entire production lines, she says. "If you lose 10, 15, 20, 25 workers in a matter of a couple of weeks and you don't have the capacity to find more, businesses won't be able to be productive," she said.
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Unionized workers at Canada Post to start voting on contract offer
Social Sharing Unionized workers at Canada Post begin voting on the Crown corporation's latest contract offer on Monday. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is urging they reject the proposal. Canada Post is at an impasse with the union representing roughly 55,000 postal service workers after more than a year and a half of talks. The vote comes after federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to step in and put the Crown corporation's latest offer to a vote. The offer includes wage hikes of about 13 per cent over four years but also adds part-time workers that Canada Post has said are necessary to keep the postal service afloat. The Crown corporation's operating losses amounted to $10 million a day in June, said Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton. "We hope our employees see these offers provide certainty for the road ahead and vote yes to make them their new collective agreements," he said in a statement. "If the vote is positive, the offers become new collective agreements effective until Jan. 31, 2028. If not, Canada Post won't speculate other than to say the uncertainty will continue." Union national president Jan Simpson has said a strong no vote would not only reject the offer, but also protect the integrity of the bargaining process. A postal strike could push 63 per cent businesses to walk away from Canada Post permanently, according to a survey released Monday by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. It said around 13 per cent of small firms already stopped using Canada Post after the 2024 strike. CFIB estimates that work stoppage cost small businesses between $75 million to $100 million each day. It says more than 70 per cent of businesses responded to the disruptions by encouraging customers to use digital options, 45 per cent turned to private couriers, while 27 per cent delayed mail.
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Unionized workers at Canada Post to start voting on contract offer
Published Jul 21, 2025 • Last updated 4 minutes ago • 1 minute read A row of mailboxes are shown outside Canada Post of the sorting plant in northeast Calgary on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. Photo by Brent Calver / Postmedia OTTAWA — Unionized workers at Canada Post begin voting on the Crown corporation's latest contract offer on Monday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is urging they reject the proposal. Canada Post is at an impasse with the union representing roughly 55,000 postal service workers after more than a year and a half of talks. The vote comes after federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to step in and put the Crown corporation's latest offer to a vote. The offer includes wage hikes of about 13 per cent over four years but also adds part-time workers that Canada Post has said are necessary to keep the postal service afloat. The Crown corporation's operating losses amounted to $10 million a day in June, said Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton. 'We hope our employees see these offers provide certainty for the road ahead and vote yes to make them their new collective agreements,' he said in a statement. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'If the vote is positive, the offers become new collective agreements effective until Jan. 31, 2028. If not, Canada Post won't speculate other than to say the uncertainty will continue.' Union national president Jan Simpson has said a strong no vote would not only reject the offer, but also protect the integrity of the bargaining process. A postal strike could push 63 per cent businesses to walk away from Canada Post permanently, according to a survey released Monday by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. It said around 13 per cent of small firms already stopped using Canada Post after the 2024 strike. CFIB estimates that work stoppage cost small businesses between $75 million to $100 million each day. It says more than 70 per cent of businesses responded to the disruptions by encouraging customers to use digital options, 45 per cent turned to private couriers, while 27 per cent delayed mail. Toronto & GTA Canada Football Toronto & GTA Editorial Cartoons
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Canada Post: Unionized workers to start voting on contract offer
Unionized workers at Canada Post begin voting on the Crown corporation's latest contract offer today. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is urging they reject the proposal. Canada Post is at an impasse with the union representing roughly 55,000 postal service workers after more than a year and a half of talks. The vote comes after federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to step in and put the Crown corporation's latest offer to a vote. The offer includes wage hikes of about 13 per cent over four years but also adds part-time workers Canada Post says are necessary to keep the postal service afloat. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Union national president Jan Simpson has said a strong no vote would not only reject the offer, but also protect the integrity of the bargaining process. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
