Canada Post workers are waiting for the final results of a vote to see if job action could take place later this month.
50,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers concluded voting Sunday on a call by the union for a strike mandate after months of contract talks failed to produce a collective agreement.
CUPW national president Mike Palecek tells Acadia News he couldn’t say for sure if results of the two separate votes would be released today.
He says work load is a big issue, along with pay equity for rural and suburban mail carriers.
“We’re putting forward equality for RSMC’s who do the same work at letter carriers. We know have an arbitrators order for Canada Post to settle this issue. Nobody wants to be on a picket line, nobody wants to go on strike. We want to keep providing the service that we provide everyday to people across this country. But at the end of the day we shouldn’t have to be here. We’ve been working to settle these issues for years and have been met with all kinds of promises from government and from management. Our members are at a breaking point.”
Here is a statement emailed to Acadia News from Canada Post media spokesperson Phil Legault:
“Talks continue with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) at an off-site location in Ottawa. We are working hard to find the common ground needed to renew both collective agreements.
On Friday we tabled offers which reflect the recent growth in our parcels business and the contributions our employees have made. They include fair and affordable increases in pay and benefits, rather than a focus on reducing costs. They also commit to working collaboratively with CUPW on several areas of importance to both parties.”
#RSMC Global Offer: What is @canadapostcorp Proposing? Nothing! #canlab #negos2018 https://t.co/nnURtKnrwh
— cupw (@cupw) September 8, 2018