What to know about the Canada Post strike

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Some 55,000 Canada Post workers walked off the job Friday morning, including here in London, just ahead of the holiday mail and parcel rush. Here’s what you need to know.  

How we got to the Canada Post strike

Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) began a national strike on Friday at 12:01 a.m. The strike has ground Canada Post operations, including mail and parcel delivery, to a halt nationwide.

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Negotiations between the union representing 55,000 postal workers and Canada Post began earlier this year and lasted through the fall.

The union announced its strike mandate from members on Oct. 25. Canada Post on Oct. 29 presented new global offers to CUPW for both the urban and rural and suburban mail carriers bargaining units.

Canada Post received a strike notice from CUPW on Nov. 12, announcing the Friday deadline.

The Crown corporation has a large processing facility in London, located at 951 Highbury Ave. N.

No mail, no parcels

Mail and parcels won’t be processed or delivered during the strike, Canada Post said in a statement Friday, and some post offices will be closed.

No new items are being accepted by the postal service until the strike is over. Canada Post said all mail and parcels it has on hand will be securely kept and “delivered as quickly as possible on a first-in, first-out basis” when its operations resume.

However, the national strike will impact its postal service well after the strike ends, the Crown corporation said in a statement Friday.

“Shutting down facilities across the country will affect Canada Post’s entire national network,” Canada Post said. “Processing and delivery may take some time to fully return to normal.”

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Private courier services are not affected by the Canada Post strike, but may see higher volumes than usual.

What about social assistance cheques?

Canada Post and CUPW will continue delivering government benefit cheques, such as the Canada Child Benefit, old age security and the Canada Pension Plan, during the strike, the Crown corporation said in a statement Thursday.

All November cheques are set to be delivered on Nov. 20.

What the union is saying

CUPW’s demands include wage increases, safer working conditions, improved benefits and the expansion of services at the post office.

In a statement Friday, the union accused Canada Post of refusing to “negotiate real solutions to the issues postal workers face every day.” The union said Canada Post threatened to change members’ working conditions, leaving employees exposed to layoffs.

“A strike is a last resort,” CUPW said in a statement. “We still believe we can achieve negotiated collective agreements, but Canada Post must be willing to resolve our new and outstanding issues.”

With files by the Canadian Press 

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