Collective agreement negotiations are nothing new, nor are strike votes in Canada, in particular with Canada Post. It seems even in this modern age of Email, Canadians continue to rely on Canada Post to deliver important documents, invoices and most importantly, old age security and welfare benefits. Not that the later of the two concern me.
As a business owner, and pretty much a right wing hypocrite, I rely on Canada Post to deliver cheques from my clients, as my clients rely on Canada Post to receive the invoices I send out. So what does a potential Canada Post strike mean to me? Well, that answer is fairly obvious.
I guess the solution to all of this mess is automated payments and online payment processing. The only problem with that is the end cost. Of course some of this can be offset with the evergrowing cost of a postage stamp in Canada. By the way, did you hear the cost of mailing a letter in Canada is also going up by a couple of cents? So if you send alot of letters, you may want to stop by the local Costco and stock up on those discount fixed price postal stamps they sell.
So back to the CUPW collective agreement and postal union negotiations. Like I said, postal strikes and postal lockouts are nothing new in Canada. In fact, it was only a few years ago that we had a similar problem. Union negotiations and strike votes tend to take place in mid spring or early summer. The apparent reason being, if the Union members have a strike vote and it determines they are going out on strike, at least they do not have to suffer through the rain and snow.
For your information, here are some of the recent CUPW posts on the whole Canada Post strike situation.
May 18, 2011 - 14:15
RSMC Negotiations 2009 / Bulletin
RSMC Negotiations Bulletin No. 30
During the last two arbitration dates (April 21 & 27, 2011) the Union and the employer participated in mediation efforts in order to come to an agreement concerning changes to the RSMC collective agreement.
The parties have also agreed to additional dates to continue their mediation efforts. The additional dates are June 10, 25 & 26, 2011. The parties now have six dates of mediation scheduled for June, the three aforementioned dates plus June 11, 12 & 30, 2011.
The Negotiating Committee is hopeful that the use of these six dates, and employer responses that are reasonable, well-thought out and beneficial to the membership, will allow the parties to make significant headway in the resolution of the differences that now exist.
In the meantime members should stay active in activities coordinated by their Local leadership in support of both the RSMC and Urban Operation negotiations.
New CEO – Same CPC
As reported in bulletin # 13 the Union, on December 22, 2009, wrote to the employer requesting that a certain portion of the $15,000,000.00 available in 2010 be distributed to the membership on an interim basis in areas where both parties had negotiation demands and where there was therefore a reasonable possibility of agreed upon changes to the collective agreement. These areas included wages and various health care plans (including a new drug plan). The employer response at the time was totally unreasonable as it indicated that it would only agree with the Union proposal if the Union, in turn, agreed to accept the employer’s proposals concerning a short term disability plan, wage increases based on regional disparities and an undefined amount of money to be placed in an “escrow” account.
Reflecting a belief commonly held within the Union, that the membership should not be penalized due to the lengthy negotiations necessitated by the uncompromising and unreasonable positions taken by the employer, Brother Denis Lemelin, National President, recently wrote to the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Canada Post requesting that the parties meet in order to discuss two issues: i) the use of some of the $38,000,000.00 available in the negotiations for an interim and partial payment of the retroactive wage increase that RSMCs will receive and ii) the expeditious establishment of a drug plan. Brother Lemelin made it clear in his letter that such a meeting between the parties would not prejudice the positions being taken by the parties in front of the mediator/arbitrator.
Unfortunately, it appears that the new CEO is intent on implementing the same practices followed by his predecessor. In a letter dated April 19, 2011, he informed the Union that he would not agree to meet with the Union to discuss the two issues. This means that although the employer recognizes that a wage increase and a drug plan will form part of the amended collective agreement the employer continues to punish its workforce by unnecessarily delaying the implementation of such benefits.
Here is another CUPW Bulletin, keep in mind, these are the words of the Union and definately not my words.
May 17, 2011 - 23:59
Urban Postal Unit Negotiations
(2011) / Bulletin
Negotiations Bulletin no. 42
This evening CPC
negotiators presented a new offer to the Union. It contains several major
rollbacks and meets very few of our demands.
CUPW does not consider this
“Offer” as the basis for a negotiated settlement. However we are determined to
continue the negotiations and obtain a collective agreement that provides for
Respect, Equality and a Share of the Benefits of New Technology.
Here are the
major features of CPC’s offer.
Short Term Disability Plan: CPC is
keeping its demand to eliminate paid sick leave and replace it with a Short Term
Disability Plan.
Multiple Bundle Delivery: CPC has not addressed the Union’s
demand that a one bundle delivery method be used for points of call other than
stop and go and centralized points of delivery.
Duration: 4 year
agreement.
Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) A COLA that triggers at
8%.
Wages for current employees: 1.75%, 1.75%, 1.9% and 2.0%.
Wages,
Benefits and Pension for New Employees:
For employees hired after the date of
signing in Groups 1 and 2 the starting rate will be $18.00 and it will take7
years to reach the maximum rate. New employees will be eligible for COLA.
4
weeks vacation after 10 years of service, 5 weeks after 18 years and6 weeks
after 28 years.
Defined benefit pension with full indexation but with early
retirement eligibility of 60 years of age and30 years of service without
penalty.
Payment in lieu of benefits for temporary employees: Increase to 5%
up from 4%.
Retiree Benefits: CPC has dropped its proposal for a health care
spending account for retirees.
PO2’s and PO4’s to be reclassified as
PO5s: All current PO2s and PO4s shall be reclassified as PO5s
full-time and part-time with the PO5 wage rate.
Pension: CPC refuses to
include the pension in the collective agreement.
Job Security: Current
regular employees will have 40 km protection. Those hired after the date of
signing will be entitled to the 40 km protection after five years of employment
as a regular employee.
Human Rights Training: Expand the mandate of the human
rights training and provide $2 million fund.
Health and Safety Training: CPC
agrees to renew the health and safety training under Appendix DD but has tied
this to guidelines that permit the Corporation to unilaterally prohibit specific
union designated trainers from providing training.
Health and Safety: CPC
does not address the Union’s demand to have ergonomic studies prior to the
introduction of new work methods or new machines. Nor does it address the issue
of stools at the oversize sorting cases despite the recommendations of the study
conducted under the current collective agreement. CPC has not responded to the
Union’s demand to improve rotation of duties.
Childcare Fund and Education
Fund: CPC has not responded to the Union’s proposals to increase these
funds.
Dental Plan: Elimination of the six-month eligibility waiting period
and update the fee guide with a one year lag.
Injury on Duty Pay: Reduce from
100% of pay to 75% but permit employees to use accumulated sick leave credits to
top up to 100%.
Unaddressed Admail: CPC wants to eliminate the householder
time values for the 17 offices which have time values as of the first set. The
per piece payment will be reduced from 2.3 to 2.2 cents and letter carriers will
be required to deliver all householders within a three day span. CPC wants to
replace the current system of determining time allowances for householder
preparation and weight with engineered standards. They want to increase the
maximum delivery size to 12 X 11 inches. CPC proposes to provide a delivery time
credit when householder mail exceeds 18 minutes per day. CPC’s proposal
would provide a relay box or mail mobile stop based on a calculation that would
include the weight of admail.
Birth and Adoption Leave: Increase from 1 to 2
days.
Interpreter for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Employees: Upon request CPC
shall provide interpretation when an employee is requested to attend an
interview, grievance hearing or an arbitration hearing.
Pregnant Employees:
Provide pregnant employees with a process for accommodation if their working
conditions endanger their health or that of their
foetus.
Aboriginal Hiring: The Joint National Human
Rights Advisory Committee will develop affirmative action plans to promote and
encourage the hiring of aboriginal people.
Gender Expression and
Discrimination: CPC has agreed to add “gender expression” to clause 5.01 to
prohibit discrimination.
Bilingual Retail Positions: CPC will require
employees applying for bilingual retail positions to be bilingual and eliminate
the obligation to provide training. Should no bilingual candidates be available
CPC will have the right to hire employees of the street.
Part-time Employees
at Retail Counters: The proportion of part-time employees at wickets will
increase from 10% to 15% with no guarantees of extended services.
Group 1
Staffing: When a temporary employee works 1000 hours or more during a 12 month
period, CPC will create a part-time regular position in one of the locations
where the call-in list is used. When a part-time employee works at least 30
hours or more each week for 30 consecutive weeks in an installation CPC will
create a full-time regular position in that installation. CPC will provide
better information to the Union.
Group 1 Ratio: Starting in 2013 CPC wants to
reduce the current full-time ratio of 78% by 1% per year until it reaches
75%. Their proposal does not address the Union’s demands to include overtime
hours in the calculation of the ratio and to correct the adjustment factor that
gives the corporation the ability to undermine the ratio by approximately
5%.
Forced Overtime: CPC is not providing any response to the Unions demand
to minimize forced overtime.
Compensatory Time Off: CPC is agreeing to
compensatory time for Group 1 but the provisions will place new restrictions on
Group 2 (which will also apply to Group 1) to limit the carry over to five days
per year and eliminate the right to be paid out upon request.
Not
Filling Vacant Positions: During the four month assessment phase of a
restructure the Corporation will not be obliged to fill a vacant position if the
review process forecasts a reduction of positions within the post
office.
Appendix T: Job Creation: No new services or job creation. CPC
commits to complete the mandatory projects negotiated in the 2007 collective
agreement with the exception of the building maintenance project. The Union and
management will establish a sales training program for retail
clerks.
Grievance Arbitration: CPC is proposing a pilot project to deal with
grievances on duty to accommodate. This project will take place in two regions,
with each party choosing one region.
List of Arbitrators: CPC wants to remove
two arbitrators from the list of arbitrators.
Contracting Out: CPC will amend
the current protections to include the new packet and bundle sorters which are
being introduced and exclude the Bar Code Sorters (BCS). They are saying
no to all of CUPW’s demands for contracting in and for greater protections
from contracting out. Also CPC wants to create separate work centres for
VES.
Bar Charts:. All absences will be recorded except for relief employees,
temporary employees, and local and regional union leave paid by the corporation.
This is tied to CPC’s proposal to combine the vacation and other absences relief
into one list and automate the system into SAP. Relief letter carriers will have
to remain on the replacement assignment for the duration of the original absence
but can exercise their seniority to choose another assignment should the nature
of the absence change and the absence extends beyond the initial
period.
Access to Information and Transparency: CPC will provide the Union
with access to GeoRoute to facilitate the validation of letter carrier
routes. However CPC proposes to have the union pay to have access to this
necessary information. CPC has not addressed the Union’s proposal to receive
data in a workable and stable format.
Depot Support: CPC provided no proposal
to resolve the issue of which Group will perform the inside duties within the
modern post depots.
Parcel Delivery by Letter Carriers: Nothing in the offer
addresses the Union’s proposal to find a solution to overburdening of letter
carriers caused by parcel delivery.
Letter Carrier and MSC Work
Measurement Systems: CPC language in Appendixes V and CC only addresses their
demand to provide for time certainty but fails to address the Union’s demand to
introduce values for working methods that currently do not have values such as
taxi waiting time. CPC has eliminated the expiry date for Appendix
CC.
Drivers License Abstract: Employees to be required to provide a drivers
license abstract on demand. Employees shall have the obligation to have a valid
drivers license that qualifies them for a CPC Vehicle Operators Permit (VOP) if
they want to obtain an assignment in a depot that is more than 50%
motorized.
Isolated Post Allowances: CPC agrees to update the Isolated Post
Allowances and include Fort McMurray with the same rate as High
Prairie.
As you can see there has been movement following our
strong strike vote but we still have far to go to reach a collective agreement
that meets our needs. In the days ahead we will keep you informed of any
developments as they occur.As you can imagine, there is going to be some increased search traffic on the whole issue of Canada Post, CUPW, CUPW Collective agreement as well as pretty much anything else to do with Canada Post and the potential of a Postal Strike in Canada. The good news is, it looks like CUPW and Canada Post will have some special provisions in place to ensure Old age security and Pension Cheques are delivered. For those Americans in the crowd, yes, that is how we spell Cheque. or in your case Check.
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