Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of new collective agreements with Canada Post, with nearly nine out of 10 members in both bargaining units supporting the deals.
According to unaudited results released by the union June 1, 89 per cent of members in the Urban Postal Operations bargaining unit voted to accept the tentative agreement, while 11 per cent voted against it. In the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) unit, 85.9 per cent voted in favour, with 14.1 per cent opposed.
The strong ratification vote brings to a close a bargaining process that stretched nearly two years and culminated in tentative agreements reached in December 2025.
Canada Post announced the same day that CUPW had informed the corporation the agreements had been accepted. The new contracts will remain in effect until Jan. 31, 2029.
“We are pleased that CUPW-represented employees have voted to ratify these new collective agreements,” said Canada Post president and chief executive officer Doug Ettinger.
“With the stability of new agreements in place, we look forward to working with our employees and bargaining agents to rebuild the business, restore confidence in the postal system and better serve the country.”
Ettinger said the agreements will help Canada Post move ahead with plans to modernize its operations, including weekend parcel delivery and adjustments to its retail network, while maintaining jobs across the country.
The union also highlighted the strong participation by members and thanked postal workers for their support throughout the bargaining process.
“Over the course of this round of bargaining, postal workers have faced enormous challenges,” CUPW national president Jan Simpson said in a statement. “It has not been easy, but members have stood strong.”
While the agreements have now been ratified, Simpson said the union remains focused on future bargaining rounds and on defending Canada’s public postal service.
The union said audited voting results, along with regional and local breakdowns, will be released once the independent review of the vote has been completed.
The parties are expected to formally sign the new collective agreements in the coming weeks.
The strong ratification vote came despite divisions within CUPW’s national leadership. Prior to the vote, National President Jan Simpson was among a minority faction of the union’s National Executive Board that urged members to reject the tentative agreements. The group argued the contracts failed to address several long-standing union priorities and represented a retreat from bargaining objectives established at the outset of negotiations.
According to information previously reported by Canadian Stamp News, about 60 per cent of CUPW’s National Executive Board supported ratification, while Simpson and several other senior union officials recommended a “no” vote. Both the Urban and Rural and Suburban Mail Carrier negotiating committees, however, endorsed the agreements, arguing they represented the best outcome achievable after one of the most difficult bargaining rounds in the union’s history.
The agreements bring to a close a turbulent period in labour relations at Canada Post that included rotating strikes, a national work stoppage, government intervention and months of uncertainty for postal customers and businesses. Negotiations stretched for more than two years as the two sides clashed over wages, job security, pensions, staffing levels, weekend parcel delivery and the future direction of the postal service.