Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) say they are making progress toward final contracts after reaching agreements in principle last month, but negotiators warn they are “not there yet” on formal tentative agreements.
In a Dec. 5 update to members, CUPW national president Jan Simpson said the union’s negotiating committees have spent this week reviewing “hundreds of pages” of collective agreement language exchanged with Canada Post since the parties announced agreements in principle on Nov. 21 covering both major bargaining units.
“We know this round of bargaining has been incredibly challenging for everyone,” Simpson said. “While we are not yet at the point of having tentative agreements, your negotiating committees continue to work hard to get there. Our goal is to reach agreements that postal workers can ratify. Postal workers need agreements that will bring stability back to the public postal service and deliver the fair working conditions and respect you deserve.”
The Nov. 21 agreements in principle mean the two sides have settled on the main terms of new contracts, but the detailed language of the collective agreements has yet to be drafted. While that work continues, all strike and lockout action is suspended and the current collective agreements remain in force.
CUPW has emphasized that members retain the right to strike until new agreements are ratified. If the parties cannot agree on how the negotiated terms should be reflected in contract language, the suspension will be lifted and job action may resume.
The union has described the 26-month round of bargaining as one of the most difficult in recent years, saying members stood firm on the need for stable public postal services, secure employment and a sustainable postal system. Once tentative agreements are finalized, CUPW plans to release full details before putting the contracts to a membership vote.
As reported previously in Canadian Stamp News, postal operations have faced significant disruptions over the past year. CUPW launched a national strike last fall after earlier talks broke down, a move that delayed mail and parcel delivery across the country and drew concern from collectors and dealers who rely on Canada Post for incoming and outgoing material.
Although that strike was eventually suspended as negotiations resumed, frustrated members returned to the picket lines with rotating strikes in September, targeting different facilities on a rolling basis. Those rotating walkouts continued into the fall, adding uncertainty for the public and the philatelic community before the Nov. 21 agreements in principle paused all job action.
In addition to bargaining, CUPW continues to oppose planned federal cuts to postal services through its “Stop the Cuts” campaign. The union is working with allies and stakeholders nationwide and meeting with Members of Parliament to outline how service reductions would affect people and businesses in their ridings.
CUPW is urging members and the public to visit cupw.ca/hands-off to access campaign materials and send letters to MPs calling for the cuts to be stopped. The union is demanding a full and public mandate review – one that allows Canadians, as the owners of Canada Post, to be heard – before any major changes to the postal service are implemented.
“We’re not there yet, but we are working every day to achieve this goal,” Simpson told members, referring both to the push for fair agreements and the broader fight to protect Canada’s public postal system.