Canada Post workers prepping for picket line

By News Staff and The Canadian Press

Canada Post employees in Toronto and Mississauga are preparing for the picket line, as workers across Canada could be off the job by Friday.

Washroom facilities have been set up at the Canada Post processing plant on Eastern Avenue between Coxwell Avenue and Leslie Street, and at the Gateway Building postal plant in Mississauga.

Mail delivery would grind to a halt if a lockout takes place, with one exception: The Canada Revenue Agency has deemed Old Age Security, Canada Pension Plan, Working Income Tax Benefit and the Canada Child Benefit cheques “essential.”

Those cheques will be delivered one day a month, Canada Post Jon Hamilton said.


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Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Works (CUPW) are struggling with a new collective bargaining agreement for the approximately 50,000 rural and urban mail carriers in the country since December.

The union wants to see a pay increase for its rural, mostly female carriers, who earn 28 per cent less than their urban, mostly male, counterparts to address what CUPW sees as a pay equity issue. Canada Post has said CUPW’s demands are “not affordable” and would add $1 billion in costs over the life of a new contract as the postal service undergoes a review of operations, including the move away from door-to-door delivery.

Canada Post said its latest offer presented on June 25 was fair and reasonable and that it still hoped to negotiate a deal with the union. The union said its workers are being threatened with a lockout, as CUPW has vowed to not go on strike and stay at the bargaining table.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that for now, his government is not considering back-to-work legislation.

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