With less than a week left in the postal union's strike mandate the possibility of a disruption to the country's postal service is once again looming.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers' (CUPW) 60-day strike mandate expires on Aug. 25.
Earlier this week the union proposed extending the strike mandate without returning to its membership for another strike vote. This requires an agreement in writing by the trade union and the employer.
Canada Post rejected the proposal, calling it "unprecedented" and "completely inappropriate."
"It would only provide further uncertainty for employees and Canadians," said the Crown corporation in a news release.
The union reiterated that they want to negotiate a deal and avoid a labour disruption, but said Canada Post is forcing it into a corner.
"Should CPC not agree to extend the period, then we may have no other choice than to issue a 72-hour notice of strike action on or before Aug. 25, 2016," reads a member's bulletin.
CUPW Edmonton local president Larry Dionne said the union is hesitant to continue discussions without a strike mandate because of the way the Crown corporation has handled the negotiations so far.
"What happened earlier was unprecedented," he said, "where Canada Post applied for conciliation before the demands were even out. That told us right from the get-go that they weren't really that serious about trying to come to a negotiated settlement."
Talks about a new collective bargaining agreement began in November. On June 25, one week before the end of the cool-down period, Canada Post issued its first and what it said then was a final offer to the union.
After threats of a lockout and a strike vote, both parties resumed another round of negotiations in mid-July, but little progress has been made on key issues, such as pay equity for rural carriers and secure pensions for new employees, said Dionne.
According to Canada Post the union's demands would cost more than $1 billion and make products and services unaffordable to consumers.
The Crown corporation is using a recent decision in another collective bargaining agreement to push this point.
This week arbitrator Michel Picher accepted Canada Post's proposal for a new collective agreement with postmasters and assistants in rural offices across the country that included a switch to a defined contribution plan for future hires.
"The evidence establishes that … 'to conduct its operations on a self sustaining financial basis while providing a standard of service that will meet the needs of the people of Canada…', it is incumbent on the Corporation to take steps to decrease, or to continue to decrease, its labour/benefit costs," concluded Picher, quoting the Canada Post Corporation Act.
CUPW president Mike Palecek said this decision would not change the union's bargaining position.
CUPW is the only remaining employee group that has a defined benefit plan for new employees.
Gazette plans
The St. Albert Gazette will still be available in the event of a mail disruption.
St. Albert, Morinville, and Cardiff will not be affected by a strike or lockout, since these areas are covered by door-to-door delivery by Gazette carriers. However, there are about 4,300 subscribers in Sturgeon County who receive the newspaper through Canada Post. If mail delivery is suspended, news boxes will be placed at strategic locations.
A map is available on the Gazette website at stalbertgazette.com/distribution.
There is a small number of national subscribers who won't be able to receive the paper if there is a disruption. An e-edition of the Gazette is available on our website.
