CANADA POSTAL STRIKE NEWS: Will My Mail Be Delivered? Can I Still Post a Letter?
"HOW WILL THE POSTAL STRIKE AFFECT ME?"
(OTTAWA, CANADA) "Nearly 50 thousand members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are preparing for a cross-Canada strike, which could bring mail delivery to a grinding halt. The postal workers have been on the job without a Collective Agreement contract since January 31st, 2011.
"Their employer, the Canada Post Corporation, which is a publicly-owned company, is seeking paycuts by paying new employees 30% less, clawing back paid lunch breaks, and reducing health benefits. It also wants to force letter carriers to adopt new longer routes and carry heavier loads. On the other side, the Union is demanding better workplace safety measures and more job security related to pensions and health benefits."
Well, we've seen the news reports.
But how is this going to affect us?
I spend my summers in my country home in Eastern Canada, and count on Rural Mail Delivery. I can't do everything online or by fax. The private couriers won't come way down my country gravel road (in fact, FedEx routinely dumps my parcels into the Postal System). Canada Post brags about their rural drivers being the only couriers who will deliver down that "Last Mile." I count on my Rural Mail driver in her old Dodge Spirit.
Will I continue to get my packages if there is a Postal strike or Company lock-out? When will my mail be delivered? Will my mail be delayed?
Is it still safe to post a letter or parcel in Canada? Or to Canada?
When will the next postal strike be? Where will the next postal strike take place?
I've been talking to some local Post Masters, who spoke off the record.
This is what is going on:
My Post Master showed me the Fax she received from Canada Post, which read: "Note: It should be clear that there will be no mail delivery whatsoever (with the exception of Socio Economic cheques) in the event of a general strike or in a location where a rotating strike has occurred. Your LAM (Local Area Manager) will contact you to ensure that all boxes are cleared and sealed."
She explained that the mail drivers who deliver our rural mail won't be on strike -- "different bargaining unit." The rural drivers will be called to work at their local post office and given such tasks as training, cleaning and updating customer information. To the general public, it will appear that these mail couriers are still on the job -- but not delivering our mail. These couriers will get the blame for not delivering the post. In reality, Canada Post will be holding our mail in their post offices -- in what will really be a Lockout (that is, we CUSTOMERS will be locked out!).
My Mail Driver, fearing for her job, refused to say much, except: "We Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers don't have a health care plan, are not allowed to take any breaks, and are paid $1.00 a liter gas allowance, when gas is costing me $1.38 a liter. They won't pay for repairs on my vehicle, and you know the damage these back roads do to our cars. I'm clearing less every paycheque."
*
Canada Post: "This round of labour negotiations is critically important to the future of Canada Post and the Crown corporation's ability to provide affordable postal services to Canadians without becoming a burden on taxpayers."
Canada Post said it hasn't yet initiated a 72-hour notice for a lockout, the employer's equivalent to a labour strike. Services such as Canada Post Tracking may still be active.
The Crown corporation said earlier that the CUPW proposal would require a 15 per cent increase in postage rates or government support to offset the expense and "provides no compromises to address the challenges facing the company."
*
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW): "There was no explanation of these figures. Exaggerating the cost of union demands is a tactic that has been used by CPC in all previous rounds of bargaining to distract attention from the real issues and justify taking a hard line during negotiations."
The union said the Company's latest proposal included a "slight increase" in its wage offer and dropped other demands for rollbacks, but added that "many of the union's priority demands are not addressed."
*
Soooo -- will we be getting our mail? The Post masters I've talked to are all saying variations of, "We really don't know what's going on. All management is saying is that we may be holding people's mail back. We won't be allowed to give it out."
*
As a therapist and relationship expert, I have seen a sea change in the way we perceive romance and sexuality. As the folks at [http://www.free-online-dating.00me.com] well know.
SEE MY MOST POPULAR SIZZLING ARTICLES ABOUT MALE & FEMALE SEXUALITY At http://goarticles.com/author/Kathleen-Falken/27218/
- Kate
UPDATES:
A few highlights from Canada Post's annual fiscal report (In Canada Post's own words):
>> With approximately 71,000 employees, The Canada Post Group (CPG) is one of the largest employers in Canada.
>> CPG made $179 million in net (after tax) profit from the post office and its companies, including the Purolator Courier Service, which Canada Post owns. Purolator provided more than 50 per cent of Canada Post's profits
> CPG made $281 million in income before taxes.
> CPG paid $102 million in taxes.
> CPG paid $47 million in dividends.
> Consolidated revenue from Canada Post operations reached $7.3 Billion.
> Consolidated cost of operations totalled $6,955 million, a decrease of $639 million from the $7,594 million recorded in the previous year.
> The Canada Post Group spends approximately $3 Billion annually on goods and services, thereby supporting an additional 30,000 jobs in the Canadian economy.
> Canada Post recorded its 15th consecutive year of profitability despite sustaining one of the most challenging years in its history.
The Canada Post part of Canada Post's group of companies had record volumes with 11.6 billion pieces of mail. Total addressed volumes remained flat while transaction mail (formerly known as first class mail) declined by 7.2%.
Points of delivery in Canada increased to 14.5 million.
2011: For the 16th consecutive year, Canada Post is expected to make a profit greater than the previous year.
Conclusion: Publicly, Canada Post spokespeople are giving different figures, which the Canadian media are repeating without fact-checking...
STRIKE NEWS UPDATE:
"If a general strike is called, regular mail delivery will stop. However, 9,000 Canada Post employees have volunteered to continue processing welfare and other social-security cheques for those government departments that use the service.
"Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and Child Benefits cheques will be delivered on one day each month.
"Provincial governments are making separate arrangements for delivery of cheques and documents. For example, the Nova Scotia Pension Agency and the Quebec ministry of employment mailed cheques out early to avoid delays. The Government of Alberta will arrange for residents to collect documents at Service Alberta locations in the province.
"FedEx, UPS and other major courier deliveries to rural areas also could be affected because, in certain cases, Canada Post carries these documents and parcels for the last few kilometres of their journey."
Copyright© 2011 by Kathleen Falken. This Article may be freely copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and active links.
(OTTAWA, CANADA) "Nearly 50 thousand members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are preparing for a cross-Canada strike, which could bring mail delivery to a grinding halt. The postal workers have been on the job without a Collective Agreement contract since January 31st, 2011.
"Their employer, the Canada Post Corporation, which is a publicly-owned company, is seeking paycuts by paying new employees 30% less, clawing back paid lunch breaks, and reducing health benefits. It also wants to force letter carriers to adopt new longer routes and carry heavier loads. On the other side, the Union is demanding better workplace safety measures and more job security related to pensions and health benefits."
Well, we've seen the news reports.
But how is this going to affect us?
I spend my summers in my country home in Eastern Canada, and count on Rural Mail Delivery. I can't do everything online or by fax. The private couriers won't come way down my country gravel road (in fact, FedEx routinely dumps my parcels into the Postal System). Canada Post brags about their rural drivers being the only couriers who will deliver down that "Last Mile." I count on my Rural Mail driver in her old Dodge Spirit.
Will I continue to get my packages if there is a Postal strike or Company lock-out? When will my mail be delivered? Will my mail be delayed?
Is it still safe to post a letter or parcel in Canada? Or to Canada?
When will the next postal strike be? Where will the next postal strike take place?
I've been talking to some local Post Masters, who spoke off the record.
This is what is going on:
My Post Master showed me the Fax she received from Canada Post, which read: "Note: It should be clear that there will be no mail delivery whatsoever (with the exception of Socio Economic cheques) in the event of a general strike or in a location where a rotating strike has occurred. Your LAM (Local Area Manager) will contact you to ensure that all boxes are cleared and sealed."
She explained that the mail drivers who deliver our rural mail won't be on strike -- "different bargaining unit." The rural drivers will be called to work at their local post office and given such tasks as training, cleaning and updating customer information. To the general public, it will appear that these mail couriers are still on the job -- but not delivering our mail. These couriers will get the blame for not delivering the post. In reality, Canada Post will be holding our mail in their post offices -- in what will really be a Lockout (that is, we CUSTOMERS will be locked out!).
My Mail Driver, fearing for her job, refused to say much, except: "We Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers don't have a health care plan, are not allowed to take any breaks, and are paid $1.00 a liter gas allowance, when gas is costing me $1.38 a liter. They won't pay for repairs on my vehicle, and you know the damage these back roads do to our cars. I'm clearing less every paycheque."
*
Canada Post: "This round of labour negotiations is critically important to the future of Canada Post and the Crown corporation's ability to provide affordable postal services to Canadians without becoming a burden on taxpayers."
Canada Post said it hasn't yet initiated a 72-hour notice for a lockout, the employer's equivalent to a labour strike. Services such as Canada Post Tracking may still be active.
The Crown corporation said earlier that the CUPW proposal would require a 15 per cent increase in postage rates or government support to offset the expense and "provides no compromises to address the challenges facing the company."
*
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW): "There was no explanation of these figures. Exaggerating the cost of union demands is a tactic that has been used by CPC in all previous rounds of bargaining to distract attention from the real issues and justify taking a hard line during negotiations."
The union said the Company's latest proposal included a "slight increase" in its wage offer and dropped other demands for rollbacks, but added that "many of the union's priority demands are not addressed."
*
Soooo -- will we be getting our mail? The Post masters I've talked to are all saying variations of, "We really don't know what's going on. All management is saying is that we may be holding people's mail back. We won't be allowed to give it out."
*
As a therapist and relationship expert, I have seen a sea change in the way we perceive romance and sexuality. As the folks at [http://www.free-online-dating.00me.com] well know.
SEE MY MOST POPULAR SIZZLING ARTICLES ABOUT MALE & FEMALE SEXUALITY At http://goarticles.com/author/Kathleen-Falken/27218/
- Kate
UPDATES:
A few highlights from Canada Post's annual fiscal report (In Canada Post's own words):
>> With approximately 71,000 employees, The Canada Post Group (CPG) is one of the largest employers in Canada.
>> CPG made $179 million in net (after tax) profit from the post office and its companies, including the Purolator Courier Service, which Canada Post owns. Purolator provided more than 50 per cent of Canada Post's profits
> CPG made $281 million in income before taxes.
> CPG paid $102 million in taxes.
> CPG paid $47 million in dividends.
> Consolidated revenue from Canada Post operations reached $7.3 Billion.
> Consolidated cost of operations totalled $6,955 million, a decrease of $639 million from the $7,594 million recorded in the previous year.
> The Canada Post Group spends approximately $3 Billion annually on goods and services, thereby supporting an additional 30,000 jobs in the Canadian economy.
> Canada Post recorded its 15th consecutive year of profitability despite sustaining one of the most challenging years in its history.
The Canada Post part of Canada Post's group of companies had record volumes with 11.6 billion pieces of mail. Total addressed volumes remained flat while transaction mail (formerly known as first class mail) declined by 7.2%.
Points of delivery in Canada increased to 14.5 million.
2011: For the 16th consecutive year, Canada Post is expected to make a profit greater than the previous year.
Conclusion: Publicly, Canada Post spokespeople are giving different figures, which the Canadian media are repeating without fact-checking...
STRIKE NEWS UPDATE:
"If a general strike is called, regular mail delivery will stop. However, 9,000 Canada Post employees have volunteered to continue processing welfare and other social-security cheques for those government departments that use the service.
"Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and Child Benefits cheques will be delivered on one day each month.
"Provincial governments are making separate arrangements for delivery of cheques and documents. For example, the Nova Scotia Pension Agency and the Quebec ministry of employment mailed cheques out early to avoid delays. The Government of Alberta will arrange for residents to collect documents at Service Alberta locations in the province.
"FedEx, UPS and other major courier deliveries to rural areas also could be affected because, in certain cases, Canada Post carries these documents and parcels for the last few kilometres of their journey."
Copyright© 2011 by Kathleen Falken. This Article may be freely copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and active links.
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