Fire all the postal workers

Editor:

It’s deja vu as the Canada Union of Postal Workers, one again, hold the nation hostage by encouraging a strike during the holiday season in an attempt to extort even more money for their overpaid members.

It is such a familiar tactic in Canada that the public barely raises an eyebrow in response, because we have seen it so many times before.

I have a particular distaste for Canada Post, who can no longer afford to perform their primary objective of delivering mail to customer’s houses on time and at an affordable price.

They conned us into accepting community mail boxes, stating that this would eliminate their Ànancial woes. You will remember what a Àasco the insecure mailboxes were and how they have been replaced across the nation with supposedly better designed boxes. Never a mention as to how people who are incapable of walking any distance should deal with the inconvenience of not having mail delivered to the door.

I have occasions where I am forced to use this stateowned monopoly to communicate with Britain and I am amazed that every time I try to use the “service” (and I use the word loosely), I end up saying to the person behind the desk “why am I not surprised.”

If I want to mail a small parcel, which is relatively heavy, I am informed that it goes by weight.

If, on the other hand, I wanted to mail a feather pillow to the U.K. (and I don’t know why I would) I would be informed that that parcel postage is based on size and not weight. Huh! “Why is that” and “why am I not surprised.” As I watch television news every evening, reminding me of the current postal workers strike action, I sit fuming in my chair and say to myself “Àre them all.”

I remember in 1981 when then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan suffering from the same frustration with the Professional Air TrafÀc Controllers Organization did just that and declared publicly that all American air trafÀc controllers were thereby Àred.

Why do I correlate Reagan’s action to the latest threat presented by the CUPW members? Because there would be minimal repercussions to the head of Canada Post if he was to do us all a favour and Àre every last postal worker tomorrow with a suggested overriding offer that they could all reapply for their existing positions as non-union members for, perhaps, 80 per cent of their current salaries.

The 20 per cent reduction would probably be unimportant once the workers no longer have to pay union dues, pensions and holiday pay, etc.

This is the only way that the Canadian public can regain control of this essential, and historic, Canadian institution.

Let us all publicly encourage Carla Qualtrough, minister responsible for Canada Post, to follow Reagan’s example and Àx Canada Post’s inherent woes once and for all. No more strikes when we need the service the most. David A. Simmons, West Kelowna