Union says Canada Post ‘hellbent’ on dispute

50,000 workers set to hold strike votes as Sept. 4 deadline looms

OTTAWA— The president of Canada Post’s biggest workers’ union says the Crown corporation is spoiling for a labour fight as more than 50,000 employees prepare for a summertime strike-vote amidst ongoing talks. Mike Palecek, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, accused Canada Post management of stubbornness at the bargaining table, where talks for a new employees’ contract that began in late 2017 have accomplished “virtually nothing.”

Negotiations entered a new stage this week, as third-party conciliators were brought in to help hammer out an agreement before a Sept. 9 deadline. If no deal is reached by then, a strike or lockout will be possible by late September.

“So far we’ve been met with an absolute refusal to move on any substantial issue from the corporation,” Palecek told the Star. “They seem hellbent on driving us towards a labour dispute.”

Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton said Thursday that the company would not comment on the situation in an interview, but provided an emailed statement that described the conciliation process as a normal part of labour talks.

“Canada Post negotiators are working hard to find common ground with CUPW and believe a quick resolution to negotiations is in the best interest of customers and employees,” the statement said.

Palecek said the union wants to resolve a number of problems for the two workers’ units involved in the talks: the 42,000 workers in urban operations and 8,000 rural and suburban mail carriers that together make up more than three-quarters of Canada Post’s workforce.

A major sticking point is over pay equity between these units. Sixty-five per cent of the rural and suburban unit is women, but the average pay of those workers is 30 per cent lower than those in urban operations, even though they do “the exact same work,” Palecek said.

In a ruling released May 31, arbitrator Maureen Flynn criticized Canada Post’s pay discrepancies as “fundamentally flawed” and ordered the two sides to settle the issue by the end of August.

“This was a major issue in our last round of negotiation, and we have a government that says they want to make pay equity a priority,” Palecek said. “We haven’t seen that yet.” Other issues on the table involved forced overtime and union demands to bring social issues into the workers’ contract with the company. For example, Palecek said the union wants Canada Post to convert its fleet of vehicles to electric, and set up postal banking.

“We don’t have to be here. We’ve come to the table in good faith,” he said.