1) Canada Post union files labour practices complaint

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Canadian Press Staff, June , 2025

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has filed an unfair labour practice complaint against Canada Post related to ongoing contract bargaining.

The union alleges in the complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board that the Crown corporation is bargaining directly with members, interfering with the union’s exclusive bargaining rights and trying to discredit the union’s reputation, all allegations that Canada Post has denied.

Among the union’s main concerns are that Canada Post has pointed members to a website that provides updates on negotiations, and is updating offers based on online feedback, in what the union says is an effort to bypass its intermediary role. 

The union alleges that the website also uses alarmist wording and misinformation to call into question the reputation of the union and intimidate and coerce union members.

“The union is asking the CIRB to order Canada Post to stop this interference, level the playing field by giving the union opportunity to rebut the employer’s misinformation on their platforms and order damages to the union and members,” said lead negotiator Lana Smidt in a bulletin.

The corporation rejections the allegations in their entirety, said spokeswoman Lisa Liu.

“Canada Post places a great importance on keeping employees informed, especially on something as important to them as the collective bargaining process.”

She said in the statement that employers are allowed to express views and communicate with employees during collective bargaining. 

“Canada Post has exercised this right responsibly, delivering accurate, neutral, and factual information. Employees have a right to understand what is being proposed.”

She said the postal service has at no time negotiated directly with employees and remains fully committed to concluding collective agreements through the proper channels.

The union also raised concerns with how Canada Post has released information, including how quickly the corporation has released information publicly after providing it to the union.

Canada Post and the roughly 55,000-member CUPW have been working to reach a deal for some 18 months.

On Wednesday, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu called on Canada Post and the union to return to the bargaining table and hash out terms for binding arbitration as well as continue to try to reach a negotiated settlement. 

2) (Updated) Jobs minister presses Canada Post, workers to reach a deal

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Christopher Reynolds, June 4, 2025.

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu on Wednesday called on Canada Post and the union representing 55,000 postal workers to return to the bargaining table and hash out terms for binding arbitration, with the two sides still far apart on key issues.

In a social media statement Wednesday, the minister also asked the Crown corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to continue to work toward a deal outside of that process.

Binding arbitration, where a third party decides the terms of the collective agreement, is “not the preferred path,” she said, but suggested the stage would be set for an imposed settlement if the two sides could not find common ground themselves.

“Canadians expect the parties to resolve this dispute one way or another. To do that they must meet and pursue these two paths with urgency,” Hajdu said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Federal mediators are standing by to help, she added.

Canada Post said Wednesday it is ready to go back to the table to negotiate a new collective agreement.

“After 18 months at an impasse, all options must be considered to address these critical priorities, including an employee directed vote,” said spokeswoman Lisa Liu in an emailed statement Wednesday.

Canada Post asked the minister last week to force a union vote on its “final offers.” The union came back by proposing binding arbitration.

Each side rejected the other’s suggestion: Union president Jan Simpson decried any compelled vote as a “government attack on our rights to free collective bargaining;” Canada Post warned that arbitration would be “long and complicated” — more than a year, it claimed — adding to its financial problems.

The minister made no mention Wednesday of a vote, after saying last week she was “reviewing” Canada Post’s request.

Hajdu’s two-pronged approach — ushering the parties toward possible arbitration as well as a voluntary deal — may be an attempt to pry an agreement out of them by using the stick of intervention.

“Knowing that the minister is saying that intervention may be coming, will they be able to negotiate something and take it out of the hands of an arbitrator that potentially could give everything to one side or the other?” asked Stephanie Ross, an associate professor in the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University, stressing that “arbitration is always a bit risky.”

And if not, will the two sides will even be able hammer out terms for arbitration — to agree on what issues an arbitrator would rule on — she wondered.

“This is just another level of the impasse.”

On Tuesday, the union said the minister had laid down a next-day deadline to respond to the employer’s latest offers, which include an end to compulsory overtime and a signing bonus of up to $1,000, among other concessions.

But management stuck to its proposal for a 14 per cent cumulative wage hike over four years, a “dynamic routing” pilot that could see mail carriers’ routes change daily in response to parcel volume, and part-time staff on weekend shifts — a major sticking point in the talks.

Meanwhile, the Crown corporation’s income statement continues to bleed.

It reported nearly $1.3 billion in operating losses last year, raising further questions about its business model as letter volumes plunge and fears of a second disruption in six months persist.

The union again adopted a legal strike position starting May 23, but it has opted instead to ban members from working overtime while negotiations continued.

The 32-day work stoppage in November and December halted millions of letters and packages in the peak shipping season ahead of the winter holidays last year.

Canada Post says parcel volumes are down 65 per cent from the same time last year due to uncertainty over the contract negotiations.

Typically, unions seek negotiated deals rather than arbitration, Ross noted. But in this case, postal workers may see the latter as a gambit to avoid overhauls to an organization in crisis — particularly after a commissioner’s report recommended major reforms to the 158-year-old institution.

“Arbitrators tend to be reluctant to make big structural changes to the employment relationship, because it’s much more preferable that the parties agree,” Ross said.

“The union feels this would be a good way to defend their current employment structure and defend against the rollout of part-time on the weekends.

3) Canada Post asks jobs minister to force union to vote on ‘final offers’

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Canadian Press Staff, May 31, 2025

Canada Post says it has asked Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu to force a union membership vote on the proposals the Crown corporation put forward earlier this week. 

Canada Post presented its “final offers” to the union representing 55,000 workers on Wednesday, with concessions including an end to compulsory overtime and a signing bonus of up to $1,000.

But it stuck to a proposal for a 14 per cent cumulative wage hike over four years and part-time staff on weekend shifts – a major sticking point in the talks.

Canada Post said in a statement Friday that the parties are at an impasse and it believes the best hope of reaching a new collective agreement is a vote administered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

“Despite months of conciliation and mediation, the parties remain unable to reach new agreements at the table,” it said. 

The Crown corporation said this week it logged nearly $1.3 billion in operating losses last year, raising further questions about its business model as letter volumes plunge and fears of a second strike in six months persist.

Hajdu said in a statement that she and Secretary of State John Zerucelli met with Canada Post and union officials on Friday. 

“A strong postal service is vital to a united Canadian economy and to the many Canadians and businesses that depend on it,” she said. 

“I urged both parties to continue working together to find an agreement that works for both parties and maintains a strong and lasting postal industry.”

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said it shared its thoughts and concerns about negotiations and Canada Post’s recent offers during the meeting.

“We were assured that the minister would continue to play an intermediary role in the bargaining process but will not intervene at this time,” it said in an update.

Union officials say rallies are planned across the country on Saturday.