The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is urging workers to reject Canada Post's latest contract offer, saying a government-imposed vote on the Crown corporation's "best and final" offer sets a dangerous precedent.
A strong no vote would not only reject the offer, but also protect the integrity of the bargaining process, union national president Jan Simpson wrote in a Thursday letter to members.
"If this vote passes, we give Canada Post the green light to steamroll workers now and in the future," she said.
"By saying yes, we tell them that it’s acceptable to ignore free and fair collective bargaining, dismiss our union’s democratic processes and structures and send a message to governments that it’s OK to trample over your rights as a worker."
Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board last month to step in and put the Crown corporation's latest offer to a vote, which is to begin next week.
Canada Post is at an impasse with the union representing roughly 55,000 postal service workers after more than a year and a half of talks.
"The reality is, the vote is only about one thing — it's about the best and final offers we put forward for both bargaining units, rural and urban," said Jon Hamilton, Canada Post's vice-president of communications and stakeholder engagement.
"This isn't about future rounds of negotiations. It is exercising a right after exhausting pretty much every option in the book to try and reach a negotiated agreement."
The offer would see wage hikes of almost 13.6 per cent over four years, but also add part-time workers Canada Post says are necessary to keep the postal service afloat.
"It's best and final because it's as far as we can go as a company," Hamilton said of the offer. "Our financial situation is well known. It is dire."
Canada Post has said it lost about $10 million a day from operations in June, more than double the daily average losses in the same month a year earlier. It said customers are avoiding the service and opting for other carriers because of the uncertainty.
Hamilton said the Crown corporation needs to make changes to provide seven-day-a-week delivery and compete with other carriers — and that includes adding part-timers.
"We'd still have a very high rate of full-time employment, which is important to the union and it's important to us."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
