Canada Post workers officially went on strike Friday after failing to reach an agreement with the Crown corporation.
As workers take to the picket lines, many Canadians may find themselves scrambling to handle holiday mail, online order returns and seeking alternative mail services.
“Some 55,000 postal workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) went on a nationwide strike on Friday, November 15 at 12:01am ET,” the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said in a statement on Friday morning.
Canada Post released a statement early Friday morning, warning that the strike will cause delays affecting millions of Canadians and businesses.
During the strike, mail and parcels will not be delivered, and some post offices will be closed. Canada Post added that shutting down facilities will impact its national network, and it may take time for mail processing and delivery to return to normal once the strike ends.
Here is everything to know about the strike.
What is the reason for the Canada Post strike?
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) described the decision to strike as a “difficult” one, made after more than a year of negotiations with the employer.
According to the union, its list of demands includes wage increases aligned with inflation, enhancements to group benefits — such as coverage for fertility treatments and gender-affirming care — improved protections against technological changes, more paid medical leave, paid meal and rest periods and higher short-term disability payments.
“Canada Post had the opportunity to prevent this strike, but it has refused to negotiate real solutions to the issues postal workers face every day. Instead, Canada Post left us no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members exposed to layoffs,” CUPW said in a statement.
“Our demands are reasonable: fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, and the expansion of services at the public post office.
In an email to Global News on Friday, a Canada Post spokesperson said it is “disappointed” with CUPW’s decision.
“Canada Post is at a critical juncture, losing $3 Billion since 2018 with losses continuing to mount. Even with that, Canada Post has continued to put forward offers that protect and enhance what’s important to our current employees. We’ve offered competitive wage increases (11.5% over 4 years) and additional paid leave, while protecting their defined benefit pension and job security provisions,” the spokesperson said.
“To help secure the future of the company and grow our parcel business, Canada Post has put forward proposals to offer seven-day-a-week parcel delivery, more competitive pricing and other important improvements. This new delivery model is essential for the future of the company, and critical to our ability to afford the offers.”
How does back-to-work legislation work?
Back-to-work legislation is one of the legal options governments have to end a work stoppage.
The labour minister has the option to refer a labour dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board and impose binding arbitration or adjudication as well as a back to work directive, or to use legislation.
“In rare instances, a strike or lockout may have such a significant impact on the public interest that back-to-work legislation or pre-emptive legislation is needed,” according to an Employment and Social Development Canada breakdown of the collective bargaining process options. “Back-to-work legislation or special legislation has always been seen as a last resort.”
The CIRB was most recently used when the federal labour minister ordered an end to work stoppages at Canada’s largest ports in British Columbia and Quebec on Tuesday, imposing “final and binding arbitration” on both parties and directing the board to work on settling the collective agreement.
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Canada Post is classified as an essential service, which allows the federal government to introduce legislation if it wants to in order to end a work stoppage. This measure has been used several times, including during the last two Canada Post strikes, in 2011 and 2018.
In 2011, a postal worker strike was followed by a two-week lockout imposed by Canada Post management. However, the Conservative government passed back-to-work legislation to end the disruption. Similarly, in 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government passed back-to-work legislation to resolve another Canada Post strike.
It’s not clear if the Liberal minority government will be able to impose back-to-work legislation as it did with the railway shutdown in August. As a minority government, it needs the support of at least one other party to pass any legislation.
Canada’s labour minister on Friday said the federal government is focused on getting an agreement at the bargaining table.
“I’m not looking at any other solution other than negotiation,” Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon told reporters in Montreal. “Right now, every day is a new day in collective bargaining and we are going to continue to support the parties in any way we can and make sure they are able to try and get a negotiated agreement.”
The New Democratic Party previously said it will not support a mandated end to the strike.
“There is not a scenario where we’ll be supporting back-to-work legislation,” said Matthew Green, the NDP’s labour critic.
Will packages that are already in transit still be delivered?
Mail and parcels will not be processed or delivered for the duration of the national strike, and some post offices will be closed, Canada Post said.
Service guarantees will be impacted for items already in the postal network.
No new items will be accepted until the national disruption is over.
Are post offices closed?
Some post offices are closed due to the strike.
For more information, visit the Canada Post website or call the store directly.
What about benefit cheques?
Canada Post and the union have agreed to continue delivering the next round of government benefit cheques, such as the Canada Child Benefit, old age security and the Canada Pension Plan, during the labour disruption.
Service Canada has urged Canadians to set up online accounts and direct deposits to receive their benefits without delays.
A poster at the Canada Post location on Sparks Street in Ottawa states that socio-economic cheques will be delivered on Nov. 20.
This includes:
- Canada Pension Plan
- Old Age Security
- Veterans Affairs Pension Plan
- Canada Child Tax Benefit
- Quebec Pension Plan
- Child Assistance
- Pension Cheques (from Alberta Seniors)
What about letters to Santa?
Each year, Canada Post participates in a letter-writing program to Santa. This year, the program runs annually from Nov. 1 through the end of January. According to Canada Post’s website, the deadline to receive your letter before Christmas day is Dec. 6.
Global News reached out to Canada Post to ask how the strike might impact letters to Santa but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
What about bank statements?
Several Canadian banks are urging customers to switch to online statements and e-banking to stay on top of their statements, bills and other banking communications.
For example, CIBC said customers are required to make regular payments and meet financial obligations on credit cards, loans and mortgages even if the postal disruption happens.
Other banks, including Bank of Montreal and Scotiabank have issued similar statements.
What are the affected areas?
The workers’ strike is currently affecting all Canada Post workers across the country.
It is unclear whether certain regions will be prioritized for essential mail delivery.
What are other methods of mail delivery to use?
If you need to send letters or mail, there are alternative delivery services available in Canada.
These include Purolator, FedEx, UPS, DHL and Canpar Express.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson from FedEx Canada said in anticipation that the circumstances at Canada Post may trigger an increase in demand for their services, “a comprehensive contingency plan is in place to manage volume demands.”
“We ask Canadians to plan ahead and understand that we may adjust some of our domestic services to accommodate,” James Anderson, a FedEx Canada spokesperson, told Global News in an emailed statement.
A UPS Canada spokesperson said: “As discussions continue between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), UPS remains dedicated and prepared to serve the needs of our customers.”
Purolator, which is owned by Canada Post, told Global News in an email Friday the company will not handle any packages post-marked or identified as originating from Canada Post.
An individual small business that ships directly with Purolator will still see their package delivered.
What about online orders, returns?
If you’re placing an online order, keep in mind that while Canada Post is used for some deliveries, many retailers such as Amazon also rely on their own delivery networks.
That includes Purolator, Intercom, FedEx and DHL, according to the Amazon website.
— with files from Global News’ Craig Lord and Saba Abiz and The Canadian Press