Friday May 23, 2025 | NATIONAL NEWS -Reporting from VICTORIA, BC [Posted 5:43 am PT | Updated 11:18 am PT May 23, 2025 | 2:12 pm PT May 25, 2025]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Canada Post mail service continues past an expected postal strike date.
But the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has launched a nationwide overtime ban for employees.
This is a legal strike action whereby CUPW-represented employees won’t work overtime was effective May 23 at 12:00 am local time.
Workers may work up to eight hours a day to a maximum of 40 hours a week.
“It’s unclear how CUPW’s strike action may evolve. At this time, there are no rotating strikes or national work stoppage,” said Canada Post Corporation in a message to their business customers.
“The Corporation will keep Canadians and businesses informed if strike activity escalates and there are changes to postal operations,” it was stated by Canada Post.
Customer confidence:
Canada Post will continue operating, but the corporation advises warn that customers may experience service delays.
All this sort of back-and-forth would not be good for any business but for the Canada Post Corporation it is yet another blow to the sense of confidence that Canadian individuals and businesses might have in the nation-wide delivery service.
The union going to an overtime ban instead of a full-on strike might be seen as a conscientious recognition by the union as to the wear-and-tear that their union demands and potential strike action have been having on the overall well-being of the corporation that provides their livelihood.
Overtime paid to full-time employees likely costs more for Canada Post than would part-time employees.
Strike action still possible:
“It’s unclear how CUPW’s strike action may evolve. At this time, there are no rotating strikes or national work stoppage. The Corporation will keep Canadians and businesses informed if strike activity escalates and there are changes to postal operations,” said Canada Post in a news release.
Earlier this week, CUPW a issued strike notice that it intended to begin strike activity as of this morning unless the parties reached agreements before then.
Job security:
Obviously CUPW is aiming to protect the jobs of its unionized members. But the level of assuredness of lifelong ironclad protection by their employer (full job security and guaranteed pension) is a luxury that few other people have in this day and age.
Utilizing part-time weekend workers could help Canada Post compete in the delivery service sector but the workers union still resists, seeing part-time arrangements as a threat to their job security.
As it presently stands, a job with Canada Post is a job for life.
CUPW members are clearly hoping to retain their current working lifestyle (something that evolved over 50 years ago), but to have jobs at all they may wish to look for ways to move forward with more flexibility as to the Canada Post business model.
===== RELATED:
- Canada Post’s new offer to postal workers union could avert strike (May 21, 2025)
- Canada Post workers strike set to begin on May 23 (May 20, 2025)
- Canada Post needs revamp but commissioner’s recommendations fall short (May 19, 2025)
- Canada Post pauses negotiations before possible postal worker strike (May 14, 2025)
- Carney combines experience and new ideas in first full cabinet (May 13, 2025)
- Breakdown of Canada Post mediated talks with postal workers (March 2, 2025)
- Canada Post parcel invoice system upgrade (February 13, 2025)
- Quietly stabilizing Canada Post with a $1.034 billion loan (January 24, 2025)
- Jan 13: Canada Post letter mail & parcel prices up (January 14, 2025)
- Canada Post domestic parcel service now fully restored (January 7, 2025)
- Canada Post service resumes Dec 17 with workers back on the job (December 17, 2024)
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