Thursday December 12, 2024 | LANGFORD, BC [Posted at 2:19 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
It’s cold weather but the strike carries on.
Canadian Postal Workers Union (CUPW) employees were on the picket link in front of the main postal station on Station Avenue in Langford today, as they have been Monday to Friday since November 15.
There are about 500 CUPW personnel in Greater Victoria as connected with three main depots, i.e. Glanford, downtown Victoria, Langford.
On the picket line, workers are there as a team in four-hour shifts, 8 am to 12 noon, and 12 noon to 4 pm.
They are staying warm with small pit fires under tents and by walking along the side of the roadway.
Walking on the picket line also provides visibility, says letter carrier Mark Bendall who is co-captain of the Langford picket lines. People will stop by to chat with the striking workers and drivers passing by will honk their horns.
Postal strike impact:
Postal workers have been on strike since November 15, making it now 28 days that Canadian individuals, families and businesses have been impacted — to varying degrees — by the full interruption of postal services.
Notably the delivery of holiday season parcels is noticed by Canadians and businesses that rely on shipping of their sold products. But there is also the tying up of important documents that are postal mailed, such as passports, cheques, and banking documents.
Two sides still far apart:
The employer (Canada Post) and the employee union (CUPW) have not achieved enough common ground yet to be close to a final agreement. In fact, about two weeks ago the mediator was pulled off the job.
Canada Post as a corporation may not have yet looked far enough ahead in ways that would modernize and make more efficient their operations and larger business model.
CUPW employees want a wage that they feel compensates them fairly.
===== RELATED:
- Latest CUPW offer takes major steps backwards says Canada Post (December 10, 2024)
- Canada Post issues a ‘framework’ hoping to reignite talks (December 1, 2024)
- Canada Post worker strike highlights corporate slack (November 30, 2024)
- Peninsula Co-op rebate cheques delayed by postal strike (November 30, 2024)
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