Striking postal workers in Niagara-on-the-Lake and across the country are no closer to getting back to work after talks between the union and the crown corporation resumed Dec 9.
In a public statement made just minutes after those negotiations concluded, Canada Post blamed the Canadian Union of Postal Workers for widening the gap between the sides and warned that an end to the work stoppage is nowhere in sight.
“We are conducting a full review of the offers for the Urban and RSMC (Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers) bargaining units and will share more information as soon as possible,” said a release from Canada Post media relations officer Lisa Liu.
“However, we don’t want to provide false hope to impacted employees, small businesses, charities and northern communities that were hoping for a speedy resolution,” she added.
Monday was the first day of talks since a federal mediator suspended negotiations two weeks ago. The strike began on Nov. 15.
LouAnne Binning is president of CUPW Local 614, the local union that represents workers in St. Catharines and NOTL, and says the issues on the table are things that every worker wants.
“Our key issues are still, you know, benefits and wages, pension security and weekend work,” she told The Lake Report.
“Canada Post for some reason believes that individuals just only want to work eight hours a week and only on a Saturday,” she added.
“I’m not sure where they’re getting this information from, but that’s not what we’re hearing.”
Adding weekend deliveries to the already five-day-a-week service is something Canada Post has stated wants to look into to help increase revenue.
Workers fear that would mean the mass hiring of part-time and precarious workers — people who do not qualify for benefits and pensions.
“We just want them to bargain fairly and not just come back with the same offers over and over again,” she said.
Canada Post says its financial situation is dire and needs to pull in the purse strings.
The corporation says it recorded a 2024 third-quarter loss of $315 million.
Other estimates are that it has lost over $3 billion since 2018.
This week, the corporation reiterated its financial situation.
“Canada Post is at a critical juncture in its history,” read the Dec. 9 statement.
“With financial pressures mounting and now accelerating with CUPW’s ongoing strike, our long-standing role as a vital, publicly owned national infrastructure for Canadians and Canadian businesses is under significant threat,” it added.
Binning said the idea that Canada Post is toeing the line is deceiving because it implies that Canada Post is in the game to make money.
“It’s not mandated to make a profit, even though it has in the past,” she said.
“So for them to all of a sudden start talking about all this money that they lost, but in fact, they didn’t lose any money.”
She believes hundreds of millions of dollars that were invested in a new plant in Scarborough, for example, are being added to the deficit and called a loss.
Santa’s reply letters are on their way
Young NOTL residents who sent Santa Claus letters this month via striking postal workers can expect return mail starting this weekend.
“We did get a notice from Santa,” said Binning.
“He is sending his reply letters to us by way of Rudolph and starting this weekend, we are going to make sure that all the children (who sent letters) get replies.”
Volunteer striking postal workers will serve as Santa’s helpers to deliver the mail in person to each house that sent a letter with a return address.
Youngsters can drop their letters to Santa at the NOTL Queen Street Postal Office, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
