"We want our packages too!" reads a sign worn by Niki Kenny as she and fellow Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) stand outside Salmon Arm's Canada Post office Friday morning.
Kenny was one of some 55,000 unionized Canada Post employees across the country who took to the picket lines Friday morning, Nov. 15, after their employer and the CUPW failed to reach a negotiated agreement.
The CUPW issued a 72-hour strike notice earlier in the week, saying it鈥檚 been asking for fair wages, safer working conditions and other improvements.
On the same morning, Canada Post issued a news release stating its operations would be shut down during the strike, "affecting millions of Canadians and businesses across the country."
"Customers will experience delays due to the strike activity," said Canada Post. "Mail and parcels will not be processed or delivered for the duration of the national strike, and some post offices will be closed. Service guarantees will be impacted for items already in the postal network. No new items will be accepted until the national disruption is over."
The sign worn by Kenny reflected a sentiment shared by her Salmon Arm peers 鈥� that they'd prefer to be working, serving the community they're a part of and, of course, receiving their mail.
"We're postal workers, but we鈥檙e members of the community as well," said Ellen Bowles, president of CUPW local A23 Salmon Arm-Revelstoke. "What it comes down to is, we want to do a service for Canadians, we want to continue to provide that service, for not just this generation but for generations moving forward as well."
Sharing a statement released that morning by the CUPW, Bowles explained the strike was initiated after a year of bargaining with "little progress."
"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," read Bowles, after being asked what CUPW is seeking in its negotiations.
"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. Postal workers are proud to serve their communities, and we want to do the job we love. A strike is a last resort. We still believe we can achieve negotiated collective agreements, but Canada Post must be willing to resolve our new and outstanding issues."
Continuing to read from the statement, Bowles said Canada Post aims to "gig-ify the workplace with part time, lower-wage work."
"Canada Post is pushing for us to agree to weaker pensions, not only for current members but for future generations as well. They also want to make it more difficult for postal workers who put health and bodies on the line daily in challenging working conditions to access the central benefits."
Asked about comments regarding Canada Post bleeding money as it competes with private retailers and services, Bowles noted Canada Post has long had the ability to deliver on the weekends, and the union has been consistently open to working with them, so long as it doesn't compromise or eliminate full-time weekday routes and that health and safety remains a top priority."
Bowles noted Canada Post's recent September 2023 opening of the $470 million Albert Jackson Processing Centre in Scarborough, Ont., and , calling these strategic investments that show "foresight for the future of Canada Post. She took issue with Canada Post claiming it's in a financial crisis, while "they continue to pay their upper management bonuses."
"The bosses that are working for the corporation are receiving bonuses on the backs of the workers while crying a financial crisis, and I think that鈥檚 an injustice and a false representation, quite frankly, because how can you be paying bosses bonuses while you鈥檙e going down the pipe鈥�?" said Bowles.
Canada Post said all mail and parcels in the postal network would be secured and delivered as quickly as possible.
Canada Post and CUPW agreed to continue the delivery of socio-economic cheques during any upcoming labour disruption, for eligible and participating government organizations.
"The agreement ensures government financial assistance delivered by mail will reach seniors and other Canadians who rely on it," said Canada Post.
