Postal workers continue job action with one-day London strike

Hundreds of postal workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), joined the picket line at the London Processing Plant on Highbury Ave. on Tuesday. This one-day action is part of a series of rotating strikes undertaken by CUPW across the region.

“We’re still here. We’re still fighting. This government, you have to fight them on everything. Their austerity measures and their layoffs, it’s the wrong time for people with millions of dollars to tell me I can’t afford food and rent,” said Sharon Samuels, Acting President of CUPW Local 566 in London.

Federal mediators are currently supporting talks between CUPW and Canada Post, who met on Monday to continue bargaining for a new collective agreement.  

On October 11, CUPW transitioned from a nation-wide strike to rotating strikes. This allows postal workers to collect pay while also disrupting Canada Post’s operations. Rotating strikes allow postal workers to collect pay while disrupting Canada Post’s operations; however, as strike locations, dates, and times are not announced in advance, this strategy has fostered some uncertainty among workers. Rotating strikes require robust local union communications networks to rapidly inform workers of strike action.

“Our decision to move to rotating strikes also reflects our commitment to the public, charities, businesses, and our members. Rotating strikes may slightly delay the mail and parcels, but they keep them moving,” said CUPW in a statement. “They also reduce hardship on postal workers, while maintaining pressure on Canada Post and the Government to get back to bargaining.”

Ontario CUPW announced it would join Quebec workers in refusing to deliver flyer mail as part of ongoing job action on non-picket line days.

“I’m really proud of the people who come out to support. I have 25 years into this company and I’m not giving up,” added Samuels.

Disappointment with “Anti-union” Federal Government

“We voted to have a new Prime Minister, and he has definitely decided that he in anti-union. He’s one hundred per cent pro-business and he’s out here to make corporations richer. It’s so transparent now,” said Samuels.

Collective agreements expired for urban and rural and suburban mail carriers nearly two years ago. When the units undertook strike action last December, the federal government exercised the authority to break the strike under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.

CUPW filed a constitutional challenge over the federal government’s use of the legislation but lost in a 2-1 decision by the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) in October. The CIRB is a quasi-judicial administrative tribunal that functions to adjudicate federal industrial relations disputes. CUPW has filed for a judicial review of the decision, a lengthy process wherein the Federal courts will evaluate the CIRB decision, and uphold or strike it down.

Section 107 was added to the Canada Labour Code in 1984 under Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulrooney to assist with maintaining “industrial peace”. However, it was rarely used until recently. Since June 2024, it has been invoked eight times by the Liberal federal government to end strikes and lockouts: blocking strike action by WestJet mechanics, CUPW, longshoremen strikes at Montreal and Vancouver ports, and at CN and CP railways. In September, Air Canada flight attendants defied the Section 107 order and held an “illegal” strike to force their Employer to continue to bargain.

Since the invocation of Section 107 to end CUPW’s December 2024 nation-wide strike, the federal government announced changes to Canada Post’s universal service obligation. This change allows them to end door-to-door mail delivery and closures of rural post offices.  

“It’s the Carney carnage. He’s so hypocritical and false when he ran on a platform of being pro-worker. The truth about him is that he’s vicious and anti-union and totally on the side of corporations and billionaires,” said Patti Dalton, President of the London and District Labour Council.

Canada Post “has tried to break the union”

“Postal workers are standing up for the rights of all workers across Canada. The Employer has tried to break the union, but it has continued to stand strong,” added Dalton.

After 16 years, the London Processing Plant is eliminating work sections, which previously had manual sorting, final sorting, packages, letter mail, and parcels, as distinct work assignments for CUPW members.

“We don’t have any choice or say in where we’ll work going forward,” said Tarish Roy, CUPW 566 Grievance Officer.

Roy explained that Hamilton and Kitchener preceded changes in London to a regional program for mid-sized plants. He sees this raising considerable issues with accommodations as well as health and safety. Canada Post also announced they will eliminate weekend work in London.

“At the end of the day, this isn’t just affecting members. It will affect the public and Canadians in how they receive mail,” added Roy. “There are a lot of seniors and people with disabilities in this country that will have to travel to get their mail.”

“The postal service is a critical public service, retaining all post offices and expanding them as well. I think if the Employer had listened to the union ten years ago, they had many specific plans that would have meant the ongoing viability of the postal service,” added Dalton.  “It’s very clear that companies like Amazon and Purolator want to gain more profit through the cancellation or gigification model that they are trying to drive CUPW members into.”