The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have sent a counter offer to Canada Post and say any strike action won’t happen before July 6.
Some of the highlights of the proposed offer from the union are:
Collective agreements will expire December 31, 2019.
Urban workers
A new wage grid with lowest paid employees to receive 85% of highest wage rate (currently 75%).
All employees to receive wage increases of $0.78, $0.53, $0.55 and $0.56. This amounts to 3%, 2%, 2% and 2% of the Postal Clerk/Letter Carrier maximum wage rate.
Temporary employees pay in lieu of benefits to rise to 6% from 4%.
Rural Workers
RSMCs to be paid an hourly rate and paid for all hours worked.
All regular hours to be pensionable.
RSMCs to receive the same wages as letter carriers with increases of 3%, 2%, 2% and 2%. Maximum rate effective January 1, 2016 is $26.73 per hour.
Both agreements
New employees to receive defined benefit pension and the same job security, vacation leave, pre-retirement leave and post-retirement health benefits as other employees.
Provide the “top up” for all weeks of parental leave and adoption leave.
Provides a model for seven (7) day parcel delivery operation including weekends, mornings and evenings. Includes a new job title and job description for Part-Time Delivery Relief Employee.
Changes to the sizes and weights of householder mail. Increase in the time allowances. Changes in the per-piece payments, including increases and decreases.
Both the union and Canada Post say the number one issue in negotiations are changes to employee pension plans.
The last postal strike in Canada was in 2011. At that time a series of rotating strikes happened across the country for 10 days before the federal government legislated them back to work.
Canada post contacted its large volume customers in early June and warned them of possible mail disruptions. Many companies and governments, including Manitoba have made arrangements to continue to deliver services in alternate forms during a labour dispute.
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