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NEWS RELEASE
about Labour posted on January 18, 2011
by dru
As Collective Agreement Comes to an End, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Calls for a Sharing of the Benefits
by CUPW
Vancouver, BC - With two weeks remaining before the current collective agreement between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) expires, the Union is calling on Canada Post to share the benefits from 15 years of profitability.
Since 1997, Canada post has recorded over $1.6 billion in net profits and retained over $1 billion of that after paying dividends to the federal government. This information is contrasted with Canada Post’s elimination of nearly 1250 jobs as part of its modernization process resulting in postal service cutbacks in most of our communities.
“The effects that job losses and service cutbacks have on our communities are enormous. In the Vancouver area letter carriers are being forced to work overtime on a more regular basis, and increasingly, Canada Post is holding back mail from delivery to combat staffing shortages they have created,” CUPW Vancouver Local President Robert Mulvin said.
CUPW believes that Canada Post has an obligation to maintain, improve and expand service across all communities in Canada while remaining public, affordable and environmentally responsible.
Also at issue is Canada Post’s demand for cutbacks to sick leave benefits. Canada Post has indicated that it plans to introduce the Short Term Disability plan (STD) to its employees, to be solely administered by Manulife Financial. According to Mulvin, the STD represents a controversial rollback, one that would have the effect of reducing the amount of wage loss protection for employees who have the misfortune of suffering from illness or non-compensable injury. The STD would also add additional strain to the limited resources of our medical community.
According to Mulvin, “The STD is an unacceptable attack on our negotiated benefits and an irresponsible attempt to offload Canada Post’s employment costs onto the federal EI program”.
“We urge members of the public to join us at the main branch of the Vancouver Public Library at 3:30 pm on Friday, January 21, 2011 to show that Canada Post belongs to all Canadians. This is your public post office,” Mulvin concluded.
For further information, please contact:
Robert Mulvin, President, CUPW Vancouver Local - Phone: 604-685-6581
John Bail, National Director, CUPW Pacific Region - Phone: 604-306-0688