The president of the union representing around 250 Canada Post employees in Greater Sudbury and the surrounding region mentioned that “if the doors are locked, we walk”.
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The dispute revolves, in part, around such issues as potential changes to pension plans for new employees, the future of door-to-door mail delivery and differences in the way rural and urban postal workers are compensated.
The two sides in the labour dispute appeared no closer to a resolution Thursday, with the union rejecting a federal proposal for binding arbitration and Canada Post extending its lockout notice from Friday morning to Monday at 12:01 a.m. ET. The suburban and rural workers now earn on average nearly 30 per cent less than their mostly male counterparts in the larger urban unit, according to CUPW.
Canadians could lose nearly all of Canada Post’s services when corporation suspends the collective agreement.
“We appreciate the offer to help, but paying women equally for work of equal value is the law of the land; it’s not something that can be awarded or withheld by an arbitrator”, Palecek said in a prepared statement. According to the Crown Corporation, it is maintaining the current pension regime for new hires would cost around $1 billion.
Canada Post says a 72-hour notice delivered to the union on Tuesday does not necessarily mean it will shut down on Friday, and CUPW has vowed to not go on strike and stay at the bargaining table – but no talks are scheduled.
But the threat of that work stoppage has been delayed – at least until Monday.
If there is no movement on the pay issue, Legacy said he and others are willing take the fight to the Canadian Human Rights Commission or the courts to force Canada Post to increase their wages, and possibly get back pay for former carriers.
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The union wants a pay increase for its rural, mostly female carriers, who earn 28 per cent less than their urban, mostly male, counterparts to address what CUPW sees as a pay equity issue.
