Over 55,000 Canada Post workers now on strike and here’s how it’ll affect you

Canada Post employees are officially on strike after failed negotiations between the postal workers and the Crown corporation.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says over 55,000 employees began a nationwide strike on Friday at 12:01 am ET.

“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,” reads a statement from the union.

“Instead, Canada Post left us no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members exposed to layoffs.”

Some of the employee demands include wage increases in line with inflation, the inclusion of cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) in the basic wage rate, an increase in short-term disability payments, an additional 10 days of paid medical leave, improved group benefit plans, paid meal and rest periods for employees working five hours or more, job protection against technological change, improved staffing, better rights for temporary employees, and work cessation for pregnant and breastfeeding employees.

Canada Post said it’s disappointed with the CUPW’s decision to shut down the postal service.

In a statement on Friday, the employer said it’s at a “critical juncture,” losing $3 billion since 2018 with losses continuing to mount.

“Even with that, Canada Post has continued to put forward offers that protect and enhance what’s important to our current employees,” reads the statement.

“We’ve offered competitive wage increases (11.5 per cent over four years) and additional paid leave, while protecting their defined benefit pension and job security provisions.”

The postal service said it’s still committed to remaining at the table to negotiate new collective agreements.

How the Canada Post workers strike will affect Canadians

According to the Crown corporation, customers should expect delays.

“This decision will have a significant and immediate impact on millions of Canadians, small businesses and charities who count on Canada Post during the busy holiday season,” it stated.

“As well, a national strike by CUPW means service to remote and Northern regions that rely on Canada Post is shut down.”

Mail and parcels will not be processed or delivered for the duration of the national strike, and some post offices will be closed.

Additionally, service guarantees will be impacted for items already in the postal network and no new items will be accepted until the strike is over.

Once operations resume, the postal service says all mail and parcels in the postal network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible on a first-in, first-out basis.

It said that services may take time to fully return to normal, no matter the length of the disruption.

This comes after postal workers issued a 72-hour strike notice earlier this week.