#cupw

Today, the CUPW (Canadian Union of Postal Workers) went on strike after Canada Post failed to negotiate

If you’re Canadian, there’s a petition you can sign

You can learn more about the situation/show your support here

An exceedingly brief overview on Canada Post between 2009 and 2024.

Obvious disclosure: there are very likely some things that have been left off. While not intentional, I did want to try and keep these graphics short and easy to digest. This is meant to focus on the employees, their working conditions, and the failings surrounding their battle for living wages, safe working conditions, and job security.

Now don't be mistaken, there are good things coming out of Canada Post such as their efforts to reduce emissions. There are also very valid complaints, such as postage thefts and data security breaches. I'm not here to pretend those pros and cons don't exist.

If you have a Conservative or Liberal friend or family member who's acting especially cranky about the postal strikes this holiday season, maybe show them the voting results on the very bills (Bill C-6 and Bill C-89) that led to these strikes to begin with.

Hello, Canadian customers!

Canada Post workers are on strike. I learned about this from my shipping client, PirateShip, whose chatbot cheerfully suggested just using UPS instead.

I don't cross picket lines.

Folks in Canada: if you would like to buy a holiday gift from Shapeshifters, may we suggest a gift card? Your recipient can craft their own custom chest binder from us and receive it in the new year, after CUPW has resumed service.

First, let's look at what started all this.

Canada Post Corporation (from now on I'll be using CPC for this entiry) has been negotiating with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) since just BEFORE their contract came up for renewal. This is common practice in unionized workplaces because the union DOES NOT WANT to strike. They would rather resolve things BEFORE the bargain has expired so there are no interruptions to service and everyone is happy.

This began much earlier than when most publications state it did. Most places have the timeline for the strike beginning on November 12th 2024. This is very much so a calculated move on the CPCs side because it makes it seem like the union is greedy and just went ahead and went on strike just to spite you and all the small businesses that rely on their services. In fact, you can find this information on Canada Post's own website where it has an article dated from November 9th of 2023.

Negotiations had been underway for over a year before CUPW made the decision to strike. They had been having nothing but problems negotiating with CPC because CPC knows that the Federal government will force CUPW back to work and end the strike. CUPW cannot get CPC to negotiate in good faith because of this, and this is proven to be the case once more on December 17th Chen mail delivery resumes as normal following the government's mandate.

CUPW puts out a handful of comments about how this is bad and the CPC will continue to not talk about what the workers truly deserve because they're "losing money" and need to make cuts. CUPW does not highlight the fact that CPC CEOs and higher ups seem to consistently be getting bonuses in their media communications, and instead they focus on the fact that undermining the union creates a fight to the bottom across the board for all unions. They're absolutely correct. However, there's also a lot to be said about the CPC model where parcels are concerned and the MANY reasons why CPC holds such a small stake in the greater parcel delivery model as a whole.

Work continues throughout the year to try and get CPC and CUPW back to the bargaining table. CPC demands that a federal entity called the Industrial Inquiry Commission creates a report on the business as a whole and makes recommendations to CPC. These recommendations are used by CPC to attempt to undermine the union and try to fill spaces with part time workers, slowly but surely phasing out pensioned positions with part time options and refusing the need for overtime by utilizing the same shady techniques that most retail employers do. This is not outright said, but you are not thinking correctly if that's not the conclusion you can make of it all. There is no other logical reason to cut back full time employees if not to do exactly this. The race to the bottom begins.

On May 19th, 4 days prior to the legally mandated period that CUPW is not allowed to strike ends, the union serves notice that it will be returning to it's strike by banning overtime on the 23rd of May. In response to this, CPC waits until May 21st as close to the end of the day as absolutely possible, to serve CUPW a new global offer. The timing of this is deliberately meant to ensure the union has zero time to review the offer that day. This is also deliberately designed by CPC to paint CUPW as the bad guys. "We gave you an offer, how dare you still go on strike? Aren't we so generous? Why can't you be the same?" It's seen for exactly what it is by CUPW who takes their time to review this new offer and the strike goes into effect on May 23rd. It is also worth noting that the offer provided by CPC were over 700 pages long. The union proposed a 2 week truce during the time they would need to review these new offers and CPC refused. Postal workers were now operating under uncertainty as they could be locked out by CPC at any time due to being on a legal strike.

Until May 28th when CPC finally returns to the bargaining table and provides their "best and final offer" to the union. CPC claims they have changed the bargain recieved on the 21st, but they have not. On May 30th, CPC decides to demand the government to force CUPW members to vote on an ultimatum they try to push with their "best and final offer." CPC refused to return to the bargaining table despite being requested to buy CUPW multiple times until June 12th 2025 when the Minister of Jobs and Families gives CPC what they want and orders a vote. For the entire month of June there's nothing but confusion and chaos about how the voting process will work for CUPW members. CPC does not provide information and keeps things as vague as possible. The union also files an official complaint about the unfair practice of the forced vote and is shut down by the newly appointed Liberal government (because, yes, we had a federal election during this strike too).

Finally, there is a statement that says that voting is starting on July 21st. All throughout the voting duration CPC plays tricks on the CUPW members by posting to their social media accounts who GREAT their offers are and how you should be excited to vote YES to them! They portray them are exactly what "the average worker wants" and more. Those posts are available to anyone on their Facebook accounts. More PR work from CPC to turn the public against CUPW and undermine their work.

On August 1st, the CUPW members successfully sent a resounding NO to CPC on it's nonsense offers and it's forced vote. Negotiations are attempted by the union until way further down the line on August 27th when they finally return to the table only to demand the union make concessions. Despite CPC offering steep discounts to Purolator as a direct method of undermining CPCs own position in the market. Negotiations continue to stall as CPC refuses to budge from it's rejected previous offer.

On September 12th, CUPW announced a new escalation to their strike activities with a nationwide flyer ban set to begin on September 15th 2025. This went ahead and cut off retailers from their consumers, dragging them into the fray in hopes of getting CPC to actually take them seriously.

On September 25th, a government official made a statement to the public regarding new mandates for Canada Post that includes massive cuts and huge service impacts. This includes the creation of a TON more community mailboxes, further reducing door to door delivery, reduction of service days, more frequent pricing increases on stamps, and the forced implementation of those part time jobs from earlier. The government has effectively sought to further undermine the union. As an aside, I work pricing and boy I can't wait for stamps to be changing price daily like the dozens of other products in our store /s

In response to this absolute attack on our postal service, CUPW went on an immediate nationwide strike, shutting down all services and beginning to picket.

CUPW welcomes developments in Palestine where international pressure has resulted in an unconditional ceasefire after 11 days of relentless attacks on Palestinians by Israel.

The disproportionate use of modern weaponry against the citizens of Gaza is ongoing state terrorism directed at the people of Palestine. The whole world watched as air strikes and guided missiles destroyed buildings, homes, and medical facilities.

The Israeli state continues to provoke, kill, jail, and remove Palestinians from their traditional lands. Palestinian citizens within Israel do not have equal rights. Israel deployed police at the sacred Al- Aqsa Mosque compound – the third holiest site of Islam—with rubber bullets and stun grenades.  Israel remains in violation of international law and the United Nations has declared that expulsions from homes could constitute a war crime.

The leaders of this violence have now agreed to a ceasefire. It is time for the Canadian government to stop celebrating “common values” with Israel and condemn the land theft, jailing and killing of children, targeting of medical facilities, and much more that has occurred for generations. Canada must not remain a complicit accessory to these crimes. Since destructive modern weapons were unleashed against civilians on a mass scale, Canada must ban arms sales to this rogue state immediately. War crimes must be investigated.

CUPW remains committed to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign and stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people, whose right to exist in peace and dignity is inalienable. All residents of the region, Muslim, Jew, Christian or other, deserve this. We continue to watch developments and call on Israel to respect the ceasefire.