Article 33.13 of the Collective Agreement provides us with the right to refuse unsafe work. If a member honestly believes that their safety is at risk, or that the work they are doing may endanger someone else’s safety, they may exercise this right by stating to their supervisor, “I am exercising my right to refuse this work under Article 33.13 of the Collective Agreement”. A supervisor may not issue a direct order to perform unsafe work.

Continue reading “The Right to Refuse Unsafe Work”

The Vancouver local will be sending two Delegates to the 27th Constitutional Convention of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) held from Monday, May 5 to Friday, May 9 at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal, 201 avenue Viger Ouest, Montréal (Québec).

Continue reading “CUPW Vancouver to send two Delegates to the CLC Convention.”

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The supplementary award, dated February 24th, 2014 can be downloaded HERE.

“I hereby confirm that the continued use of the two bundle method constitutes a breach of the Employer’s statutory and contractual obligation to take all reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of its employees and direct that the two bundle delivery method be discontinued”

On the eve of Christmas Eve, glad tidings arrived in the form of an arbitration award for a temporary employee who was discharged from Canada Post on September 7, 2012. In his award dated December 23, 2013, Arbitrator Vince Ready set aside the Grievor’s discharge and reinstated her to her employment.

Canada Post discharged the Grievor on the basis of allegations that arose from her first assignment to a Letter Carrier route at the Richmond Delivery Center (RDC) and an incident which took place approximately one year later after she was assigned to a route at the North Burnaby Delivery Center (NBDC).

Continue reading “Glad Tidings: Arbitrator Reinstates Temporary Employee on the Eve of Christmas Eve”

On February 1st of this year we will be getting the fourth and final raise mandated by the back to work legislation, bill C-6. You will see your wages go up by 2%. Our Union dues will also be going up as they are tied to our wages. Article 7.06 of our National Constitution reads as follows:

7.06 In the case of the bargaining unit of Urban Postal Operations employees of Canada Post Corporation, the monthly union dues for all members and all employees subject to compulsory check-off of union dues shall be 300% of the maximum hourly rate for the lowest classification within the bargaining unit. However, the union dues shall not be less than 300% of the maximum hourly rate of a mail handler.

As of February 1, 2014 the maximum hourly rate for a PO 2 (the lowest paid classification) is $25.80. 300% of that is $77.40. The Vancouver Local assessment, unchanged since 1991, remains at $4.50. Your monthly dues deduction from February 2014 through the remainder of the current collective agreement will be $81.90. (There will be no wage increase in the final year of the agreement.)

Two Special Assessment Deductions Remain

The National Executive Board levied a special assessment of $10 per year for every year of its current four year mandate. The first two deductions were in August of 2012 and January of 2013. The two remaining deductions will be in July of this year and January of 2015.

In Solidarity,
Andy Henderson
Secretary-Treasurer