Why CUPW Celebrates Gay Pride
An Invitation to Celebrate & Join in LGBT Pride Events
& to march with us in the
VANCOUVER PRIDE PARADE!
Recently I have been asked by a few co-workers; “Why does the union take the time to participate in human rights & events like Gay Pride when we have to focus on our working conditions & our own problems on the work floor?” I can understand where these 
folks are coming from when there are issues facing us like CPC National directives that result in major staffing cuts & policies that make no sense to us & result in a loss of service to the public, delay of mail, health & safety risks & violations of the Collective Agreements are running rampant.
However, in the best of times, let alone in the kind of economic & environmental crisis the world is facing, this is not the time to abandon or lessen our commitment to ensuring that the folks on the margins of our society do not fall further through the cracks. Continue reading “Why CUPW Celebrates Gay Pride”
Summer is upon us and we are being reminded by our employer to watch for dogs, wear sunscreen and drink lots of water, as Canada Post is concerned for our health and safety. These are all good recommendations to be sure, and we are confident that CUPW members are knowledgeable and intelligent, and possess the good judgement to employ these common sense measures to ensure their optimal health, safety, and well-being.
months corporate suits have been making the rounds of various stations and plants across Canada talking to our members about how “we” need to keep the company strong. They are saying things like “revenues were more than 500 million dollars below plan last year”. What they conveniently have not been saying is that the Corporation celebrated its 15th straight year of profitability last year. A record profit in fact, to the tune of 319 million dollars. CPC also managed to scrape together 379 million dollars to spend on new equipment and buildings in 2009, with another 528 million dollars planned for 2010. The Corporation is also talking about borrowing massive amounts of money, up to 2.5 billion dollars, in order to finance its ambitious modern post initiatives in hopes of achieving 250 million dollars in annual efficiencies.
Decades ago, the Letter Carriers’ Union of Canada negotiated language that required Canada Post to cover the absences of Letter Carriers and Mail Service Couriers. That language not only promoted the integrity of Canada Post’s mail service but ensured that the incumbent of an unstaffed route would not be left in an overburdening situation upon his or her return from leave. 
On Monday, May 31, a letter carrier from the Capilano Delivery Centre discovered a powdery yellow substance coating some of the mail while emptying it from a street letter box. It was initially assumed to be a benign substance. The letter carrier became suspicious shortly afterward, however, when a rash developed in the area of contact with the substance. As the mail had already been collected, it was brought back to the Capilano Delivery Centre, and a supervisor was promptly informed.