CUPW members pitch in to bring gift of festive cheer!

With Christmas just days away, all is definitely not festive between Canada Post and the Union of Postal Communications Employees (UPCE). The UPCE, Canada Post’s smallest bargaining unit, is a predominantly female workforce that performs clerical and administrative duties.

Now into the sixth week of their strike against Canada Post, UPCE members have firmly stood their ground in a dispute that began when the Corporation demanded to eliminate current sick leave and family leave entitlements and introduce a Short Term Disability plan (STD) that would be solely administered and controlled by Manulife Financial.

UPCE picket lines have remained solid since the onset of the strike but Canada Post’s current leadership regime has thus far shown more interest in applying for court injunctions than in returning to the bargaining table.

On Friday, December 5, 2008, striking UPCE members received a gift of festive cheer from CUPW members. At approximately 8:00 a.m., third floor Letter Carriers from Depot 74, Station K, and the Mountainview Delivery Center took a break from their duties and exited the Vancouver Mail Processing Plant en masse to assemble with the striking workers on West Georgia Street.

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CUPW obtains Cease and Desist Order!

On December 4, 2008, Canada Post picked up where it left off in October by threatening button-wearing employees with suspensions.

Weeks earlier, CUPW members were encouraged to participate in a nationwide Union campaign by wearing buttons or affixing stickers carrying the message, Peace, joy and universal public postal service. CUPW members were encouraged to wear the buttons and stickers on December 4, 2008. The message articulated on those buttons and stickers is clearly positive and advocates for a public postal service. By most standards, the message conveyed by those buttons and stickers would not be considered derogatory or defamatory. After all, peace and joy are words that appear on most Christmas cards. Further, a recent Ipsos-Reid poll indicated that most Canadians are in favour of a universal postal service. Indeed, as a crown corporation that provides a universal public postal service, it is difficult to understand how Canada Post’s reputation could be damaged by advocating for its continued existence. Nonetheless, on December 4, 2008, Canada Post supervisors were instructed to threaten employees with discipline.