Sellers Warned Of Canada Post Strike, Advised To Look For Alternate Carriers
UPDATE 12-16-24
Canada Post operations to resume on Tuesday, December 17 following CIRB ruling.
UPDATE 12-14-24
Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon is sending the labor dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to look into the possibility of a negotiated settlement by the end of 2024.
If the board determines a deal isn't in reach by the end of the year, it would order the nearly 55,000 workers back to work under their current contract until May 22, 2025, which means Canadians could see service start to be restored sometime next week.
UPDATE 11-28-24
As the Canadian Union of Postal Workers strike action continues, postal carriers in other countries are suspending service to the country since Canada Post is unable to facilitate processing and final delivery of packages at this time.
The US Postal Service is suspending service to Canada effective November 29th.
Effective November 29, 2024, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance to Canada due to the foreign postal operator indicatingthat they are unable to process or deliver international mail or services because of the ongoing national strike by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to the following country, until further notice: • Canada
This service disruption affects Priority Mail Express International® (PMEI), Priority Mail International® (PMI), First-Class Mail International® (FCMI), First-Class Package International Service® (FCPIS), International Priority Airmail® (IPA), International Surface AirLift® (ISAL), Commercial ePacket® (CeP), and M-Bag® items.
In the UK, both Royal Mail and ParcelForce are also suspending service to Canada.
eBay is proactively advising sellers in the UK and US their Service Metrics will be protected from account defects for late delivery and item not received as well as negative or neutral feedback due to this situation.
US eBay sellers will also be protected if they choose to initiate a cancellation of a sale to Canada and are also advised that shipments using eBay International Shipping are not currently being impacted since eBay contracts with multiple carriers in the country for final delivery.
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Kudos to eBay for being proactive and communicating with sellers as the strike lingers on into the busy holiday shopping period.
I've yet to see similar announcements or protections from other marketplaces - let me know in the comments below what you're seeing from the sites where you sell!
UPDATE 11-15-24
It's official - the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is on strike.
Canada Post has warned customers of delays as operations will be shut down during the strike.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has announced it intends to begin a national strike on Friday, November 15 at 12:01 a.m. ET.
Canada Post’s operations will shut down during a national strike, affecting millions of Canadians and businesses across the country.
Customers should expect delays
Customers will experience delays due to the strike activity. Mail and parcels will not be processed or delivered for the duration of the national strike, and some post offices will be closed. Service guarantees will be impacted for items already in the postal network. No new items will be accepted until the national disruption is over.Items will be delivered as quickly as possible once operations resume
All mail and parcels in the postal network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible on a first-in, first-out basis once operations resume. However, a national strike of any length will impact service to Canadians well after the strike activity ends. Shutting down facilities across the country will affect Canada Post’s entire national network. Processing and delivery may take some time to fully return to normal.
CUPW put out the following statement:
Some 55,000 postal workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) went on a nationwide strike on Friday, November 15 at 12:01am ET.
After a year of bargaining with little progress, postal workers made the difficult decision to strike. 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. Instead, Canada Post left us no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members exposed to layoffs.
Our demands are reasonable: fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, and the expansion of services at the public post office.
Postal workers are proud to serve their communities, and we want to do the job we love. A strike is a last resort. We still believe we can achieve negotiated collective agreements, but Canada Post must be willing to resolve our new and outstanding issues.
UPDATE 11-13-24
In response to CUPW's 72-hour strike notice, Canada Post has issued a lockout notice, indicating that postal workers could be locked out of work as of 8:00 am (EST) on November 15, 2024 if a contract has not been negotiated by that time.
Canada Post says:
...unless new agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday. The Corporation will then be in a position, using the means provided in the Canada Labour Code, to adjust operations based on its operational realities and business needs.
Spokesperson Lisa Liu also confirmed that stance in a comment to Global News, saying “Canada Post has notified the union that unless agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday. While it is called a notice of lockout, Canada Post does not intend to cease any of its operations at this time.”
CUPW struck back, saying the lockout notice is retaliation and calling on Canada Post to meet union demands in bargaining.
UPDATE 11-12-24
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has issued a 72-hour strike notice to Canada Post for both the RSMC and Urban bargaining units.
That means the union would be legally allowed to strike as of Friday, November 15 if negotiated settlements have not been reached, though CUPW says they have not yet determined whether strike actions or work stoppages will take place at that time.
CUPW posted the following list of still unresolved issues on their website, saying they will keep members updated on negotiations and possible strike actions in the days to come
UPDATE 11-4-24
CUPW says negotiations are continuing, but they appear to be at an impasse over medical and personal days as well as weekend delivery, warning they will not shy away from issuing a strike authorization if there is no movement on these key issues.
Over the weekend, talks continued between CUPW and Canada Post, with negotiators meeting with the employer to address two key issues.
On Saturday, November 2, we focused on the short-term disability plan. Unfortunately, the Employer demonstrated little willingness to consider our demand to include 10 Medical Days and 7 Personal Days as part of our collective agreements.
Canada Post refuses to move from its position of including 13 Personal Days, which does not represent an improvement from what we currently have.
On Sunday, November 3, we shifted our discussions to weekend delivery. Our priority in negotiating weekend delivery is to ensure that the weekend delivery does not compromise our regular full-time routes on weekdays.
We are not satisfied that the Employer’s plan will protect our weekday work. The Employer’s main interest lies in achieving “flexibility” to deliver parcels at the lowest possible cost.
Although CUPW has not yet issued a strike notice to Canada Post or the Minister of Labour, if there is no real movement at the bargaining table, we won’t shy away from taking the next step.
UPDATE 11-2-24
Canada Post's latest update from October 29th says they've made a new global offer to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers that proposed higher wages in an effort to avoid a strike.
Canada Post has presented new global offers to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) for both the Urban and RSMC (Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers) bargaining units.
We’ve presented enhanced offers that demonstrate we’re serious about reaching negotiated agreements without a labour disruption. In a best effort to reach agreements, these modified global offers propose higher wage increases for CUPW-represented employees, while continuing to protect and enhance what’s most important to them.
Urgency needed at the table
Both parties must urgently focus on resolving outstanding issues to reach negotiated agreements. A labour disruption would have significant consequences for the businesses we serve and the millions of Canadians who rely on Canada Post, while deepening the company’s already serious financial situation.
For this reason, we’ve made the new offers conditional on reaching negotiated agreements without a labour disruption. We remain committed to reaching agreements that not only avoid a work disruption, but also put us in a strong position to invest in the business and our employees, and meet the evolving needs of our customers.
CUPW responded with their own statement on October 30th, saying the new offers "fell short", raising concerns about Canada Post trying to push many issues to binding arbitration.
From our initial review of the new offer, it’s evident that Canada Post is focused on pushing many of their issues to binding arbitration. This approach would delay the finalization of a complete collective agreement and redirect funds toward lawyers and arbitrators rather than investing directly in you.
These offers contain some of the same language as the previous Global Offers, including the attack on our pension plan, inferior benefits for future employees, more part-time jobs and fewer full-time opportunities, as well as huge changes to the way letter carriers work, are scheduled, and are entitled to overtime. Canada Post has not removed its Separate Sort and Delivery (SSD) model, leaving no solutions for many overburdened workers.
Canada Post has raised the wage offer by 1.5% in 2024 to a compounded 11.97% over four years, which is far from what we are demanding and deserve.
Canada Post states, “both parties must urgently focus their energies on resolving outstanding issues to reach negotiated agreements.” Union negotiators have been at the table for close to a year doing just that, but Canada Post continues to push for massive rollbacks that won’t help the Corporation, and that the Union can never accept. Canada Post is asking to gut the collective agreements and for us to trust them to do the right thing.
That prompted an additional statement from CUPW on November 1st, telling Canada Post "Negotiate Don’t Arbitrate."
And as bargaining continues, CUPW has reiterated their demands and said they have not (yet) issued a 72-hour strike notice, which means a strike or lockout will not occur on November 3.
However, if negotiations breakdown, they could issue the notice at any time to start that 72 hour clock ticking.
As you are likely aware, the Union could have been in a legal strike position as of 12:01 am, November 3, but we cannot take strike action until we have issued a 72-hour strike notice to both the Employer and the Minister of Labour.
As of today, the Union remains at the table and has not issued a 72-hour notice, but this was done with agreement with Canada Post going forward. This means that a strike or lockout will not occur on November 3, 2024.
Our Conditions
The National Executive Board (NEB) decided to continue talks with the Employer, provided the following conditions are met:
- Canada Post does not issue a 72-hour lockout notice
- Canada Post does not change the working conditions for CUPW members
- Canada Post shows real movement to meeting our demands
We brought these conditions to Canada Post through the federal mediator. The Employer agreed to our terms for continuing toward a negotiated collective agreement.
Your Negotiators remain committed to reaching negotiated collective agreements that meet the needs of our members. Today’s major topic at the table is the Short-term Disability Plan, Personal Days and Medical/Sick Days.
While we have not given notice today, if talks breakdown it could happen at any time so pay attention to Union bulletins, visit cupw.ca and stay informed
Stay tuned for updates!
eBay is warning sellers of possible shipping interruptions if contract negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) break down, suggesting considering using alternate carriers to avoid disruption during crucial Q4 holiday shopping season.
As you may be aware, Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have been in the process of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement over the past several months.
On October 12, the conciliation period ended without a signed agreement, kicking off a three-week “cooling off” period during which time no legal labour disruptions can take place. Any disruptions following this period would require 72-hour notice. This means that the earliest any labour action might take place as a result of these negotiations is November 3, 2024.
Canada Post and CUPW are still negotiating. As many sellers may remember, previous negotiations between Canada Post and CUPW have entered these later stages and been resolved without service disruptions.
However, labour disruptions can impact your ability to deliver orders to customers on time.
In the event that disruptions do take place, we recommend taking the following proactive steps to keep your eBay business strong for the holidays:
- Ensure that your listings/business policies offer an additional carrier option. eBay sellers receive eBay-negotiated discounts on eBay Labels UPS and FedEx services as well, so consider familiarizing yourself with these services.
- Shipments that are already in transit may also be impacted if labour disruptions take place. For extra peace of mind and to ensure your buyers receive their shipments on time, consider using an alternative shipping service from now until at least October 31, when the result of the strike vote is announced or the parties reach an agreement.
- Continue monitoring for updates directly on the Canada Post website.
Of course a Canadian postal strike will not just impact shipments for eBay orders - sellers who use other marketplaces would also be wise to keep an eye on the situation and plan accordingly.
The latest update from Canada Post on October 25th says negotiations are ongoing even as CUPW has announced it has received a strike mandate from its members.
Today, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) announced it has received a strike mandate from its members. With the cooling-off period coming to an end on November 2, Canada Post and CUPW must approach the negotiations with greater urgency to avoid a labour disruption.
The parties officially began negotiations on November 15, 2023 and have met consistently since then.
Labour disruption would have significant consequences>
It is critical that both parties focus their energies on resolving outstanding issues to reach negotiated agreements. A labour disruption would have significant consequences for the businesses we serve and the millions of Canadians who rely on Canada Post, while deepening the company’s already serious financial situation.On September 25, Canada Post presented proposals to protect and enhance what’s important to employees, within the Corporation’s financial constraints, while making the changes that are necessary to better serve Canadians and Canadian businesses in today’s demanding parcel delivery market.
Commitment to finding common ground>
CUPW presented counter-offers to Canada Post on October 7, and the two sides continue to negotiate.We continue to work with CUPW to reach negotiated agreements that not only avoid a labour disruption, but also put us in a strong position to invest in the business and our employees, and meet the evolving needs of our customers.
The company remains committed to proceeding with urgency and finding the common ground necessary to reach agreements.
How would a Canada Post labor strike impact your online business and what alternate carriers will you use if it happens? Let us know in the comments below!
