After 10 months of difficult negotiations, CUPW and Canada Post have reached tentative collective agreements for each of the Urban and RSMC bargaining units. Details below but more information on each point will be available in the coming days and the draft agreements will be made available to all members.
RSMC and Urban – Together
The following applies to both the RSMC and Urban bargaining units:
Defined benefit pension plan for all current and future plan participants.
Dental Plan:
Major dental increased from $1,500.00 to $2,000.00.
Fee guide one-year lag and updated January 1st of each year.
Extended Health Care Plan: Increase hearing aid coverage to $1,000.00 every five years.
Extended Health Care Plan: Increase out-of-country coverage to $250,000.00.
Short Term Disability Plan:
16 days to submit forms and full retroactivity if late.
Recovery of overpayment limited to 10% (RSMC – excluding vehicle allowance).
Definitions of Hospitalization and Accident cannot be changed by employer.
Final Level of Appeal improved.
Protection against unilateral changes in the policy document.
Reallocation of Personal Days (July – June).
Technology cannot be used for individual measurement or discipline.
All expiry dates in the collective agreements to be updated.
Gender expression & identity included.
RSMC
The following applies to the RSMC bargaining unit:
Pay Equity Committee – Final decision due in 19 months.
A two-year collective agreement, which expires on December 31, 2017.
Wage increases of 1.5% effective January 1, 2016 and 1.5% effective January 1, 2017.
RSMC seniority recognized from date of hire pre-2004.
OCRE seniority recognized when they become a permanent employee.
Extended Health Care Plan – All Paramedical services same as Urban members.
Replacements: Employer responsible to cover all absences, in offices with 5 or more employees.
Restriction on lifting: Maximum 50lbs.
Article 12:
National transfers for permanent employees.
2 weeks to report if transfer less than 100KM and 4 weeks to report if transfer greater than 100KM.
STDP – Captured in the collective agreement.
Clause 33.06 – Claw back from overpayment limited to 10%, excluding vehicle expenses.
Urban
The following applies to the Urban bargaining unit:
A two-year collective agreement, which expires on January 31, 2018.
Wage increases of 1% effective February 1, 2016 and 1.5% effective February 1, 2017.
Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for 2017 triggers at 2.67%.
Groups 3 & 4:
$1.00 per hour adjustment effective January 1, 2017 for MAM10, MAM11, MAM12, EL05, VHE09 and EIM10.
Past practice letter on clause 14.25.
Protection from Maximo.
Unaddressed Admail (Neighbourhood Mail):
Right to prepare admail at end of day, overtime cannot be used to stop letter carriers from doing this work at the end of their day.
Increased preparation time allowance and lower trigger point.
Increased size.
HIMS offices protected.
Reverse order of seniority when temporary employees are sent home due to lack of work on daily assignments.
Compassionate Care Leave: Increase to 28 weeks paid by Employment Insurance.
Appendix T:
Change apprenticeship program to scholarship fund.
Add labour relations committee to look at employee’s well-being, ie. Social stewards.
Parcel Delivery: Allows for flexible delivery during weekends, morning and evenings.
More Information
There will be additional details provided for the above points during the next few days. Your negotiating committee will provide you with the information on our new tentative agreements as quickly as we can. This has been a long and difficult process and now the final decision will be made by the membership whether or not to accept these new tentative collective agreements. Please watch for details and information so that you are fully informed before making this important decision.
GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 30, 2016 /CNW/ – Statement by the Honorable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour:
I am pleased that Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have successfully reached new tentative agreements. This means that Canadian families and businesses can continue to rely on the postal service to be there for them when they need it.
These tentative agreements, reached voluntarily by the parties, are an important reminder for us all that a fair and balanced collective bargaining process works and can achieve real results for Canadian workers and employers.
Each side came to this negotiation with a long history of difficult strikes and lockouts. The leaders of Canada Post and CUPW met face-to-face for the first time when I invited them to a meeting with Minister Brison on August 19. Both parties took this opportunity to put Canadians first and helped avoid a strike or lockout.
Helping these parties in their negotiations is my responsibility as Labour Minister, and Canadians expected our government to do everything we could to help these negotiations succeed. That is why I closely monitored the situation, reaching out to the two sides over and over, urging them to work together.
On Friday, I appointed William Kaplan as a special mediator and he, alongside Guy Baron and our mediation team, has been working at the table to help both parties hammer out a deal. Together they winnowed down the outstanding issues, taking them one at a time, and solving each in turn. The tentative agreements the parties have reached demonstrate that persistent, positive efforts by our government had an impact, and Canadians will directly benefit.
The Government of Canada would like to thank Mr. Kaplan, Mr. Baron and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service team for their hard work on behalf of Canadians. Our government would like to thank Canada Post and CUPW for coming together and reaching these new tentative collective agreements.
These tentative agreements must now be ratified by employees. I will continue to monitor the situation closely.
We continue to work long hours with the assistance of Special Mediator William Kaplan and the head of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, Guy Baron, in an attempt to finalize our negotiations.
Trying to Achieve Agreements
The mediators are busy working with both parties to get to the point where agreements in principle are possible. Despite all this work, we have not yet succeeded in achieving agreements in principle for either bargaining unit.
Special Mediator Reappointed
The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk – Minister of Labour has reappointed Special Mediator William Kaplan for up to two more days and he will continue working with the parties until Tuesday, August 30, 2016.
Another 24-Hour Extension
The parties have once again agreed to extend the 72-hour notice for 24 hours. This means all job action is postponed until 00:01AM on Wednesday, August 31st. Also, all changes to conditions of employment are postponed, for the 24-hour period, and the collective agreements remain in effect. As we have throughout negotiations, we remain determined to negotiate collective agreements that will meet the needs of postal workers and improve services to the public.
As uncertainty continues about possible labor disruptions at Canada Post, eBay sellers who rely on the crown corporation to deliver their products are asking the government to step in. Here is the text of a petition posted on eBay’s Main Street web site:
We, the undersigned Canadian eBay sellers, are writing to raise concerns about the negative business implications of the ongoing Canada Post Corporation/Canadian Union of Postal Workers negotiations and to encourage your government to explore legislative solutions to the current situation.
eBay sellers, like other small and medium businesses (SMBs) across Canada, have been dealing with this uncertainty for months; we have been forced to adapt our businesses and make other shipping arrangements for our goods. In demonstration of our resiliency, many eBay SMBs have created a patchwork of alternative solutions, but the work involved in doing so negatively impacts our productivity and competitiveness, and as such, these arrangements are unsustainable.
Canada Post’s role as an enabler of ecommerce drives not only Canadian parcel volume but also unlocks tremendous economic potential among Canadian small businesses: Technology-enabled sellers, such as SMBs on eBay, export at a rate of 99.8% and reach 20 markets on average every year – results far better than those of traditional SMBs. As Canada looks to support SMB innovation and trade, these micro-multinationals demonstrate what is possible while also underscoring the importance of key infrastructure like Canada Post.
With the above context in mind, we strongly encourage your government to take the actions necessary to implement a long-term agreement to restore certainty in Canada’s postal service and ensure consistent, reliable support for Canadian SMBs.
OTTAWA – As tense negotiations continue between postal workers and Canada Post management, the rolling overtime ban that was to start after midnight on Sunday has now been put on hold for 24 hours.
“We’ve amended our notice in a last-ditch effort to reach a negotiated agreement before we are forced to start working to rule,” said Mike Palecek, national president of the CUPW.
“Postal workers are more than ready to take action for pay equity, pensions and decent jobs if that’s what it takes but we’ll keep talking if there’s a chance to settle this peacefully.”
Negotiations are continuing with the help of a government-appointed special mediator.
Statement by the Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour:
GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 26, 2016 /CNW/ – I announced yesterday that I would appoint a special mediator to assist Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in reaching an agreement that would avoid a work stoppage.
Today, I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Mr. William Kaplan, a highly respected mediator and arbitrator, to assist the parties. Mr. Kaplan joins the team of federal mediators working with the two parties including Guy Baron, Director General of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, who will also support this engagement.
I am hopeful that this will bring a new perspective to the negotiating table, which could motivate the parties to find a solution and move beyond their current impasse.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has abruptly cancelled a news conference Thursday, prompting speculation there may be progress in negotiations with the letter carrier.
The union had been expected to give a 72-hour strike notice before their mandate to do so expires at midnight.Canada Post talks stall as strike mandate nears”If nothing changes between now and tomorrow, we will be issuing our 72-hour notice of strike activity,” the union had said Wednesday evening.
But just minutes before that was supposed to happen, the union cancelled the event.
The Brampton Guardian reports that the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is expected to issue a strike notice tomorrow morning:
Union officials informed workers in an online bulletin Wednesday that if nothing changes by tomorrow, “we will be issuing our 72-hour notice of strike activity.”
Following is the text of an email sent to Canada Post customers earlier today:
Dear Canada Post customer,
Negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) continue and unfortunately we are no closer to a resolution. Over the next ten days, we do expect to see some activity from the union as they attempt to address the expiration of their strike mandate.
The union’s 60-day strike mandate, based on a vote by their membership earlier this year, is set to expire on August 25, 2016. This timeline is set in the Canada Labour Code. Rather than secure the renewed support of their members through a vote, the union is looking at other ways to extend their strike mandate.
Based on options available to CUPW, we can expect a 72-hour strike notice to be issued by the union between now and August 25. This does not necessarily mean that there will be full-scale work disruption associated with the notice, as in a recent bulletin the union reiterated that they do not want to go on strike.
I regret that I cannot provide you with more certainty and greater assurance at this time. My team and I will continue to provide regular and timely updates so that you can make the right decisions for your business.
We remain committed to our goal of reaching agreements that are fair to our employees – and that also allow us to provide the affordable pricing and service on which our customers depend.
Details Of Tentative Agreements (PDF)
