Canada Post strike hits Ottawa, Arnprior

Ottawa and Arnprior were among the latest municipalities targeted byrotating strikes by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), halting delivery of mail and packages by Canada Post employees Wednesday.

As of 6 a.m., a picket line of roughly 70 workers had already appeared at Canada Post's mail processing plant on Sandford Fleming Avenue near the corner ofIndustrial Avenue and Riverside Drive in Ottawa.

"We're trying to keep everyone out, including management. Everything is closed. Nothing is going out today," saidIan Anderson, president of the CUPWlocal.

Anderson said all Ottawa-area CUPWmembers, including mail carriers andworkers at various outlets across the city, are participating in the walkout.

CUPWreported members withtheArnprior-Renfrewlocal also joined thewalkout Wednesday morning.

CUPW's 50,000 members havebeen holdingwalkouts across the country for the past two weeksin an effort to pressure the federal government after negotiators failed to reach an agreement on Oct. 22.

While the walkouts have generally lasted 24 hours, Anderson wouldn't say how longthe Ottawa strike will last, but said local members were happy to participate.

"Everybody was happy. It's about time. We need to show management that we've had enough," Anderson said. "We're a public service. We're here for the public, and the public needs to know how Canada Post is treating its employees."

Health and safety, wages

The Ottawa picketswere joined by CUPW's national president Mike Palecek, who had a message for Canadians and businesses affected by mail delivery delays.

"We're trying to get management to move. Negotiations haven't been fruitful. We haven't seen a willingness to address any of our fundamental issues," Palecek said. "We're frustrated, too. Postal workers are the biggest defenders of the postal service. This isn't where we want to be."

Rotating Canada Post strikes hit Ottawa, Arnprior

6 years ago

Duration 0:33

Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, was among those on the picket line Wednesday at Canada Post's mail processing plant on Sandford Fleming Ave. CUPW's 50,000 members have been holding walkouts across the country for the past two weeks

The union is seeking a four-year dealwith an annual wage increase of3.5 per cent.But Palecek said wages are not CUPW'stop priority.

"We have a health and safety crisis at Canada Post. We've seen injury rates skyrocket. This has got to be fixed," he said.

CUPW also wants Canada Post to address what the union describes as inequality for rural and suburban mail carrierscompared to their urban colleagues.

In a written release, Canada Post stated it remains committed to reaching a negotiated settlement, while at the same time making every effort to minimize the impact of any disruption on the customers it serves.

Palecekdidn't ruleout an escalation in the job action if negotiatorsdon't start makingsignificant progress, though he wouldn't specifywhat form that might take.

"We'll see. If Canada Post doesn't come to the tableand negotiate, we may have to do something else. We're not there yet," he said.

WhileWednesday's job action saw the union's locals in Ottawa and Arnprior-Renfrew join the job action, other locals in eastern Ontario ended their walkout, leading to the return of mail delivery in Smiths Falls, PetawawaandDeep River.