Originally Posted by burnin_vernon
Anyone who tries is threatened by their boss (a la Newman on Seinfeld) because they make everyone else look bad.
This is what you said that made you lose credibility. The ridiculousness of the statement almost made me think you were joking.
I don't know where to begin. First of all, any CP worker I know isn't really concerned about the wage increase. The major sticking point is that they want to take away our sick time. Currently we get about 1 1/2 days per month which can be accumulated and used for illness or injury. We have to have a doctors note every time we use it, and there is no credit for having extra days when we retire. Most of us have over 200 sick days saved for when we hit 50+ years old and the wear and tear of the job has claimed knees, feet, necks, backs, shoulders, etc.. I work with a 50 year old who currently needs a hip replacement and is walking his 10K a day until he gets the operation.
Is it an easy job? Sure, when you finally get your own route and as long as you're in great physical condition. But a lot of people just can't hack the physical aspect; one time we had an accomplished marathon runner come back at 4PM, puking her guts out on her first day. I was what I would have thought, very fit, but it's a whole different beast doing this than, say, going for a 10K jog.
As a relief carrier, I get sent to different cities all the time where I don't have a clue where I'm going. I sort about 1500 pieces of mail (minimum, some routes have triple that) plus parcels into a case with anywhere from 500-1200 addresses that I've never seen before. The average credit we get to sort a case is about 2 hours. On a walk I know well, I might get lucky to do it in 2 1/2. On one I've never done before, it takes 4 hours minimum.
So I'm already behind and I haven't even left the station. The supervisors are pissed off that you might have to work into OT when I haven't even taken a break and I'm going to skip my lunch. Too many of these OTs and you get written up. A couple of those and you get suspended, then maybe fired.
Then I get out there and I deal with houses without numbers on them, businesses that close when they want, loose dogs, or whatever other reasons I have to bring back mail. I dump this in my satchel and carry it around all day as it accumulates on top of the 40-50lbs of mail I'm already carrying. In the winter, my goal is to finish before it gets dark out. In the summer, it's to finish before I'm dehydrated.
As for the regular carriers with their own routes, the only reason they are done early is because they do not deliver their routes according to the corporations case plan. It still takes most longer to sort than they are credited for but we make up time by taking precarious shortcuts and criss-crossing streets. Plus most of us don't take breaks or lunch and we walk much faster than we are supposed to. Really, this is stupid of us, because we are risking safety/injury to complete the job more quickly than we are scheduled for. The corporation sees this, then suddenly routes become longer. But if someone told you you could go home when the work is done, wouldn't you speed up?
I signed up for the cold winters and snow, the 40 degree summers, and the walking 10km per day with the weight of a small child on my shoulders. To me, it's worth all this for the wage and benefits I'd receive. I still think it's a good job and I like it because I get to work outside all day and not be bothered by anyone except for the occasional jerk on my route. I get fresh air and exercise every day.
But it can be very stressful (mentally and physically) and I don't know who would put themselves through the stress of the job for much less. Our union isn't asking for much more, we are asking for things to remain the same. Canada Post makes too much revenue to say they need to make the cuts they want to.
These are my thoughts as a temporary employee. I currently receive no sick time or benefits, or scheduled vacation time.
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