Canada Post Strike

[burnin_vernon]

I don't know where the public is getting all their info but there will be no strike notice today, meaning operations will proceed through Tuesday at least.

[CaptainCrunch]

Thats good because Tuesday is when I'm expecting my delivery of this months big'uns

[Hockey]

72 hour notice has been given.

[Hockeyguy15]

I'll cross my fingers that they get a deal done before Friday....I highly doubt it though.

[Ford Prefect]

I know a lot of CP workers. IF it weren't for a lifetime meal ticket from CP a lot of these people would be on welfare. GIven the declining importance of Canada post in our current society, they should thank their lucky stars they have such a golden path through life and just shut up lest people discover how unimportant their service really is.

Has anyone ever been to the "West Dock" at the Calgary postal plant? Pretty scary stuff ... a lot of examples of why line breeding is not a good practice in humans.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Thats good because Tuesday is when I'm expecting my delivery of this months big'uns

[Crazy Bacon Legs]

I hate to be picky, but could we possibly change the thread title to "Canada Post Strikes Back"?

[zuluking]

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.

Geez, the military should be recruiting mail deliverers!

[JustAnotherGuy]

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.

.............

Okay, fair enough. The people doing this specific job do work hard. But what percentage of Canada Post employees do this specific work?

I cut out some of your original post so it takes up less space in my reply.

[bomber317]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

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..

Most jobs do not give credit for sick days accumulated.

That is a rare perk, and lucky for anybody to get. In terms of an outsider's view, I would have trouble siding with anybody asking for sick day accumulations and sick day payouts.

Sick days should not relate to the physical demands of the job. Medical insurance/benefits would be the correct category for that.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Not to be a dick, but I don't really see too much in Vernon's post that doesn't sound a whole lot like most jobs.

Like bomber said, there aren't many folks who get to accumulate sick days.
There are a lot of physically demanding jobs that don't have anywhere near the perks that CP employees get.

And the part about routes taking longer because carriers are doing things they aren't supposed to be doing is a terrible example of why you have it rough. If people are doing potentially dangerous things to get the job done quicker, and complaining that the routes are getting longer, that is 100% their fault, especially in a union envirionment.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the purpose of unions supposed to be to protect workers from having to do dangerous things for the sake of keeping their jobs. Now you've got postal workers who are finishing early because they are doing those dangerous things instead of doing the job properly and safely.

Routes are getting longer becuase management assumes that carriers can manage a larger workload because workers are finishing early. Well if you took your time and did it properly those routes wouldn't be getting longer. What kind of union wants to fight so their workers can finish early at the expense of their own safety? I can tell you this, if a company that was doing work for me had that philosophy and I still used them as a contractor, I wouldn't have my job for long once the inevitable accidents happened.

[PeteLFan]

The solution is simple.

24% rollback
Linkage
Hard cap
Drug testing

[Dion]

Thank god my passport renewal came in the mail today.

[bomber317]

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/...a-cupw-strike/

Oh wow, I didn't know they actually do bank sick days.

Good luck Canada Post workers, you will not be receiving much sympathy from the public.

7 Weeks Vacation annually
Sick Day Bank
Asking for 3.3% raise first year, and 2.75% raises in year 2, 3, and 4.

[WhiteTiger]

I'd never even heard of a company that would bank sick days before this. This is going to be a hard sell to the general public, most of whom get 3-5 a year, and if you don't use them, tough for you.

[Hockeyguy15]

Firstly, they don't get 7 weeks vacation to start. Just like any job they work their way up to that.

Secondly, yes it's stupid they get sick days banked but this has been going on for probably about 15 years. I don't think the big sticking point is to continue banking these sick days, the bigger issue is that CP wants to get rid of previous banked days without a pay out or anything at all. Hate if you want but CP originally negotiated banking sick days years ago and now wants to back of out it scott free.

Third I don't see 3.3 and 2.75 percent increases as outlandish. If you boss came to you and said for the next 2 years I will give you a 1.75% raise, then I will give you a 1.9% raise and in the 4th year I will give you a 2% raise....Would you be happy with that? I doubt it.

But hey why bother getting all the facts before you make comments right?

And another FYI, the term "sick days" are misleading as this is also their short term disability...If someone slips on some ice and hurts their back or ankle or something they get a doctors note and use their "sick days"

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by bomber317

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/...a-cupw-strike/

Oh wow, I didn't know they actually do bank sick days.

Good luck Canada Post workers, you will not be receiving much sympathy from the public.

7 Weeks Vacation annually
Sick Day Bank
Asking for 3.3% raise first year, and 2.75% raises in year 2, 3, and 4.

From the nice summary article . . . wow, what else can you say?

• They can retire after 30 years’ service, as early as age 55, and collect a full pension.
• New employees receive wages of $24 an hour and seven weeks’ annual vacation.
• Employees can bank sick days.

. . . it is proposing to create two tiers of employees, grandfathering current hires and offering new ones a cheaper (but still sweet) deal : wages of $17.50 an hour and six weeks’ vacation, and the possibility of retiring at 60 instead of 55. It is also offering all employees wage increases of 1.9% for the next three years, and 2% for the fourth year, while seeking to end the practice of banking sick days.

The union’s response? Return to sender. Since they are not getting their way, they are readying their members for a strike starting June 1.

CUPW is playing a dangerous – and obnoxious – game. Many Canadians are struggling to get by with no raises, little job security and few days off. In an era of both austerity and declining use of Canada Post’s business, CUPW’s demands make little sense and engender little sympathy from a public which is already replacing envelopes with email.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by chemgear

From the nice summary article . . . wow, what else can you say?

• They can retire after 30 years’ service, as early as age 55, and collect a full pension.
• New employees receive wages of $24 an hour and seven weeks’ annual vacation.
• Employees can bank sick days.

. . . it is proposing to create two tiers of employees, grandfathering current hires and offering new ones a cheaper (but still sweet) deal : wages of $17.50 an hour and six weeks’ vacation, and the possibility of retiring at 60 instead of 55. It is also offering all employees wage increases of 1.9% for the next three years, and 2% for the fourth year, while seeking to end the practice of banking sick days.

The union’s response? Return to sender. Since they are not getting their way, they are readying their members for a strike starting June 1.

CUPW is playing a dangerous – and obnoxious – game. Many Canadians are struggling to get by with no raises, little job security and few days off. In an era of both austerity and declining use of Canada Post’s business, CUPW’s demands make little sense and engender little sympathy from a public which is already replacing envelopes with email.

They don't start out with 7 weeks holidays, article is incorrect.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by chemgear

CUPW is playing a dangerous – and obnoxious – game. Many Canadians are struggling to get by with no raises, little job security and few days off. In an era of both austerity and declining use of Canada Post’s business, CUPW’s demands make little sense and engender little sympathy from a public which is already replacing envelopes with email.

Truer words have never been spoken. Or printed I guess.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

They don't start out with 7 weeks holidays, article is incorrect.

Well, what do they start out at, then? Do you know? Can you inform us, instead of just telling us a newspaper article is wrong? Most folks start out with 2 weeks, and every 4-5 years get one more added.

Assuming they start (we'll be generous) at 3, and every 5 years they get 1 more, they won't reach 7 until after putting in 20 years of service. That's not unreasonable...so is it accurate, then?