Canada Post workers could be on the picket line or locked out by the Crown corporation as soon as Friday, after both a strike and lockout notice were issued.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers issued a notice Tuesday morning that it would be in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. eastern on Friday, though it did not say what job action could look like.
“Our goal has always been to reach negotiated collective agreements that support the long-term success of our public post office, while addressing the real issues our members face daily,” CUPW national president Jan Simpson said in a statement.
Hours after the strike notice was issued by the union, Canada Post said it had issued a notice of lockout, but added that its operations would continue.
“Canada Post has notified the union that unless agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday,” spokesperson Lisa Liu said in an email. “While it is called a notice of lockout, Canada Post does not intend to cease any of its operations at this time.”
The corporation went on to say the notice was filed with the union and Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon and was done under the Canada Labour Code so as to adjust operations “based on its operational realities and business needs.”
Canadians are now facing the potential of an imminent work stoppage at Canada Post, just weeks before the holiday season, but it’s not the first time workers at the Crown corporation have gone on strike, including with holiday shopping right around the corner.
Rotating strikes of 2018
Canada Post workers began rotating strikes in October 2018, leading to a backlog of undelivered parcels and mail.
By Nov. 20, 2018, the strike was nearing the one-month mark and the Crown corporation warned that parcel and mail delays could go well into January.
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It prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government to introduce back-to-work legislation on Nov. 22, though at the time, the government said it was holding off debate on the bill to give a special mediator time to settle the labour dispute.
The pause did not last long, however, as the legislation was passed during a special session of the House of Commons on Nov. 24. It received royal assent on Nov. 26, with the strikes ending a day later.
That job action, according to a report by Canada Post released in 2019, saw the corporation post an estimated net loss of $135 million due to the job action.
Canada Post has been facing deep fiscal challenges over recent years due to a variety of factors, including a significant drop in letter mail deliveries, with its latest annual report noting it has recorded “significant” annual losses since 2018. Last year’s loss was the second-largest on record at $748 million.
Postal workers returned to work and a mediator was appointed to bring an end to the dispute. Elizabeth MacPherson, a former chair of the Canada Industrial Relations Board, was given 14 days to try to reach negotiated contract settlements. MacPherson eventually issued a decision on collective agreements for both the urban and rural mail carriers in June 2020.
That year wasn’t the first time the federal government legislated Canada Post workers back to work either, with the Conservative government of Stephen Harper doing the same in 2011.
Rotating strikes lead to lockout in 2011
Urban postal workers began rotating strikes on June 3, 2011, and the Crown corporation locked out its employees in mid-June.
Then-labour minister Lisa Raitt tabled back-to-work legislation on June 15 and despite opposition from both the NDP and Liberals, it eventually received royal assent, sending postal workers back to delivery.
Canada Post said in a report that it estimated it had lost more than $70 million in revenue, with the figure “climbing daily,” while the Globe and Mail reported the strike and lockout amounted to a $200-million loss in revenue.
Other Canada Post strikes
While 2011 and 2018 are the work stoppages in most recent memory, other federal governments have also legislated postal workers back to work, including former prime ministers Jean Chretien in 1997 and Brian Mulroney in 1987.
If this year’s strike or lockout goes ahead come Friday, the NDP has stressed it would not support back-to-work legislation. Unlike in past cases, the federal minority Liberals would require the support of at least one other party to pass any potential back-to-work legislation.
All four of the previous four strikes occurred under majority governments.
MacKinnon, who imposed binding arbitration Tuesday to end work stoppages at Canada’s largest ports in B.C. and Quebec, said the federal government is providing mediation support to both parties in the Canada Post dispute.
He said the government remains hopeful a deal can be reached through collective bargaining.
— with files from Global News’ Amanda Connolly and Katie Dangerfield and The Canadian Press
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