Ongoing postal strikes haven’t hit Manitoba yet, but the president of the local postal union told 680 CJOB there’s no guarantee Winnipeg isn’t next on the list.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is currently holding rotating strikes in four Canadian cities – Victoria, Edmonton, Windsor and Halifax. All four strikes began just after midnight Monday morning.
“At this point, we’re unsure which cities will be chosen next,” said Lisa Peterson, president of CUPW’s Winnipeg Local. “Yesterday, the announcement went out just after midnight, and that could be the same today.
“The option of rotational strikes is to minimize the impact of any postal interruption to our customers.”
The feud between Canada Post and the postal workers’ union has been long in the works. Peterson said the union presented its demands to the Crown corporation in late fall last year, and that both sides have been bargaining “to some degree” since November of 2017.
Canada Post, in a statement Monday morning, said it hopes to come to an agreement.
“We remain committed to arriving at a negotiated settlement with CUPW, while making every effort to minimize the impact of any disruption on the customers we serve.”
Peterson, however, said there are a number of issues that need to be resolved — most importantly, the safety of postal workers, caused in part by a recent overburdening of parcels due to industry changes.
“We are really worried about the safety of our workers. In recent years, there has been an increase, unfortunately, in our injury rate,” she said.
“With overburdening, our bodies are far more tired, and for the longer days that people are putting in, it just leads to far more stress injuries.
“Just by being exhausted, you’re more likely to make small mistakes that could lead to injury.”
Peterson said with the holiday season on the horizon, a large volume of parcels will be coming through Canada Post soon, so the union is hoping for a deal soon.
WATCH: Canada Post workers begin rotating nationwide strikes