The union representing Canada’s 55,000 postal workers says it wants Canada Post to return to the bargaining table and commit to a “fair, ratifiable” contract with its employees or the union will “consider stronger actions” to move labour negotiations along.
“We ask when will it end? When will Canada Post stop stalling, ignoring results of the votes and start bargaining?” Jan Simpson, Canada Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) national president, asked on Friday.
“We call on Canada Post to accept the union’s global offers or come back to the table,” she added.
Simpson also called on the federal government to appoint people at Canada Post who are willing to negotiate a collective agreement with the union.
Negotiations for a new collective agreement have been ongoing for more than a year and a half.
“If Canada Post continues to stall, postal workers will have no choice but to consider stronger actions to move negotiations ahead,” Simpson said, without clarifying what those actions would be.
In May, Canada Post issued a public notice warning to its customers that there could be delays in mail delivery because the union decided to ban members from working overtime.
Simpson said that CUPW members will switch their labour action from the overtime ban to a flyer ban on Monday, which means postal workers will no longer deliver commercial flyers along with the mail.
The union says that mail carriers are not being paid properly for the delivery of flyers, which Simpson says are onerous to deliver.
“For us, this is a bargaining issue that’s on the table,” Simpson said. “It’s a health and safety concern because some of the flyers are oversized and heavy, [impacting employees’] work-life balance and safety,” she said.
Union vs. Canada Post wage demands
CUPW presented an offer to Canada Post last month that sought higher wages while allowing for the addition of weekend delivery and part-time workers to the postal service.
Those proposals included annual wage increases of nine per cent in the first year of the agreement and four per cent in the second year, followed by hikes of three per cent in years three and four.
That 19 per cent pay rise is up from the roughly 13 per cent over four years included in Canada Post’s May offer, which CUPW workers rejected in a vote held in August.
At the time, Canada Post said it was reviewing the union’s offers, adding the Crown corporation is “committed to reaching new collective agreements through the bargaining process.”
Simpson says Canada Post walked away from the table in the hopes that the federal government would step into the dispute.
Canada Post has warned the postal service is bleeding millions of dollars in business daily because of the uncertainty around collective bargaining.
The Crown corporation’s financial woes have been well-documented throughout the talks. An Industrial Inquiry Commission report from commissioner William Kaplan earlier this year found the postal service was effectively bankrupt and needed substantial reforms to remain afloat.
Last month, Canada Post reported a loss before tax of $407 million in the second quarter of 2025, blaming a decline in parcel delivery due to labour uncertainty.
CBC News has reached out to Canada Post for a reaction to CUPW’s announcement but has yet to receive a response.
