[quote]Postal workers in Hamilton, Ontario will be following their Winnipeg co-workers onto the picket line, as their union tries to increase pressure on continuing negotiations with Canada Post.
In a press conference Friday morning, Canadian Union of Postal Workers president Denis Lemelin said that workers in Hamilton will walk off the job late Friday.
"Tonight, starting at 11:45 Eastern time, our co-workers in Hamilton will walk out on strike for the next 48 hours," Lemelin told reporters in French.
Continuing in English, he implored Canadians to exert pressure too.
"We will continue to negotiate, but we must add pressure on Canada Post," he said, suggesting the public phone the Crown corporation with the message: "You have to sit down and negotiate a good collective agreement."
Approximately 150 people took to the picket lines in Winnipeg at 10:59 p.m. CT Thursday night.
CUP-W said Winnipeg was chosen to begin a promised series of rotating strikes because workers there were the first affected by the introduction of new mail processing machines at the heart of grievances with Canada Post's "modernization" program.
"It does often catch a bit more attention for us with the corporation just because they don't know what city it's coming to next, so there is no preparation for them," CUP-W Winnipeg local vice-president Lisa Peterson told The Canadian Press in a phone interview from the picket line.
In an interview before the latest strike location was revealed Friday morning, Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton said he hoped the Winnipeg walkout would mark both the beginning and conclusion of the job action.
"We're hoping this is the end of it," Hamilton told CTV's Canada AM in an interview from Ottawa, suggesting the 24-hour strike "is completely unnecessary and it's a huge disruption to our customers."
Although talks have been ongoing, and the two sides are expected to sit down again at 11 a.m. ET Friday, Hamilton said the Crown corporation is still waiting to hear from the union on its latest counteroffer.
"It takes a step back on a lot of the concerns that they have, but it also keeps whole a lot of the things our employees enjoy like pensions and job security," he said.
"So we've made a lot of movement and haven't heard back."
In its latest offer tabled just hours before the strike deadline, Canada Post said it would be willing to put a controversial short-term disability program on hold, pending review by a joint committee of labour and management representatives.
But CUP-W responded with confirmation of the strike action and a promise to brief the media in Ottawa at 9 a.m. Friday morning.
Canada Post says revenues have been falling as mail volumes have dropped more than 17 per cent since 2006, at the same time it's bearing a $3.2 billion pension deficit, leaving the corporation no choice but to address labour costs.
"The postal service is under threat from the internet and we do need to change for the future," Hamilton said, referring to the CPC's proposal of a defined benefit pension plan for both new and existing employees as well as a lower starting wage than the $23 new hires are paid now.
But in her view, Winnipeg letter carrier Michelle Fidler doesn't think that argument stands up to scrutiny.
"The corporation isn't telling people that they have made up for that loss volume in regular mail...they've made up for it by soliciting more and more addressed and unaddressed ad-mail contracts," Fidler told CP.
"I have 453 residential calls that I go to everyday. It measures out at eight miles a day. And I go to almost every house every day. I rarely skip a house. There are volumes there," she said.
The union's approximately 48,000 members have been in a legal strike position since May, when its members voted 95 per cent in favour.
During the seven months of negotiations leading up the job action, CUP-W has pointed to health and safety problems stemming from new work methods and equipment, as well as sick leave rules for employees as key sticking points.
In its proposal, the union is seeking a four-year contract with a guaranteed wage increase of 3.3 per cent in the first year, followed by 2.75 per cent increases in the next two years.
When postal workers last went on strike in the fall of 1997, their two week job action ended with federal back-to-work legislation.
However long this strike lasts, both the union and Canada Post have promised Canadians who rely on the mail for certain monthly federal and provincial payments that they'll still get their cheques.
On one day each month, Canada Post employees have volunteered to leave the picket lines to deliver Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and Child Benefits cheques. [/quote]
[url=http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110603/canada-post-strike-110603/20110603/?hub=EdmontonHome]**SOURCE**[/url]
I don't work for Canada Post but I'm put out of a job because of this. My whole reason for employment includes the customers packages going through Canada Post and if I have no way to get my product to the customer, I have no reason to go into work. We could switch to courier but things would get expensive very quickly and that would chew up my commission very fast.
[QUOTE=MIPS;30221432]
I don't work for Canada Post but I'm put out of a job because of this. My whole reason for employment includes the customers packages going through Canada Post and if I have no way to get my product to the customer, I have no reason to go into work. We could switch to courier but things would get expensive very quickly and that would chew up my commission very fast.[/QUOTE]
Aren't they just doing rotating strikes? I don't think the postal system in these areas is entirely shut down, I don't even think they could legally do that as it's a necessary service.
striking in the public sector is fucking retarded. there's better ways to solve whatever dispute is going on.
Wow, I live in Hamilton. This is about as exciting as anything gets around here. Postal workers going on strike.
I just had a chat with my mailman, he doesn't give a shit, he's still going to work
What happens if you still work when others on strike?
[QUOTE=yaik9a;30224234]What happens if you still work when others on strike?[/QUOTE]
mafia goons bust your knees
[QUOTE=Zeke129;30224263]mafia goons bust your knees[/QUOTE]
Oh no the unionist communists are going to slash my tires and break my knee caps and not work in my textile mill, gentlemen get to your posts [img]http://www.journal.dnd.ca/vo7/no2/images/St-John-2.jpg[/img]
oh wait this is 2011 and these are post workers, whatever. other guys get to your posts.
[img]http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/riot-police.jpg[/img]
Canada is becoming more like the UK every day
well at least they aren't going postal
[QUOTE=yaik9a;30224428]Oh no the unionist communists are going to slash my tires and break my knee caps and not work in my textile mill, gentlemen get to your posts [img]http://www.journal.dnd.ca/vo7/no2/images/St-John-2.jpg[/img]
oh wait this is 2011 and these are post workers, whatever. other guys get to your posts.
[img]http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/riot-police.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
I'm making reference to the fact Canada use to put down strikes with the army back in the day.
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