What does latest Canada Post job action mean for you?

Canada Post’s union, which represents about 55,000 workers, has called for a nationwide overtime stoppage after a midnight deadline for a new contract came and went without any movement.

That means workers are being told to refuse any work beyond eight hours a day, and 40 hours a week. This is being described by Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) as a two-week truce to continue negotiations without the threat of a strike or lockout.

“Additional actions may take place in the future, including but not limited to: if Canada Post changes our working conditions, suspends our benefits, or begin layoffs,” an internal bulletin from CUPW stated.

The crown corporation offered new proposals earlier this week, but the union says they “fall short” on wages, cost-of-living adjustments, and other areas.

Trade board worried about possible economic impacts

The Surrey Board of Trade (SBOT) is among a number of groups across the country worried about what another strike in six months could mean for this country.

The board says it respects the collective bargaining process, but it’s calling on government intervention to stop this from escalating further. Adding, a prolonged work stoppage would have “significant implications for businesses,” regardless of whether they are big or small.

“Postal disruptions don’t just inconvenience customers-they interrupt the momentum of businesses working hard to rebound and expand,” said Joslyn Young, the board’s CEO. “At a time when many are focused on building back better, stability in essential services is critical to job creation and economic progress.”

It feels like another postal service disruption also tarnishes Canada’s reputation as a potential, reliable trading partner, she explains.

“Canada cannot afford to signal to global partners that our infrastructure is unreliable,” said Young. “We need to continue building resilience-internally and externally-through stable, modern, and efficient systems that support trade and innovation.”

Ongoing labour unrest puts stress on local freight companies

Juhee Cha is the communications manager at Chit Chats, a shipping provider that helps Canadian e-commerce entrepreneurs get their packages across the country and ship around the world.

“A lot of our businesses rely on Canada Post,” Cha told 1130 NewsRadio on Thursday.

She says they’ve been down this road before, including just six months ago during the previous Canada Post strike, and have been working on contingency plans for a while to offset any potential delays or major backlogs.

“Due to the nature of Canada Post being the main delivery service in Canada … there are some Canadian areas that other couriers don’t deliver to, for example, P.O. Boxes and letter mail is a huge thing,” Cha explained.

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“But because of the volume that was diverted away from Canada Post, everyone was flooded. That includes UPS and FedEx, we use a variety of partners. This impacted sellers because they promised customers that packages would be delivered within a certain time. Our hands were tied because they’re doing their best to get shipments moving, but as you know, there’s only so much we can do.”

Cha says it’s a stressful time for their staff and customers.

“Chit Chats has gone through probably three strikes since the inception of the company. It’s not something that we’re unfamiliar with; we’re very familiar with it, unfortunately. The thing we’re seeing right now is the amount of questions. New people coming and asking, ‘Hey, I heard there is a strike, what do I do? Can I use you guys? How does this work?’ We’re trying to help all of the clients we can.”

She points out that during the last strike, Chit Chats brought extra staff on board to handle everything, but it hasn’t yet made that move because things remain unclear.

Last fall’s strike ended after the federal government intervened, but the two sides had not reached a new collective agreement.