Canada Post Update: Strike or Lockout could take effect Friday

Canada Post’s union CUPW delivered 72 hour notice of job action on Tuesday morning, November 12.

The postal union announced its intent to strike and, if followed through with, would go into effect as early as Friday morning.

CUPW representatives commented that the national executive board has yet to decide if a job action will occur at the 72 hour deadline. It is dependent, they say, on if ensuing talks with Canada Post are productive.

“After almost a year of bargaining, despite our best efforts, the parties remain far apart on many issues,” the union said in statement.

The CUPW strike would primarily impact mail and package delivery during the ever-important Christmas season, while also potentially leading to closures of larger post offices in urban centres. There is no confirmation yet if potential strikes would be rotating, or Canada-wide.

In terms of local delivery, local post office employees have ensured Caribou Publishing that their offices are expected to remain operational, and weekly newspapers will be put in post office boxes as usual as long as they are delivered to each individual post office, which is the current plan.

It is not known fully how this could affect rural mail, as it was advised by a source that while some may be able to pick up their mail at their nearest town’s post office, others may not.

In the event of lapsed mail coverage, plans are being put in place by The Community Press and Caribou Publishing to have newspaper pick up locations around the county where rural readers can still grab a local newspaper. This will begin with the November 20 edition, unless the two sides come to an agreement.

Online e-editions of the newspaper will also be available free of charge for any and all readers affected by a work stoppage. This ensures that advertisers will benefit from as many readers as possible, and likely even more than usual, as we are committed to remaining the top source of local news and advertising in our region during any disruption.

Stay tuned here for further details leading up to the November 20 edition.