CUPW Strike Heads to London and Barrie

1,400 more Postal Workers Join Picket Lines

For Immediate Release

Ottawa – Members of Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) from the London and Barrie locals in Ontario walked off the job this evening – at 10 pm (ET) in London and 11:30 pm in Barrie – as part of CUPWs third week of rotating strikes.

“We are entering our third week of rotating strikes because management still refuses to address the urgent health and safety issues that have left postal workers the most injured group of workers in the federal sector,” says Mike Palecek, CUPW National President. “We have a health and safety crisis at Canada Post. We've seen injury rates skyrocket. This has got to be fixed.”

CUPW has also called on a national overtime ban for both of its major bargaining units at Canada Post. Postal workers, no matter what their job at Canada Post, will not work more than an eight-hour day and not more than a 40-hour week. ‘’Overburdening, overtime and overwork are all major issues in this round of bargaining. Until Canada Post negotiators’ address it, we can solve it for ourselves in the meantime.” said CUPW National President Mike Palecek.

The 1,400 London and Barrie workers joined 1,800 of their fellow workers from Scarborough, ON (except Pickering facility) who went on strike earlier today.

CUPW members are still without agreements for the Urban Postal Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) bargaining unit after almost a year of negotiations.

-30-

For more information: CUPW Communications - [email protected], (613) 882-2742