More Cities Strike In Ontario and Quebec

2,000 postal workers join picket lines

For Immediate Release

Ottawa – Member of Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) from numerous locals in Ontario walked off the job at 12:01 am (ET) this morning. In total, 11 locals in Ontario began striking this morning:

• Chatham
• Clinton
• Georgetown
• Milton
• Orangeville
• Port Hope
• Starford
• Strathroy
• Tillsonburg
• Wingham
• Woodstock

The Ontario workers joined their brothers and sisters in Quebec City from the Quebec local, who walked off the job an hour before at 11 pm (ET).

“After more than ten months of negotiations, the intervention of two mediators and two weeks of rotating strikes, Canada Post’s true coulours are emerging,” says Mike Palecek, CUPW National President. “The lofty rhetoric of wanting to work with us to reach fair agreements for our workers is turning out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors. It needs to be said: Canada Post talks the talk, but doesn’t walk the walk.”

CUPW has 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,” says Palecek.

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

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