National Grievance File

Following the decision by several employees to exercise their right to refuse to perform work because of work methods they deemed dangerous to their health and safety, the Corporation unilaterally adopted measures, including hiring staff, without referring the matter to the appropriate health and safety committees and without negotiating an agreement or solution with the Union. The Union was informed that the cost of this unilateral decision by the Corporation would be taken out of the financial cap set out in the collective agreement. Consequently, the Corporation violated the collective agreement.

The Canada Post Corporation is refusing or failing to pay absent rural and suburban letter carriers for the designated paid holidays provided for in the collective agreement. In doing so, Canada Post is violating the provisions of the collective agreement, more specifically, but not limited to, Article 16. In addition, the Corporation is also violating legislation in situations where employees are absent for fewer than fifteen (15) days in the thirty (30)-day period prior to the designated paid holiday.

The Corporation has improperly initiated a process to assess RMBs. The assessment process has been instituted by Canada Post without agreement and without sufficient meaningful consultation with the Union of the JHSC. On April 19, 2007, the Corporation notified the Union of the creation of a separate organization to complete the assessment of RMBs. The Corporation continues to conduct assessments and investigations of RMBs without the proper involvement of CUPW health and safety representatives as required by Part II of the Canada Labour Code. In so doing, the Corporation is in violation of the collective agreement including Articles 1, 3, 7, 24, 34 and Part II of the Canada Labour Code.

The Canada Post Corporation is contravening the provisions of the collective agreement by charging expenses to the financial cap that are not contemplated by the collective agreement nor agreed to by the union.

The Union grieves that, even though the employer has signed national agreements regarding the hiring of three hundred (300) employees to relieve route holders on leave, it has yet to make every effort to abide by the collective agreement and related agreements. Canada Post is violating the collective agreement and the relevant agreements.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers grieves that the Corporation is in violation of Article 35 and other applicable provisions of the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers Collective Agreement in its determination of the amount to be applied against the financial cap with respect to the pension plan.

On June 3, 2008, the Union received a letter dated May 30, 2008 in which the employer informed the Union of its intent to introduce unilaterally an “Employee Referral Program.” This program consists in paying $500.00 to any employee who refers someone for a position in the RSMC bargaining unit. The employer is violating the provisions of the collective agreement.

CUPW has learned that the Corporation is violating sub-paragraph 7.2 (d) (ii) of Appendix “D” of the collective agreement by refusing to pay 2.3 ¢ for each piece of householder mail on a compressed delivery schedule, and, more specifically, for all householders intended for same-day delivery.

The Canada Post Corporation (CPC) has informed the Union that it intends to contract out undeliverable publications mail to Vangent Canada Limited. In so doing, the Canada Post Corporation is violating the provisions of the collective agreement.

The employer violated the provisions of the CUPW-CPC collective agreement, including, but not limited to, Appendix “MM,” when the definition of seniority was amended to add to the seniority already recognized, the length of continuous service within the Post Office Department or the Canada Post Corporation between the first date of hiring to carry out bargaining unit work and the date on which the employee became a regular employee. On or about December 12, 2007, when the new seniority lists were established and posted, CUPW members noticed that the employer had granted periods of seniority that had already been lost to employees who had worked in other bargaining units. This constitutes a serious violation of the collective agreement and is prejudicial to the Union and its members.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) grieves that the Canada Post Corporation (CPC) has violated Article 12 and other relevant provisions of the collective agreement by creating, in the wicket or counter sections of staff offices grades 9 and up, a total number of part-time positions that exceeds ten per cent (10%) of the number of full-time positions in the wicket or counter sections of staff offices grades 9 and up.

The Canada Post Corporation is violating the collective agreement by not modifying the sortation and preparation standards for routes with a high number of points of call.