Weekend talks between Canada Post and union end without a deal

Mediated talks between Canada Post and its unionized workers ended this weekend without a negotiated settlement.

Canada Post says it put forward a “workable and affordable” weekend delivery model that would allow it to compete in the parcel delivery market using dedicated part-time staff.

The money-losing Crown corporation has pitched the expansion of weekend delivery to boost revenue and compete with other carriers, arguing that a mix of part-time and full-time shifts will create flexibility while keeping costs down. However, the union has characterized this as an attack on full-time work.

The Crown corporation says the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) showed little meaningful movement this weekend and failed to acknowledge the significant challenges Canada Post is facing.

“Over the past year, CUPW has continued to put forward proposals that would create more rigidity in our delivery model, add significant costs, and accelerate the company’s declining financial position,” Canada Post said in a statement on Sunday.

“The union has maintained this approach, providing no basis to break the impasse with continued discussions at this time. We are disappointed we were not able to reach a deal this weekend, but remain committed to negotiating new collective agreements.”

CUPW said it put forth “meaningful proposals” when it came to weekend parcel deliveries while protecting full-time jobs, but that Canada Post “continued to demand significant rollbacks that no union could accept.”

CUPW added that it remains dedicated and focused on reaching negotiated collective agreements “at the bargaining table” and is ready to resume talks.

Canada Post says the financial challenges facing the organization were underscored at the end of January when the federal government provided just over $1 billion in short-term funding to see the Crown corporation through the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Canada Post says it has lost $3.3 billion since 2018 due to a decline in letter mail and increased competition in the parcel delivery market.

A month-long strike by 55,000 postal workers last December highlighted the issues plaguing the 157-year-old institution and ended without a contract resolution after the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered workers back to work.

The union is challenging the government’s intervention in the labour dispute, and the next hearings for that challenge are scheduled for March 3 and 4.

CUPW said in the press release Friday that as part of negotiations in January, Canada Post demanded they agree to a clause that would force them to give up the challenge. The union said this infringed on its legal rights.

The federal government appointed an industrial inquiry commission to assess the structure and business model of Canada Post. Those recommendations are due by May 15.

Editor’s Note: this story has been corrected to clarify CUPW’s statement as it relates to the weekend negotiations.