Also in today’s edition: Nova Scotia’s election and breakaway roping
Good morning. The Canada Post strike over wages and working conditions drags on – more on that below, along with Nova Scotia’s low-key election and the fastest event in Canadian rodeo. But first:, after more than 55,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers walked off the job on Friday, shutting down mail service across the country.
Those issues include benefits, sick leave, job conditions and security, but the two biggies come down to wages and weekends. CUPW would like a compounded wage increase of 24 per cent over four years; Canada Post has proposed an 11.5-per-cent increase. And while Canada Post wants to hire contract workers so it can begin delivering parcels on weekends, CUPW says existing full-time employees should make the deliveries instead.
That’s money the corporation can ill afford right now. Canada Post says it has lost $3-billion since 2016, with nearly $500-million in losses in the first six months of 2024 alone. And the future looks just as bleak: According to its, released in May, Canada Post will run out of cash early next year unless it borrows another $1-billion and refinances $500-million in existing debt. “Canada Post is at a critical juncture in its history,” the report said bluntly.
To make matters worse, speedier rivals like Amazon, FedEx and UPS have claimed a huge chunk of the parcel-delivery market. Right before the pandemic hit, Canada Post delivered 62 per cent of all packages in this country. Currently, it’s more like 29 per cent. Last mention of that 2023 annual report, I promise, but in it, the post office“faster, cheaper and more convenient services” owing in part to a reliance on “low-cost, contracted labour” delivering up to seven days a week.
“We have seen this happen in many workplaces: the greater use of part-timers as a means for the corporation to cut costs,” Stephanie Ross, an associate professor of labour studies at McMaster University,. “Canada Post’s position appears to be that it cannot compete unless it follows the Amazon model of hiring workers for cheap and contracting out delivery. The union is trying to prevent that race to the bottom.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Morning Update: Three Rxs for Canada’s family doctor shortageAlso in today’s edition: Swing-state math and CBC’s new president
Read more »
Morning Update: A sombre anniversary in OttawaAlso in today’s edition: Blackouts in Cuba and the economics of Taylor Swift
Read more »
Morning Update: Young women fight for abortion rights in FloridaAlso in today’s edition: Berlin housing and U.S. pollsters
Read more »
Morning Update: The portrait of a nationAlso in today’s edition: Military prepares for Canadians to flee Lebanon and more on AIMCo’s purge
Read more »
Morning Update: Trump returns to the White HouseAlso in today’s edition: Israel’s new Defence Minister and Newfoundland’s strange blobs
Read more »
Morning Update: The secret mission to save lives in AfghanistanAlso in today’s edition: Immigration targets and Halloween candy
Read more »