Local striking postal workers say they will be unable to deliver return letters from Santa to children in Medicine Hat this year. However, kids are still encouraged to write a letter to Santa, who will still receive all letters this Christmas.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Santa will still receive Christmas letters written in Medicine Hat and surrounding communities, however due to the ongoing postal strike, children in the region will not be receiving a personal reply from the North Pole this year.
Local 776 CUPW says they do not have the available people to promise children they will be able to deliver a return letter back from Santa through the annual Canada Post ‘Write a letter to Santa’ program, which is more than 40 years old.
“It’s one thing to collect the letters and get them out to the big guy, but just trying to get responses delivered with everything going on, we don’t have a time frame on when that could possibly be,” says local 776 president Ross Naroznick.
Naroznick says as more than CUPW 100 postal workers in Medicine Hat, Brooks and surrounding communities continue their push for fair wages, safer working conditions, pensions and expanding public services offered by the Crown corporation, striking postal workers are unable to act as Santa’s helpers this year.
“Every year, a lot of our members get as much joy delivering them and seeing some of the kids when they get their letters,” says Naroznick. “It warms our hearts as well, it’s something that we enjoy doing.
“What’s going on with the strike and everything that takes up so much time, so many resources, so much energy, to try to do anything extra and try to figure out some sort of framework for everything is just something that is a lot more difficult.”
Children in Medicine Hat are still encouraged to write to Santa and his team of elves at the North Pole. His mailing address is: Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada.
Today marks day 21 of a national strike of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents more than 55,000 postal workers who went on strike Nov. 15.
Canada Post said it presented a new framework to the union over the weekend that could bring both parties back to the bargaining table after a federally appointed special mediator temporarily suspended negotiations last week.
Naroznick did tell the News that local workers are encouraged by some of the progress on negotiations around their pension, one of the key issues the union is fighting for.
“Basically it was told to us that it was a big step in getting closer to an agreement.”
However, Naroznick says another key issue the union and Canada Post are not agreeing on is the company’s proposal to bring in temporary part-time workers to fill delivery gaps on weekends as a cost saving measure.
“That’s something that’s still a big no go,” explains Naroznick. “Because if they drop everything down to part time, then nobody’s going to be able to afford a job here.”
According to national media sources the CUPW has sent a counter-proposal back to the federal minister and says it’s ready to get back to the bargaining table.
