Rotating postal strike hits Hat

By Gillian Slade on November 6, 2018.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com  @MHNGillianSlade

Striking postal workers walked the picket line in Medicine Hat on Monday and a row of Canada Post vehicles stood idle in the parking lot at the Kipling Street post office.

The strike is about “overburdening of workers” across the country, said Doris Salmaso, president of the local 776 of Canadian Union of Postal Workers. “We want health and safety regulations to stop overburdening.”

With the introduction of community mailboxes, the number of city delivery routes was reduced from 50 to 24, and each route became longer, said Salmaso. The increased number of parcels, believed to be a result of online shopping, has also added to the time it takes to complete a route. Consistently, staff are having to work 10-hour shifts, she explained. In general, overtime is paid but workers would rather have regular shifts with overtime only in unusual circumstances, she explained.

For postal workers in rural areas there is an assigned route to complete within a specified time. If it takes longer than that specified time they are not paid any overtime, said Salmaso. The strike is also about wanting these workers to be paid by the hour rather than the time assigned for a route.

Postal workers hired prior to 2013 earn $26 an hour while those hired since get $19, said Salmaso.

Rotating postal strikes have now affected 90 communities across the country, with Medicine Hat being one of the latest, according to Canada Post’s website.

“As a result, customers could see delays of several days. Mail and parcels will not be delivered or picked up in impacted areas while the union continues their strike activity,” says the website.

Postal workers who work indoors preparing the mail for delivery,are also short staffed, making it difficult to manage the volume of mail in the allotted time, said Jammie Walter, who works at the Kipling Street post office.

Postal workers don’t anticipate any decline in the volume of mail because the alternative for the public is couriers who charge considerably more than Canada Post, said Walter.

This strike is not about asking the taxpayer to take on an extra burden because Canada Post consistently makes a profit, said Salmaso.

“Canada Post remains committed to the bargaining process,” said a spokesperson in an email to the News. “The Corporation has made significant offers to CUPW that include increased wages, job security and improved benefits, and it has not asked for any concessions in return.”

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