Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

HOLIDAY MESSAGE TO UPCE MEMBERS FROM JOHN GORDON

Challenging your employer and taking strike action is difficult; it is even more so at this time of year. Between the weather and the holidays, it takes extra strength to remain on the picket line. I am so proud of your courage and determination in standing up to Canada Post and their attempts to break your solidarity.

• PSAC-UPCE members – Protect your rights at work!

This strike was long and difficult, but you all showed Canada Post, and the labour movement, how committed you were to making improvements on the employer’s offer. And because of your commitment and activism, you were able to move the Corporation; having them return to the bargaining table with an improved offer.

Throughout the strike, Canada Post claimed many members were returning to work; but we knew that was not the case as the picket lines remained strong. While Canada Post claimed that mail delivery had not been hurt by the strike, we knew that the mail was backed up and significantly behind schedule. While Canada Post claimed it was business as usual, we knew that important year-end work was not being completed.

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OTTAWA – The 2,100 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) working at Canada Post have accepted the final offer tabled by their employer early morning on December 21, 2008.

PSAC members, who have been on strike since Nov. 17, had voted on December 13 and 14 to reject employer’s previous offer to replace employee sick leave and family-related leave with the employer’s poorly designed Short Term Disability Plan . This latest offer contains improvements to the short-term disability plan.

Highlights of the final offer made by Canada Post are: salary increases of 2.5% in 2008 and 2009 and 2.75% in 2010 and 2011 for a four-year contract and a $500 signing bonus.

The previous collective agreement between UPCE/PSAC and Canada Post expired on August 31, 2008, and negotiations began on June 4, 2008.

PSAC members at Canada Post provide customer service and perform administrative, financial, technical and professional duties.

A ratification vote has been scheduled for PSAC/UPCE employees at Canada Post.

Dec 21 – Vancouver RO, 200 – 5238 Joyce Street, 11AM
Dec 22 – Vancouver, 411 Dunsmuir St. (411 Seniors Centre), 11AM
Dec 22 – Victoria Regional Office, 9AM

Download the ratification kit in English here. In French here. (pdf)

The Public Service Alliance of Canada will be asking members at Canada Post Corporation to vote on the employer’s final offer. The PSAC and Canada Post returned to the bargaining table last night and bargained until this morning when the employer tabled its final offer.

PSAC members, who have been on strike since Nov. 17, voted last week to reject the employer’s previous offer which proposed to replace employee sick leave and family-related leave with a short-term disability program.

The PSAC negotiating team believes that the Corporation’s mandate is firm and that further improvements will not be forthcoming. This latest final offer contains some improvements to the short-term disability plan.

The collective agreement between UPCE/PSAC and Canada Post expired on August 31, 2008, and negotiations began on June 4, 2008.

OTTAWA – Canada Post is misleading employees and the public about a ratification vote on the corporation’s last offer, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). The union maintains that Canada Post made false allegations about the vote in a message posted to employees on the corporation’s website yesterday.

“Canada Post’s complaint is completely without merit and nothing but a shameful abuse of the taxpayer-funded processes of the Canada Industrial Relations Board,” says John Gordon, National President of PSAC, representing the 2,100 administrative and technical employees who have been on strike for 29 days. “More than two out of every three workers who voted rejected the employer’s last offer. Our members came out in droves to send their employer a message that they won’t back down until their sick leave and family-related leave is protected.”

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OTTAWA – Striking Canada Post workers overwhelmingly rejected their employer’s last offer in votes held across the country Saturday and Sunday.

More than two thirds voted against a Canada Post offer that would have replaced the workers’ sick leave and family-related leave with a new short-term disability system proposed by the corporation.

Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) National President, John Gordon, says the vote sends a clear message to Canada Post chief executive officer Moya Greene, her board and management team.

“In at least two letters to the Union and at the bargaining table, Canada Post management insisted that we present this offer to the members” Gordon said. “We did and the members have overwhelmingly rejected it as we knew they would.”

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OTTAWA – Contradictory messages from Canada Post make for difficult negotiations at the bargaining table, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) the union representing more than 2,100 employees currently on strike against Canada Post.

“Canada Post says publicly that they don’t want to reduce the employees’ sick leave while they send emails rejoicing at the possibility of cutting sick leave in half,” said John Gordon, the PSAC National President.

Gordon was referring to a letter to the Ottawa Citizen signed by Mary Traversy, CPC Senior Vice-President Operations and Human Resources on November 26, 2008. In the letter she says:

“It (a newspaper article) wrongly declared that Canada Post wants to “roll back sick leave and eventually phase it out. The idea that we would seek to eliminate sick leave flies in the face of our history.”

This statement contradicts an email sent by Mary Traversy on November 28, 2008 to her senior management team at Canada Post. In the email, Traversy writes: “The change we are trying to make with psac (sic) could be the biggest driver of improvement we have ever seen at CPC. Imagine cutting sick leave in half!”

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Thanks to your work on the picket lines we are going back to the bargaining table.

The mediator has called both Canada Post and your bargaining team back to negotiate. Bargaining will resume by the weekend.

Support your team at the table by maintaining your picket lines.

• Keep doing what you are doing
• Be visible
• Keep Canada Post guessing
• Keep picketing
• Keep calling and writing letters to your MPs

Stay in touch with your picket captain. You will receive updates as soon as they are available.

Together we will win a fair collective agreement.

Vancouver – In order to mark their third week of job action members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) on strike at Canada Post will be moving picket locations to various Canada Post worksites in the Lower Mainland. Striking workers will provide handouts and information to fellow workers at Canada Post thereby slowing the mail as it is being delivered to letter carriers and the public.

2200 members of the Union of Postal Communications Employees (UPCE), a component of the PSAC, have been on strike across Canada since November 17th in protest against proposed changes to their sick leave and family-related leave benefits.

• What: On-going job action against Canada Post, disruption of mail delivery
• Who: Striking members of PSAC/UPCE
• When: Thursday, December 4, beginning at 6AM
• Where: Vancouver, Postal Station D, Broadway at Pine; Richmond, Delivery Centre, River Road; Port Coquitlam Postal Depot

In Victoria this week it has been business as usual on the picket lines, members are continuing to slow down the trucks and one point management watching the picket line outnumbered the picketers! Media coverage has been great – click to read an article on the front page of the Times Colonist. After receiving an injunction barring them from impeding vehicles or workers at their usual location, members switched up their tactics a couple of times to keep Canada Post off guard. They are very appreciative of the support they have received from CUPW, other PSAC Locals and members, and other groups.

In Vancouver, members also switched tactics, picketing as usual in the morning, then moving to outlying areas in the afternoon. The theme of the week was “Union Solidarity” – UPCE members were joined on the line by Jim Sinclair, President of the BC Fed, members of the Telecommunications Workers Union (Telus) and other unions, and as always, members of CUPW. They also received a letter of support from the Teaching Support Staff Union (SFU) and members of the federal NDP caucus.

On Thursday, delegates to the BC Federation of Labour Convention, which is taking place in Vancouver, unanimously passed a resolution calling upon Canada Post to negotiate a fair and just collective agreement and calling on the federal government to keep our postal service universal and public. Several UPCE members were in the media section while the resolution was debated (it did not require much debate) and received a standing ovation from the delegates.

Convention delegates then marched to Library Square where they joined the striking workers, PSAC members from surrounding workplaces, and other supporters in Solidarity. Approximately 350 people listened to speeches and messages of support from UPCE Local President Sharon Tieman, CUPW member Ken Mooney, REVP BC Kay Sinclair, Bill Saunders, President of the Vancouver & District Labour Council, and Jim Sinclair, President of the BC Fed. There were several local media outlets covering the event.

Read on for some photos from Vancouver and a video from Victoria …

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Vancouver – Striking workers at Canada Post and their supporters are holding a rally between 12 and 1 PM today at Library Square in downtown Vancouver. The rally will mark their second week of job action and call for Canada Post to drop concession bargaining demands.

Approximately 125 PSAC members in Vancouver began strike action on November 17th to protest against Canada Post’s attempts to take away sick leave and family-related leave from this predominantly female group.

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Source: The Ottawa Citizen, November 26, page A1

A day after the Public Service Alliance of Canada announced a new federal contract that reflects the tough economic times, the union is giving no ground at Canada Post, where 2,100 of its members are on strike over sick leave.

Under a deal proposed by Canada Post, union members would get a new contract that includes a 10.5-per-cent wage increase over four years. But the workers walked out last week over a contentious proposal by Canada Post to roll back sick leave and eventually phase it out.

The union says Canada Post is trying to claw back health gains enshrined in previous agreements and members would not stand for it.

At a news conference yesterday, PSAC president John Gordon vowed the union will not be bullied into making concessions that, in the end, will give insurance companies the final say on the health of its members.

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Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada working at Canada Post are on strike to protect their hard-earned sick leaves and family related leave. They voted 88% in favour of strike action because they don’t want the new short term disability system that Canada Post is trying to impose on its employees.

The 100 members in Vancouver have been out on strike since Nov 17th with no immediate return to the table scheduled. In anticipation of a second week of picketing, the group is planning a noon hour rally to show Canada Post that their support and resolve is strong! Please come out and show your support and solidarity.

• When: Thursday November 27, 2008
• Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• Where: Library Square, Vancouver Library, Georgia & Homer
• Contact: Garry Fraser 604-317-4979

Thank you for your Solidarity and Support! “The longer the line, the shorter the strike!”

OTTAWA- Canada Post Corporation is misleading Canadians about the quality of mail delivery during the current strike by 2 000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

““We know that mail volumes are down and that there are delays as a result of this national strike,” said Lemelin. “That means people will be going elsewhere for postal services during the Christmas rush and Canada Post will be losing revenues.”

According to reports the union receives from strike locations in each province, CUPW truck drivers cross the picket lines very carefully and very deliberately and take the time to listen to information provided by the strikers.

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Canada Post Corporation is trying to deprive PSAC members of benefits that the majority of unionized workers in Canada are entitled to.  It is a fundamental issue which our members and all of the labour movement in Canada are ready to fight for.

Email your Member of Parliament today. Tell them you want Canada Post to take its short term disability system off the table in its negotiations with the PSAC.

We encourage you to use the PSAC template letter to write your MP, and ask them what they are doing about this situation.

In Victoria traffic was slower and Local Presidents Ian Wiggs (UNDE 21008) and Pete Wills (UEW 20076) brought financial donations to the UPCE 20104 strike fund.

In Vancouver members set up pickets early this morning and spirits were high. CUPW showed support and solidarity by taking their daily walk around the block at coffee – they were greeted with donuts. 13 Canada Post managers spent most of the day standing around doing nothing, staffing the doors and REVP Jeannie Baldwin visited the line and brought a message of solidarity from the Atlantic region.

Early this morning in Vancouver, after a very successful evening setting up a surprise picket line at the Richmond plant – the plant director had to come from home to manage the situation – UPCE members continued to picket outside the main depot. Despite the rain turnout was excellent, including one member who is eight months pregnant. Local President Sharon Tieman was interviewed by CKNW radio and Vice-President Neil Brown also spoke to the media. Once again CUPW members took their coffee break en masse and walked around the block in Solidarity and once again UPCE members cheered them on. In the early afternoon, BC Supreme Court issued an injunction barring members from impeding vehicles or workers at specific locations in the Lower Mainland. Members were disappointed with this decision, but vowed to continue to pressure Canada Post. The caucus met this afternoon to strategize, and we shall see what tomorrow brings.

In Victoria it rained as well but picketers were warmed by overwhelming support from CUPW members. Trucks, cars and cabs experienced hour-long delays leaving the processing plant.

Here are some some photos from Richmond and Vancouver …

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Please be advised that the BC Supreme Court has issued an injunction today. We are disappointed with this decision, however our recommendation and direction to striking members in Vancouver is to comply with the court order. We will be distributing copies of the order to picketers without delay.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact your Picket or Strike Captain, or a PSAC staff person.

On Tuesday, the strike made front page news in the Vancouver 24 Hours daily and Sharon Tieman, Local President, was quoted. Canada Post changed its strategy and picketers adapted theirs accordingly while morale remained high. On Wednesday morning at 8AM, PSAC members were joined en masse by approximately 300 Sisters and Brothers from CUPW, who “took a walk around the block”. Our members were hugely appreciative of this gesture and applauded them all the way. UPCE National President Richard DesLauriers is in Vancouver and also joined the picket line along with CUPW Local 864 President Robert Mulvin.

In Victoria, on Tuesday, really strong lines again received excellent support from the CUPW Executive who joined the picket. A unionized trades worker refused to cross the line to fix some issues inside the facility and told us he would return when the strike was over. There was support from a UVAE member as well. On Wednesday the weather remained cooperative while music and food was provided by the CUPW Local and enjoyed by one and all. As in Vancouver, large numbers of CUPW members walked the line in their show of support.

Read more some photos taken November 19 & video taken November 18 in Vancouver, click the thumbnails for a larger version …

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Over 80 members PSAC members, accompanied by music, set up picket lines early Monday morning at the Canada Post main depot in Vancouver to protest against the corporation’s efforts to impose a new short term disability system that was clearly rejected by almost 9 out of 10 of those employees.

In Victoria, members picketed at the mail processing plant on Glanford Avenue. Both picket lines recieved strong support from fellow CUPW Union members, spirits were high, and the weather was very cooperative. Visit the national website for a strike bulletin from coast to coast to coast.

Here are some photos from Vancouver (click on the thumbnails for a larger version) and a video from Victoria …

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