The federal election is underway and it is one of the most important in years for postal workers. With the Conservatives previously in a minority position, the other parties have been able to counter balance their big business agenda and stop them from doing what George Bush has done to the United States. If the Conservatives get a majority we can expect accelerated attacks on public services, deregulation, and the inevitable job cuts. There have been a number of National bulletins about the Strategic Review currently underway. For those of us around
from the 1980's, and early '90's, we remember the chaotic era of the Mulroney Conservatives. We received little or no raises during this period and there was massive restructuring along with a number of strikes. The government used helicopters and scab labour at huge expense during strikes and CPC tried their best to bust the Union but failed. If the Tories get a majority they will try again. Please exercise your democratic right and vote.
Many of you have received a letter from CPC regarding your existing medical accommodations. The Local is advising members to request grievance time and to file a grievance immediately. The Local has already filed a policy grievance. It appears that CPC is going on a fishing expedition and hoping members will blindly follow their subcontractor, Manulife, with the goal of revisiting established restrictions. If you are approached by management get a Union rep immediately and do not sign anything or agree to anything.
The Local consulted with the employer on the upcoming schedule change for the Thanksgiving weekend, and again, management was unwilling to make any compromises on their proposals. It is becoming more difficult for the Local to waste its time sitting down for what the contract says should be meaning consultation when CPC tells us what they are going to do and ignore the member's requests.
The Local has filed a grievance for the lack of a full rotation of duties in the new Megasection, also know as Short & Long. The Local has also filed a grievance for the employers posting of the bids for S/L, P/T positions in Ads & Pubs, and P/T positions in O/S, without agreement from the Local. We had requested they hold off until the regular assignment bid in October. Instead they rammed it through causing significant confusion amongst plant workers. The Local has also filed a grievance for the full time jobs moved to nights in Oversize and the part timing of jobs onto days in O/S. Unfortunately it appears that the employer prefers incurring the significant expense of the grievance procedure to negotiating with the Union on the member's concerns.
CPC has recently been targeting Union Stewards with unwarranted discipline and systematic harassment. The Local and the membership will not tolerate this attack against the Union and the collective agreement. Both parties signed the contract in good faith and are suppose to honour it. In the plant and the depots the Local is seeing more and more solidarity amongst the members in response to managements attacks. An example of this is the Letter Carriers at LDC 1 who walked out in unison for a 15 minute break for an unjustified emergency suspension against a shop steward. Management has been frustrated by the Local's transparency with the members before, during, and after consultations. Knowledge is power and the members have a right to know.
The employees have been the driving force behind CPC's profits for the last 13 years. We have seen different management reps come and go but the members move the mail in spite of some very incompetent management decisions. And this is how they repay us. Instead of being a pleasant place to work, members are on edge and feel like they are under siege by the employer. As the saying goes, you kick a dog long enough and they get tired of it and bite you.
In solidarity,
Mark Platt President
