President's Message March 2011
The strike vote for Urban Operations members is on April 4, 2011, at the Sheraton Hotel in Hamilton. There will be three meetings and the times are 8:30 am, 1:00 pm, & 7:00 pm, to accommodate all three shifts. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) National Constitution requires an information and question session be held before the voting. The voting is done by secret ballot and the results will not be released until all the Local across the country have had their strike votes. There will be National CUPW Representatives making the presentation.
Please bring your Union card to the votes. If you have lost your Union card the Local will have lists to verify members in good standing and allow entry. The Local will be taking names and contact information for members who do not have up to date cards in order to notify the CUPW National Office so they can send you a card. For members who have never signed a Union card, the Local will have Applications for Membership, and if you pay the $5.00 fee, you can participate in the meeting. All Urban Operations members in good standing can vote, including temporary employees who have signed Union cards. In case members of the public are asking the question, the Union has negotiated an agreement with Canada Post to deliver Pension and social assistance cheques in the event of a strike. The Local would recruit volunteers as required. Volunteers would receive a $50.00 honorarium.
As we get closer to the possibility of a strike, members are becoming more aware of the significant rollbacks the employer is trying to shove down our throats. In spite of years of profits no member is left untouched. Sick time, vacation entitlement, lower rate of pay for new hires, wash up time and lunch break, it goes on and on, the employer arrogantly assumes postal workers will simply roll over. The eyes of Canada Post are on you to gauge your reaction. Now more then ever it is important all members work to rule and support the Unions negotiator's. Please wear the Union buttons and follow the work rules. And please tell the employer what you think of the massive rollbacks.
The Local was notified that more cameras are going to be installed at the Hamilton Mail Processing Plant (HMPP). The Union consulted with Canada Post at the National and Local level. Unfortunately the employer could not give us assurances that video evidence from the cameras would not be used to discipline employees for not following corporate policies which covers everything from uniforms, codes of conduct, to work performance, in violation of Article 41 of the Urban Operations collective agreement. The Union has filed a grievance at the National level on the issue.
Myself, along with 3 other Local President's from across the country, testified for the Union in the formal arbitration NOO-07-00028 in Ottawa. This is the grievance on the force back issue for the letter carriers. I gave my testimony on March 24th, 2011. There is still more hearing dates in June. I would like to thank all the shop stewards from the letter carrier depots who provided copies of the force backs lists, and particularly LCD 1, LCD 2, LCD 4, Grimsby, and Hamilton West. This evidence was presented to the arbitrator at the hearing. The Unions lawyer informed me that the employers force back lists in Hamilton are the most disorganized in the country. The Local has filed a grievance on the lists.
We have all heard about the fall of the incompetent Federal Conservatives and upcoming federal election in May. The Conservatives were held in contempt of parliament and plagued by scandal after scandal. Who could forget the 1 billion dollar boondoggle of the G-20 summit. These undemocratic actions forced the other political parties to finally pull the plug on a tired idealogical regime. The possibility of a strike will no doubt be centre stage as one of the campaign issues so it is important to remember where we came from. There was a time when the Post Office was losing millions of dollars and it was extremely difficult for the Union and its membership to make the case for postal workers. Now that there has been more then 15 years of profits, postal workers have never been in a stronger bargaining position. Be proud of your accomplishments as a postal worker. We have every right to push the employer back on its arrogant demands for massive rollbacks. Only the super rich, Corporations, and Conservatives, possess the warped thinking that they should reap huge profits while workers take rollbacks.
In solidarity
Mark Platt
President