President's Message May 2012
National is reporting that the Union has won a stay in Federal Court for the interest arbitration proceedings imposed by the government for the Urban Operations collective agreement. The review will be heard on July 25, 2012. The government is attempting to force another management biased arbitrator on the Union. Mr. Guy Dufort was involved with the Federal Conservative Party and also worked for Canada Post during the PSAC negotiations. The Union won a federal court decision in January on the previous government appointee, Judge Coulter Osbourne, because he was not bilingual and had no labour law experience. Urban members are still covered under the 2007 contract and will continue to be covered pending the outcome of the court decision and arbitration.
The Union presented Canada Post with a global offer in the Rural and Suburban Mail Carrier (RSMC) negotiations in early May 2012. The Union rejected the employers request for a Regional pay structure which would have meant different pay rates for RSMC's based on were they were working in the country. Highlights in the Union's demands include an hourly pay rate, overtime rates, cost of living allowance, admail payments, vacation, paid sick leave, injury on duty leave, long term disability plan, uniforms, the same as the Urban Operations collective agreement. RSMC's do the same job as Urban Operations letter carriers and it is only fair that they receive the same compensation and benefits.
Canada Post is reporting a loss of $253 million dollars in 2011. This is the first time after 16 years of profits there was a loss. The employer is saying the loss is because of the Supreme Court decision on pay equity, the labour disruption from last summer, mail erosion, and pension liabilities. Obviously the losses are a result of management's poor decisions. If they did not lock postal worker's out, the Union's rotating strikes would have only had a minor affect. If Canada Post had paid female employees properly back in the early1980's, they would not have the liability now. If Canada Post has not invested so aggressively in equities the pension plan would not have lost as much money. If Canada Post had not reduced service by removing street letter boxes, closing Corporate Retail Counters in favour of franchises, and doing nothing to stop the deregulation of the international mailer and re-mailer's by the government, they would still be in the black.
Management has implemented its staffing realignment strategy at the Hamilton Mail Processing Plant (HMPP) and the Local is already receiving reports of the additional hours being worked on days and afternoons. The Local has filed a grievance on the staffing change. The employer clearly needed to hire more employees on afternoons and nights but not at the expense of full time day shift jobs. The employer's age old strategy is for the clerks to do more work with less employees regardless of the reality.
The Union has been dealing with the employer around the local playing the game of telling injured and disabled employees that there is no modified work. In the Urban Operations collective agreement Article 54 is very clear that employees have the right to submit medical documentation for temporary and permanent accommodations. While there is no specific contractual language in the RSMC contract the employer still has obligations to accommodate disabled employees under the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) policies and the Canadian Human Rights Act. If management is telling you they have no modified work please contact the Local for assistance. In the case of a WSIB claim you should also contact WSIB to notify them that the employer is not providing modified duties.
Canada Post needs to stop whining about self inflicted wounds. There are a number of solutions to the current situation that could turn things around. They need to stop constantly telling employees that the sky is falling. They need to stop viciously attacking the workers pay and benefits in order to pay for their poor decisions. They need to stop treating the worker's like their expendable. They need to settle a contract with the Union without the government's interference in both the Urban Operations and with the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers. They need to start listening to what the Union and its members have been telling them instead of constantly ignoring us. They need to treat the workers with respect and dignity.
In solidarity,
Mark Platt
President,
Hamilton Local 548