After weeks of stalled negotiations and mounting pressure on both sides, Canada Post is set to present new global offers to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) on Friday.
The meeting comes 44 days after CUPW last submitted its own proposals and 63 days since the conclusion of a forced vote that failed to resolve the impasse.
Union negotiators confirmed they will receive the Corporation’s latest proposals during Friday’s session. Once the offers are reviewed, CUPW says it will provide members with an update “as soon as possible.”
The labour standoff has stretched on for months, with 55,000 postal workers represented by CUPW locked in negotiations with the Crown corporation over wages, part-time work, and delivery standards.
In early August, CUPW members rejected what Canada Post described as its “final offer.” The union countered with a proposal that the Corporation argued added “significant new costs and restrictions at a challenging time” for the postal service.
Canada Post, which continues to report financial losses, has pushed for concessions on issues such as weekend delivery and the use of part-time staff, while CUPW has sought stronger protections and improved compensation for its members.
Adding to the tension, CUPW recently escalated job action by banning the delivery of unaddressed flyers, known as Neighbourhood Mail. The union said the move was necessary to pressure Canada Post back to the bargaining table. The Corporation, in turn, urged CUPW to lift the ban, arguing that millions of flyers remain “trapped in the network.”
