Postal workers across the country are on strike as of this morning after the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post failed to reach a negotiated settlement.
The action comes after the union issued a 72-hour strike notice to the country’s national postal service on Tuesday.
In a statement, CUPW said that “a strike is a last resort.”
“Canada Post had the opportunity to prevent this strike, but it has refused to negotiate real solutions to the issues postal workers face every day. Instead, Canada Post left us no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members exposed to layoffs,” CUPW said.
Canada Post said in a statement that “customers will experience delays due to the strike activity.”
“Shutting down facilities across the country will affect Canada Post’s entire national network,” Canada Post said.
As worries surrounding a potential disruption grew, several municipalities nationwide — including the populous Ontario communities of Kitchener, Guelph and Durham Region — posted advisories to residents encouraging them to switch to online methods of paying bills and submitting documents.
CUPW represents more than 55,000 workers across Canada, including in more than 60 locals in Ontario.
