After 20 months of talks, two national strikes and countless angry press releases, is there finally a glimmer of hope that Canada Post and its 53,000 workers could be nearing an end to their contract dispute?
That’s a distinct possibility, say labour relations analysts, who point to a series of meetings over the last week, along with substantially toned-down public rhetoric from Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), as signs that momentum is finally building towards an agreement.
While neither side has shared precise details of what they’ve been talking about since an initial discussion with a federally appointed mediator last Thursday, it’s clear there’s a more collegial public tone, and some hope of progress at the bargaining table, said McMaster University labour studies professor Stephanie Ross.
“If the parties are continuing to talk, they think there’s some value in it,” said Ross. “Both sides needed to turn down the rhetoric. You need to find common ground, and it’s hard to do that when each side’s blaming the other.”
Unlike earlier in the dispute, the Crown corporation has refrained from pointing out its ballooning losses, and blaming the union for increasing them, Ross noted. The union, meanwhile, has refrained from demonizing the federal government and Canada Post management.
“On November 3, CUPW negotiators returned to the bargaining table with the support of federal mediators. We are focussed on overcoming disagreements between the parties and advancing negotiations,” the union said in an emailed statement.
“The parties have continued their dialogue…to see how we can move the negotiations forward. We are committed to reaching negotiated settlements and understand the importance of providing certainty for employees and Canadians,” Canada Post said.
It’s no coincidence, argued University of Toronto labour studies professor Rafael Gomez, that the apparent progress is coming just days before a Sunday deadline the federal government gave Canada Post to come up with a plan to implement a broad restructuring the government gave permission for in late September.
”I think that’s playing into it,” said Gomez, noting that the restructuring given the go-ahead by federal infrastructure minister Joël Lightbound in September contained several items which had been recommended in a May report from the Industrial Inquiry Commission run by veteran mediator William Kaplan. Among the changes Lightbound approved were the elimination of home mail delivery, greater use of community mailboxes, and the closure of some rural post offices.
The federal government may have given unofficial notice to the financially-struggling Crown corporation that it could get permission for even more changes if there’s finally a contract agreement, Gomez said.
“I think there’s a carrot that’s being dangled in front of management that’s saying, ‘if you get this deal, we can talk about the other items,’” said Gomez.
Lightbound announced Sept. 25 that he’s giving the Crown corp. 45 days to come up with a plan to implement the broad restructuring. That period officially ends Sunday. Lightbound also said he expected management to do its part in belt-tightening, noting that the Crown corp. has racked up more than $5 billion in losses since 2018, and is on track to lose $1.5 billion in 2025.
Within hours of Lightbound’s announcement, CUPW members went out on their second national strike in under a year. That strike was subsequently downgraded to a rotating regional strike. Now, as the initial shock of Lightbound’s announcement wears off, both sides seem like they’re finally eager to put a deal together, said Brock University labour studies professor Larry Savage.
“The union understandably got its back up when the federal government dropped a bombshell mid-bargaining, but with time, clarity is setting in and both sides seem finally ready to get this deal done,” said Savage. “For the union, it’s about minimizing the damage at this point.”
