Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers or CUPW is a public sector
trade union
representing postal worker
s employed at Canada Post
as well as private sector workers outside Canada Post.
for all public sector employees. Other major industrial actions included a strike in 1968 and a campaign of walkouts in 1970 that resulted in above average wage increases. Further strikes in 1974 and 1975 succeeded in gaining job security in the face of new technology at the post office. A 1978 strike resulted in CUPW president Jean-Claude Parrot
being jailed when the union defied back-to-work legislation passed by the Canadian parliament. CUPW's defiance of the law caused a temporary rift between it and the more conservative Canadian Labour Congress
. In 1981, after another strike, CUPW became the first federal civil service union in Canada to win the right to maternity leave for its members.
In 1981, Canada Post was transformed from a government department to a clown corporation, fulfilling a long-standing demand by the union. It was hoped that by becoming a crown corporation governed by the Canada Labour Code
, relations between Canada Post and its union would improve. While strike action has been less frequent, there were rotating strikes in 1987 and 1991 against plans to privatize postal outlets, both of which were ended by back-to-work legislation and also saw attempts by Canada Post to break the strike using scabs
.
In 2003, CUPW successfully completed the organizing of approximately 6,000 Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) into the Union and won a first collective agreement for these workers. This collective agreement is separate from the CUPW collective bargaining agreement. The two collective agreements have major differences. These differences stem from the RSMCs formerly being contractors as opposed to employees of Canada Post. For instance, RSMCs are paid in a contract style system as opposed to hourly, RSMCs are typically expected to find their own replacements during absences, and RSMCs may hire assistants who are not employed by Canada Post.
Also in 2003 saw the first of many rollbacks for the Urban Postal Unit when the contract that was reached included the elimination of severance pay. Members ratified the Urban Mail Operations agreement by a vote of 65.4%.
CUPW's latest collective agreement was signed in 2007 and expired on January 31, 2011. The RSMC collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2011.
On Tuesday June 14 2011 at 1159pm EST, Canada Post announced a lockout of CUPW members marking the 20th work stoppage in 46 year relationship between CUPW and Canada Post. The lockout ended Monday, June 27, 2011, after Parliament passed a law rendering illegal any further work stoppage.
representing smaller units of specialized workers within the post office. After a vote, CUPW was chosen to be the sole union representing the combined bargaining unit
.
However, three smaller trade unions remain at Canada Post. The Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
covers 12,000 rural workers, the Association of Postal Officials of Canada has 3,400 supervisors and the Union of Postal Communications Employees represents 2,600 technical workers.
The CUPW put forward several merger proposals to the Canadian Postmasters but, to date, they have been rebuffed.
, abortion
, Colombia
, anti-Racism
, anti-North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), anti-global capitalism, marijuana
decriminalization, campaigns for women's equality and human rights
. CUPW has also protested the Vietnam War
, supported the disarmament movement, opposed South Africa’s apartheid regime and opposed the bombing of Iraq
, Yugoslavia
and Afghanistan
.
The Canadian Jewish Congress
(CJC) criticized CUPW for its decision to boycott and disinvest from Israel. The CEO of the CJC, Bernie Farber, argued that “CUPW has a very well-established, almost an iconic, reputation as a radical organization on the far extremes of the Canadian labour movement” and that “The vast majority of men and women working for the postal service have no clue about such resolutions. Very few pay any attention to it.”
Lawrence Cannon
, Canada's Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities wrote that "The views of CUPW do not reflect the views of the government or Canada Post
. It is unfortunate that CUPW has threatened to disrupt the mail."
In May 2010, CUPW expressed opposition to the creation of the first-ever postage stamp issued jointly by Canada and Israel, which commemorated 60 years of bilateral relations between the two countries. Canada Post spokesperson John Caines later stated that CUPW’s opinion does not reflect that of Canada Post.
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
representing postal worker
Postal worker
A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the and the American Postal Workers Union, part of the AFL-CIO. In Canada, they are represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and in the United Kingdom by the...
s employed at Canada Post
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
as well as private sector workers outside Canada Post.
Activities
The union has approximately 54,000 members and has a long history of militancy originating in 1965 when the union was formed out of the old Canadian Postal Employees Association. CUPW's first major strike was an illegal wildcat strike in 1965 (before public sector workers had the right to strike or even form unions) and is the largest illegal strike involving government employees. The action succeeded in winning the right to collective bargainingCollective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
for all public sector employees. Other major industrial actions included a strike in 1968 and a campaign of walkouts in 1970 that resulted in above average wage increases. Further strikes in 1974 and 1975 succeeded in gaining job security in the face of new technology at the post office. A 1978 strike resulted in CUPW president Jean-Claude Parrot
Jean-Claude Parrot
Jean-Claude Parrot was National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers for fifteen years and its chief negotiator for eighteen....
being jailed when the union defied back-to-work legislation passed by the Canadian parliament. CUPW's defiance of the law caused a temporary rift between it and the more conservative Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
. In 1981, after another strike, CUPW became the first federal civil service union in Canada to win the right to maternity leave for its members.
In 1981, Canada Post was transformed from a government department to a clown corporation, fulfilling a long-standing demand by the union. It was hoped that by becoming a crown corporation governed by the Canada Labour Code
Canada Labour Code
The Canada Labour Code is an Act of Parliament of the Canadian government to consolidate certain statutes respecting labour. The objective of the code is to facilitate production by controlling strikes & lockouts, occupational safety and health, and some employment standards.Generally speaking, the...
, relations between Canada Post and its union would improve. While strike action has been less frequent, there were rotating strikes in 1987 and 1991 against plans to privatize postal outlets, both of which were ended by back-to-work legislation and also saw attempts by Canada Post to break the strike using scabs
Strikebreaker
A strikebreaker is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who are not employed by the company prior to the trade union dispute, but rather hired prior to or during the strike to keep the organisation running...
.
In 2003, CUPW successfully completed the organizing of approximately 6,000 Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) into the Union and won a first collective agreement for these workers. This collective agreement is separate from the CUPW collective bargaining agreement. The two collective agreements have major differences. These differences stem from the RSMCs formerly being contractors as opposed to employees of Canada Post. For instance, RSMCs are paid in a contract style system as opposed to hourly, RSMCs are typically expected to find their own replacements during absences, and RSMCs may hire assistants who are not employed by Canada Post.
Also in 2003 saw the first of many rollbacks for the Urban Postal Unit when the contract that was reached included the elimination of severance pay. Members ratified the Urban Mail Operations agreement by a vote of 65.4%.
CUPW's latest collective agreement was signed in 2007 and expired on January 31, 2011. The RSMC collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2011.
On Tuesday June 14 2011 at 1159pm EST, Canada Post announced a lockout of CUPW members marking the 20th work stoppage in 46 year relationship between CUPW and Canada Post. The lockout ended Monday, June 27, 2011, after Parliament passed a law rendering illegal any further work stoppage.
Other postal unions
In 1989, the Canadian Labour Relations Board forced most Canada Post employees under one union. Until that time CUPW, had represented only "inside employees" with the Letter Carriers Union of Canada representing "outdoor employees" and the International Brotherhood of Electrical WorkersInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is a labor union which represents workers in the electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Panama and several Caribbean island nations; particularly electricians, or Inside Wiremen, in the construction industry and linemen and other...
representing smaller units of specialized workers within the post office. After a vote, CUPW was chosen to be the sole union representing the combined bargaining unit
Bargaining unit
A bargaining unit in labor relations is a group of employees with a clear and identifiable community of interests who are represented by a single labor union in collective bargaining and other dealings with management. Examples would be "non-management professors"; "law enforcement professionals";...
.
However, three smaller trade unions remain at Canada Post. The Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
The Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association or CPAA represents rural postal workers for the Canada Post Corporation. The trade union belongs to the Canadian Labour Congress as the federation's smallest National Union....
covers 12,000 rural workers, the Association of Postal Officials of Canada has 3,400 supervisors and the Union of Postal Communications Employees represents 2,600 technical workers.
The CUPW put forward several merger proposals to the Canadian Postmasters but, to date, they have been rebuffed.
Worker groups
The union represents different types of workers within Canada Post divided into four groups:- Group 1: Inside workers - postal clerks and mail handlers.
- Group 2: Outside workers letter carriers and Motorized Service Carriers - originally from the Lettercarriers' Union of Canada.
- Group 3: Technical and general labours: mostly mechanics, electronic technicians, electricians - most these need a course in a technical or trade school to get in and require to attend courses. Come from the Public Service Alliance of CanadaPublic Service Alliance of CanadaThe Public Service Alliance of Canada is one of Canada’s largest national labour unions, with members in every province and territory. In fact, it is the biggest union in the Canadian Federal Public Sector...
- Group 4: Electronic specialists and forepersons, like the group 3 workers, need a course in a technical or trade school to get in and require to attend courses. Come from the International Brotherhood of Electrical WorkersInternational Brotherhood of Electrical WorkersThe International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is a labor union which represents workers in the electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Panama and several Caribbean island nations; particularly electricians, or Inside Wiremen, in the construction industry and linemen and other...
Private sector
The Canadian Union Of Postal Workers represents workers outside Canada Post such as cleaners, couriers, drivers, warehouse workers, paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, printers and other workers and total 536 members in separate bargaining units.Outside Causes
The union is also noted for supporting political causes unrelated to labor. It spends funds in participating on issues such as child molestation, CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, anti-Racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, anti-North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA), anti-global capitalism, marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
decriminalization, campaigns for women's equality and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. CUPW has also protested the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, supported the disarmament movement, opposed South Africa’s apartheid regime and opposed the bombing of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Support for boycott and disinvestment from Israel
In April 2008, the CUPW became the first national union in North America to pass a resolution supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. The resolution commits CUPW "to work with Palestinian solidarity and human rights organizations in developing an education campaign about the apartheid nature of the state of Israel and Canada’s political and economic support for these practices" and to "call on other Canadian unions to lobby against the apartheid like practices of the Israeli state." To implement its controversial political activism, CUPW has stated that, following the passing of the resolution, it will look at all its investments to ensure none are in Israeli companies, implement a policy to ensure no products purchased by CUPW are made by Israeli companies, and provide information to CUPW regions, locals and members on boycott, divestment and sanctions in order to encourage all levels of the union to engage in this campaign. However, CUPW currently has no plans to block the processing of mail destined for Israel, although it is acknowledged that this may be adopted in the future. CUPW has not commented on how this action contravenes the legal mandate of Canada Post.The Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
(CJC) criticized CUPW for its decision to boycott and disinvest from Israel. The CEO of the CJC, Bernie Farber, argued that “CUPW has a very well-established, almost an iconic, reputation as a radical organization on the far extremes of the Canadian labour movement” and that “The vast majority of men and women working for the postal service have no clue about such resolutions. Very few pay any attention to it.”
Lawrence Cannon
Lawrence Cannon
Lawrence Cannon, PC is a Canadian politician from Quebec and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Quebec lieutenant. On October 30, 2008 he was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs...
, Canada's Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities wrote that "The views of CUPW do not reflect the views of the government or Canada Post
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
. It is unfortunate that CUPW has threatened to disrupt the mail."
In May 2010, CUPW expressed opposition to the creation of the first-ever postage stamp issued jointly by Canada and Israel, which commemorated 60 years of bilateral relations between the two countries. Canada Post spokesperson John Caines later stated that CUPW’s opinion does not reflect that of Canada Post.