CANADIAN LABOUR EDMONTON:

SUPPORT NICK DREIGER:

Nick Dreiger is a shop steward for the Canadian Union Of Postal Workers (CUPW) in Edmonton Alberta and an organizer for the IWW. He was recently fired because of a number of charges related to either his union activities or his show of political support for the Occupy Edmonton encampment. The following is a solidarity campaign message from the Toronto IWW.

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Please support fired CUPW Steward & IWW Organizer
Posted by MoS ⋅ February 13, 2012

Reinstate postal worker shop steward.

Edmonton CUPW Shop Steward and IWW organizer Nick Drieger has been fired after many years of service at Canada Post. He was fired due to honking his horn at an action near Occupy Edmonton, who were not allowed on the university campus at the time.

His termination was based on

1.Attitude towards police.
2.A ticket for stunting (honking his horn).
3.Being out of his delivery area.
4.Activity on a wild cat strike when he was on vacation.
The plan for Tuesday February 14th is to fill their managers emails with letters of outrage over the conduct of firing this worker based on these charges.Thank you, solidarity, and lets fight to win. An injury to one is an injury to all.

Please begin sending emails and letters to the following people in response to Nick Driedger’s termination.

Wesam Haymour
Title:SPT TRANSPORTATION
Location: 9808 103 A AVE, T5J 2T6
Edmonton Alberta
Email: wesam.haymour@canadapost.postescanada.ca

Brenda Young
Title MGR SHIFT
Location:12135 149 ST, T5L 5H2
Edmonton Alberta
Email: brenda.young@canadapst.postescanada.ca

Robert Mccutcheon
Title DIR PLANT OPERATIONS
Location: 12135 149 ST T5L 5H2
Edmonton Alberta
Email: ben.mccutcheon@canadapost.postescanada.ca

Azam Bacchus
Title: OFFICER OF LABOUR RELATIONS
Location: 12135- 149 ST T5L 5H2
Edmonton Alberta
Email: azam.bacchus@canadapost.postescanada.ca

SAMPLE LETTER:

To: ________________

I am writing out of concern over the treatment of Shop Steward Nick Driedger, who has recently been dismissed. It is my understanding that Mr Nick Driedger advances the welfare and safety of his fellow workers in this role. It is hard to believe that someone as honest, positive, and hard working as Nick should be dismissed, especially in light of the charge discussed below.

Mr Nick Driedger has been accused of stunting, a charge of which he has not been found guilty. According to eyewitness testimony, he was merely honking his horn, which could only make him more visible as he drove through an area with many police and protesters. Also, according to eyewitnesses, he ceased after hearing shouting from the officers in question. The eyewitness testimony in his favour is substantial, and it is disturbing that Canada Post Corporation would find Nick Driedger guilty in advance of the verdict of a court of law.

I, ____________________ request that Nick Driedger be reinstated as a full time mail service courier with no harm to his seniority. I also request that any targeting of him due to his activities as a CUPW shop steward come to an immediate end.

FEMINISM/ CANADIAN LABOUR:

EQUAL PAY LAWSUIT SETTLED IN FAVOUR OF WORKERS- 28 YEARS LATER:

Here's an interesting item from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) about a lawsuit initiated 28 years ago demanding equal pay for equal work at Canada Post. I heard about this decision while driving about the city for work today. The internet and print reports add little to the initial report. Basically a 28 year lawsuit was recently settled over different wages paid to women as opposed to men decades ago. Well thanks guys ! There is a lot to be said both pro and con about this decision, but let us assume a sympathy for workers' position. All that Molly can ask is whether this matter would have taken 28 years to resolve if the workers in question had applied direct action ways of pressuring the government ie direct action? It's a thought to think. Here's the bare bones from the Cape Breton Post.

OTTAWA (CP) —

The Supreme Court has handed the Public Service Alliance of Canada a victory in a marathon dispute over pay equity with Canada Post.
Topics :
Canada Post , Supreme Court , Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
In a rare ruling from the bench Thursday, the justices unanimously found for the union in a case that began a generation ago.

PSAC claimed in August 1983 that women were being discriminated against under the Canadian Human Rights Act because they made less than men in comparable Canada Post jobs.
After more than a decade of hearings, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled in 2005 that the crown corporation had violated the act and awarded back pay and interest of about $150 million.

But the Federal Court of Appeal set aside the tribunal’s decision, saying the finding of discrimination was not supported.

The justices said reasons for their decision will be available later.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

CUPW ORGANIZES PHARMACY POSTAL EMPLOYEES:

It's been a long standing policy of Canada Post to remove actual post offices and place outlets in such places as 7-11s and pharmacies. This, of course, reduces costs, as the employees in such places work for minimum wage and have no benefits. Those of us who use the postal service, however, know that the level of service to the public is considerably reduced. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), however, has had a long standing campaign to organize the employees in pharmacies so that they can achieve wages beyond the minimum. A side effect of such organization would be that service to the public would be improved. Here's a press release from CUPW about their campaign..

CPCPCPCPCP
CUPW fights Canada Post's "cheap labour strategy" by organizing its postal employees in pharmacies
MONTREAL, March 1 /CNW/ - Over 2000 Canada Post counters are now open for business in pharmacies. That number is growing as Canada Post continues to open more counters in pharmacies across the country.

That's why the union representing postal workers has been busy persuading employees working at postal counters in Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmaprix, Familiprix and Uniprix stores to join its 55,000-strong ranks.

So far, the organizing drive has resulted in 211 employees in Montreal and Saskatoon joining the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. On February 28, CUPW's Quebec region filed an application on behalf of 25 more workers at Familiprix. If the application is successful, this will raise the number of unionized postal counters in pharmacies to 51 and counting.

"Although they handle mail and do the same work we do, the people working in these outlets earn the minimum wage and have precarious jobs," pointed out Jacques Valiquette, National Director for the Montreal region of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. "As negotiations between Canada Post and CUPW continue, we want labour standards to improve for all postal workers."

In response to the organizing drive, Canada Post and the major pharmacy chains have hired a small army of lawyers to argue that the Crown Corporation has nothing to do with employing these postal clerks. But CUPW vows to keep on signing them up.

"Organizing is a win-win situation," said Valiquette. "Postal workers at these counters will be able to make improvements in their working lives and Canada Post will not be able to use a cheap labour strategy to undermine our collective agreements."


For further information:
contact Aalya Ahmad, 613-327-1177

CANADIAN LABOUR:

WILL THERE BE A POSTAL STRIKE THIS SPRING ?:

As the following article from Canadian Business says the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has filed for conciliation with their employer Canada Post. While the union has made efforts to be conciliatory the attitude of management is anything but, as recent events in Winnipeg surrounding the new methods of postal delivery have shown. See The Workers Struggle With The Modern Post for the ongoing story of harm to the workers and decreased service to the public. Meanwhile you can hear the story of the union's call in a video at the CUPW site. But the following article pretty much says it all about management's attitude.

CPCPCPCPCPCPCP
Union at Canada Post applies for conciliation; starts strike clock ticking
By The Canadian Press

OTTAWA - Citing what it claims is intransigence by management, the union representing 54,000 workers at Canada Post announced Friday that it has applied for conciliation, a move that starts the clock ticking towards a possible strike this spring.

"We've taken this action because Canada Post has to move from its hardline position on demanding significant concessions from our members, even while it continues to post profits and spend money on technological changes," said Denis Lemelin, national president and chief negotiator for the union.

A government-appointed conciliator will now attempt to bring the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Canada Post Corp. to a negotiated settlement.

However, the union also noted that the appointment of a conciliator starts the clock ticking towards a possible strike or lockout by the end of April.

Canada Post issued a statement saying it "welcomes the assistance of a conciliator in our discussions with CUPW and is optimistic it will help us reach a negotiated settlement."

CUPW said that among concessions Canada Post is demanding is the replacement of sick leave with a short-term disability plan.

Management is also insisting on new work methods that the union considers unsafe — methods that have already "created huge problems and disruptions of mail service in Winnipeg, where they were first implemented last year."

Rollbacks demanded by management also include the imposition of a defined contribution pension plan for new hires rather than the current defined benefit plan.

"The union is adamant in its rejection of a two-tier system," CUPW said in a news release.

"Canada Post wants to eliminate the current pension plan for new hires now and then impose the new scheme on all employees during a future round of bargaining," Lemelin said.

"We have to take a strong stand now to maintain our public postal service and ensure that future workers will not suffer a deterioration in their working conditions."

Friday's move by the union comes just days after the government-owned corporation announced the appointment of a new CEO. Deepak Chopra, formerly president and CEO of the Canadian and Latin American regions of Pitney Bowes, a global mailing and communications firm, begins his five-year term beginning Feb. 1. ( No, not that Deepak Chopra, but quite ironic given that the Corporation wants to perform some mystical flimflam - Molly )

CANADIAN LABOUR:

MAYBE BY UKRAINIAN CHRISTMAS:

Two more days to go until Christmas by the Julian calender, known in these parts as "Ukrainian Christmas". Yet down in the post offices of Winnipeg Christmas packages meant to be delivered by December 25th still sit undelivered according to the following article from the Winnipeg Free Press. The reason...the so-called "improvements" mandated by Canada Post management, "improvements" that have been discussed before at this blog and at The Workers' Struggle With The Modern Post blog by postal workers here in Winnipeg. This "modernisation" is one that Canada Post hopes to apply across the country. Because of this Winnipeg workers have received support from other Canada Post workers across the country in their struggle to prevent what is not just against their own interests but against those of the general public. As the backlog in Winnipeg demonstrates. Here's the story from the local press.

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Christmas gifts undelivered: CUPW
By: Katie Dangerfield

Thousands of Christmas packages sat undelivered in the former downtown post office as late as New Year's Eve, a local union official said.

"A good chunk of the parcels sitting in the 266 Graham Ave. building are Christmas wrapped," said Bob Tyer, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

Missing presents?
Are you missing Christmas presents you were expecting in the mail? If so call the Free Press at 697-7292 or email city.desk@freepress.mb.ca .


Since the introduction of Canada Post's modern delivery system in September, Tyer said there has been a considerable backup of undelivered mail -- especially during the holidays.

During the New Year's weekend, Canada Post employees were set to work overtime s to catch up on deliveries, Tyler said.

This fall, Canada Post introduced what it called a new, more efficient delivery system designed to cut costs. The new system requires letter carriers to carry two bundles of mail, instead of one. Routes and work days are also longer.

Some Winnipeg letter carriers went on strike in November to protest against the new system. Carriers have said it can cause back and neck injuries.

A spokeswoman for Canada Post, Anick Losier, said in an email that the corporation's employees are still adjusting to the new system.

"We just finished our busiest time of year," said Losier. "Our volumes in Winnipeg reached over 1.4 million pieces of mail daily, while normally it is just under one million pieces."

"We even had our people ensure all holiday-themed packages and cards were delivered to customers on time for the holidays," she said.

Tyer said mail service in Winnipeg wasn't as smooth as Losier makes it sound. Since the new system was implemented, the corporation "doesn't care if they don't cover all their routes anymore," he said.

One Winnipeg post office employee who asked not to be named said the corporation is sweeping its problems under a rug, hoping they will go away,

"At one of the depots, supervisors were throwing out 300 to 400 flyers that were a day late, instead of delivering them," the employee said.

Tyer said Canada Post has had countless complaints from businesses and employees regarding the new system, but Losier said the changes were necessary "to help our company stay efficient and viable."

"That's what will protect the future of the company and our employees' incomes and pensions," said Losier.

Tyer said that since September staff injuries have risen "astronomically," and Canada Post has not hired enough people to fill vacancies due to injury and staff retirements.

During the holiday rush, Canada Post brought in retirees and supervisors from across the country to deliver the additional mail.

katie.dangerfield@freepress.mb.ca

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Meanwhile the national Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has been circulating a petition for some months asking that the Canadian postal system be strengthened rather than destroyed (perhaps the "modernization" is really part of some long term plan for "privatization"). Please go to their website or this link to sign the following petition to your MP and to the federal Minister in charge of Canada Post. And don't forget to keep up to date on what is happening out here on the windswept prairies by reading The Workers Struggle With The Modern Post.
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Please tell Minister Merrifield: Stop cutting public postal service and jobs
I am writing, as both a user and an owner of Canada Post, to voice my concern about the future of our public post office.

Canada Post has plans to cut thousands of jobs in hundreds of communities across the country by modernizing and reviewing its operations and privatizing philatelic and call centres. The corporation is also cutting services by eliminating rural mail box delivery, closing post offices and removing street letter boxes.

To me, these cuts indicate that Canada Post is focusing increasingly on commercial interests, rather than the public interest.

I believe that Canada Post, as a public institution, should put the public interest first. One of the ways it could do this is by sharing the benefits of its $2 billion modernization program. At the moment, Canada Post intends to use all the productivity gains from this program to cut jobs and save millions annually. This is our post office -- the public should share in the benefits too.

Please tell Rob Merrifield, the Minister responsible for Canada Post, to instruct the corporation to:

1) Put the public interest first.
2) Share the benefits of postal modernization with the public by preserving and improving public postal service and jobs.

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:

DIRECT ACTION AND CUPW WINNIPEG LOCAL 856:

Great new interview on Black Mask Radio with two Winnipeg posties about the direct action tactics they have used in their struggle with Canada Post's "test scheme for speedup" here in Winnipeg. Go to the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog to access the file. Also keep up to date with the struggle at The Workers Struggle With The Modern Post blog.

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:

SUPPORT WINNIPEG LETTER CARRIERS POSTER:

The graphic shown here is the new support poster for Winnipeg letter carriers who recently staged wildcat walkouts to protest Canada Post's mad management scheme of "double bundling". Go to the The Workers' Struggle With The Modern Post blog for up-to-the-minute news on this important struggle.

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:
WINNIPEG WILDCAT AT CANADA POST:


After weeks of frustration and gradually building tension workers at several Winnipeg Canada Post depots walked out today. The precipitating cause is a new mail sorting and delivery system, actually a wild management scheme that pushed the concept of speedup to the point of disastrous confusion in terms of service and heights of injury on the part of the workers. At the Wilkes depot one worker was disciplined for refusing the new system and sorting his mail in the traditional fashion. The other workers walked out in solidarity with him. On the radio today management a spokesman gave his version of the dispute, basically totally ignoring both the complaints of the workers and the chaos in mail delivery (or non-delivery) that the scheme has caused. His line was "change is always difficult, and some people have a problem with change". I kid you not ! That is the sort of psychobabble that they teach in schools of management in lieu of actually having any useful skill to impart to order givers.

Here's how the strike was reported by the Financial Post.

CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Canada Post face wildcat strike in Winnipeg

Don Healy/Postmedia News
In implementing its modernized methods of sorting and delivering mail, part of the corporation’s transformation project, Canada Post has been facing resistance from employees in Winnipeg, the first city to operate under the new “two-bundle” system.
Tim Shufelt, Financial Post · Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010

Dozens of letter carriers walked off the job in Winnipeg on Monday in protest over a new mail delivery method they call unsafe.

In implementing its modernized methods of sorting and delivering mail, part of the corporation’s transformation project, Canada Post has been facing resistance from employees in Winnipeg, the first city to operate under the new “two-bundle” system.

When one worker refused to follow the new rules, he was cited for insubordination and immediately suspended. Dozens of other carriers from the mail depot — 76 in total — then walked out in solidarity.

About 15% of the city’s routes were affected, said Jon Hamilton, a spokesman for Canada Post.

The new system requires the employee to carry a second bundle of mail on their forearm. But that method obscures the feet from view, causing falls and injuries, and results in back and neck pain, said Bob Tyre, head of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ Winnipeg local.

“Our letter carriers tell us it’s absolutely and completely unsafe,” Mr. Tyre said, noting that after just a month in use, the two-bundle system is much hated among employees. “The number of injuries have skyrocketed since then.”

Mr. Hamilton said the delivery process is currently subject to arbitration.

“There are other avenues where the union could address their concerns, make their views known without hurting or impacting service to Canadians and the businesses that depend on us,” he said.

And he insisted that Canada Post needs to evolve to improve efficiency and to reflect the changing behaviours of Canadians when it comes to mail. In the last four years alone, mail volume fell by more than 11% in Canada, he said.

“We need to make changes in order to maintain the service that Canadians depend on and also be able to secure the future for employees in terms of their pensions and job security and their wages,” he said. “This isn’t just a change for change’s sake.”

But Denis Lemelin, CUPW’s national president, said the union and the corporation have a responsibility to ensure the safety of letter carriers.

“We’re telling the employer they have to stop this new method and maybe sit with the union and find a new way to address the issue,” he said, noting that complaints are also starting to come in from employees in other parts of the country, as Canada Post rolls out the new system to Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and, eventually, the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, in Winnipeg, it’s unclear how long the mail disruption might continue.

Mr. Tyre said his colleagues will not abide the two-bundle system any longer. “They’re pretty irate. I don’t know what they’re going to do tomorrow.”
..

Read more: http://www.financialpost.com/news/Canada+Post+face+wildcat+strike+Winnipeg/3868455/story.html#ixzz164pPLlfj

CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Here's how the walkout was reported by the CBC.
CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Canada Post employees walk out

About 40 Canada Post employees walked off the job Monday to show solidarity with a worker who was suspended for flouting the new mail-sorting methods. (CBC)
Dozens of Canada Post employees in Winnipeg walked off the job Monday to protest a change in the mail-sorting procedure.

Canada Post's website says the corporation is undergoing a "postal transformation," and Winnipeg is the first location rolling out new sorting equipment and delivery methods before they're implemented across the country.

The new, automated way results in postal carriers having to carry three bags along their routes. Under the old sorting method, done by hand, carriers ended up with two bundles because the sorters were able to combine flyers with mail destined for each place of delivery.

A man sorting the mail the old way on Monday at the Wilkes Avenue facility was suspended, according to Bob Tyre, head of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers' Winnipeg local.

That prompted 40 other employees at the facility to walk out in solidarity.

"They [Canada Post] suspended him on the spot. And the other carriers decided that that was the line in the sand and they left, too," Tyre said.

About 60 carriers at the downtown sorting plant then left their jobs for similar reasons, but only walked out for about a half-hour, said Tyre.

He noted seven carriers at the Transcona plant were also threatened with suspension for sorting mail the old way.

Workplace injuries
Tyre said the new procedure is causing an increase in workplace injuries and slowing down mail delivery.

Carrying the three bags "makes walking treacherous [and is] hard on their necks and their backs," he said, adding "there's been a skyrocketing increase in injuries.

'They've gotten nowhere with Canada Post, so they just decided that they can't work that way and they went home.'
—Bob Tyre, Canadian Union of Postal Workers"And [the carriers] have tried to, and the union has as well, talk to Canada Post about the delivery method, how it's causing injuries, and it's not safe and it slows the delivery down on the streets, so they're all working overtime. They've been working that way now for about six weeks.

"And they've gotten nowhere with Canada Post, so they just decided that they can't work that way and they went home."

Canada Post spokesman John Hamilton said the corporation is still working out the bugs on the new sorting equipment and hopes employees will adapt to the change.

"The simple fact is that this is a big change, not everybody likes change, and there are going to be some issues from time to time," he said.

He would not discuss whether any disciplinary action would be taken against the workers who walked out.

Last week, Winnipeg Liberal MP Anita Neville said she has been inundated with complaints from people in her Winnipeg South Centre riding because mail has been arriving late or not at all.

One seniors residence with 183 units had no mail for three days, she said.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/11/22/mb-canada-post-dispute-winnipeg.html#ixzz1652xUEUm

CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Two local blogs here in Winnipeg are following these events closely. One is the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog, the local organ of Winnipeg's IWW. The other has been featured here before. The Workers' Struggle With The Modern Post is a blog set up by members of CUPW here in Winnipeg, and it has been reporting the problems with Canada Post's weird little experiment for the past month. This blog is the best source for up to the minute news about what is happening with the post and the struggle that Winnipeg posties are fighting. Unfiltered through the mass media of course.



The Workers' Struggle blog has received numerous expressions of support from both other postal workers across the country and members of the general public. Even internationally. Feel free to send them your greetings of solidarity. Winnipeg is a "test case" for a management scheme backed by a government that would be more than happy to see the public postal system destroyed entirely.If the Winnipeg posties lose than postal workers across the country lose, and in the end the general public loses as well.

Here's a report on the job actions today from the Workers' Struggle blog. Make sure to check in there tomorrow as the struggle continues.
CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Monday, November 22, 2010

Here is a more detailed look at today's actions
After weeks of struggling to work under the employers' new delivery model, Winnipeg letter carriers have reached the breaking point. The multiple bundle delivery method imposed by the boss has resulted in many members sustaining injuries and has made the work dangerous and unsafe.

Over assessed routes and the refusal to provide proper time values for all of the work performed has resulted in many carriers being forced to work overtime to complete delivery. So far, the employer has refused to take any concrete measures to resolve the concerns of the membership.

This morning at the South West Depot, wave 1 letter carriers decided that the safest way to perform their work was to sort the sequenced mail into their cases and deliver with 1 bundle on the street. Members were ordered by the boss to cease the sequenced mail sortation and when 1 temporary letter carrier refused to comply, he was advised that he was being suspended. Other members in the depot left the work floor in support of the disciplined worker and refused to work as dictated by the boss. After a brief coffee meeting in the parking lot, the members then went home.

The second wave for South West reported for work and learned of the earlier events and made the decision to support one another, refuse the dangerous work method and go home for the day.

Meanwhile, in the other corner of the city, wave 1 letter carriers in the Transcona depot also made the decision to sort their sequenced mail into their cases. The employer did not prevent them from doing so and those workers then left and commenced their delivery. When wave 2 reported for duty, they attempted to sort in their sequenced mail and were advised by the employer that they could not do so and would face a 5 day suspension if they disobeyed. These members then invoked their right to refuse the unsafe work method and are still in the office. The employer has not issued any further instructions or orders to them. Our stewards are working with those members in the article 33 process.

Will the employer escalate the situation and respond with heavy handed discipline or will they realize that its time to put the health and safety of workers ahead of the unworkable new delivery model?

It's time for all us to stand up and demand a safe workplace and a 1 bundle delivery method.

An Injury to One is An Injury to All.

Solidarity,

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:

THE WORKERS' STRUGGLE WITH THE MODERN POST:

I've been meaning to highlight this local blog for some time. The Workers Struggle With the Modern Post is a blog set up by a militant in Local 856 of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) here in Winnipeg. It has the approval of the Local. I've been following this blog for some time, and I've been very impressed by what I saw there. The "modern post" model, also called the "multi bundle delivery model", is a management scheme whereby there will be a speedup in processing at mail depots and also a change whereby individual mail carriers will be responsible for delivering not just ordinary mail but also parcels. This will involve a shift to vehicle delivery as opposed to the present walking mail delivery. It also involves a lenghtening of the workday. This "model" is being tried out here in Winnipeg before being implemented across the country. Front line postal workers have a different opinion about its effectiveness than management has.

The blog in question was set up to oppose this change, but its circle of concerns has expanded far beyond the original intent to embrace other matters of working conditions at Canada Post as well as the effect of the changes on the public. In terms of the latter here is a recent post from the blogsite. Please go to the original blog to read all of the many expressions of discontent of the employees of Canada Post here in this city.

→→→→→→→→→→→
Customer Service? What is that?
I am a concerned carrier out of SW Depot - i would like to hear some thoughts on the situation that has occurred on a daily basis for more than a week at SW - NON DELIVERY OF MAIL!!! It was not too long ago that even one letter left in a turnaround case could mean discipline to any one carrier. We now have entire routes not being delivered on a daily basis - Priors, Expresspost, registers etc remaining often for days in our Depot. What has become a priority for CPC - obviously not customer service. Has CPC put a freeze on hiring? A freeze on training new staff for all aspects of the job ( ie driving - VOP )? It astounds me that this new "delivery model" of CPC's was touted as "improving service to have only one employee doing all aspects of delivery/pickup for CPC in a given area". Well if the public only knew what deterioration has come from "Modern Post" they would be in an uproar. Daily, entire routes are not delivered, portions of others for days at a time, and Priors, Express Post and other expensive service options such as Registered and Re-Direct mail are left behind! What is CPC trying to do to this company? Is this really a purpose full self destruction of CPC - if so, we all better ready ourselves for a dismal financial future for CPC.... our jobs and our pensions with this company. Worried at SW.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

MAIL TO GAZA:

The Israeli blockade of Gaza continues despite outrage over the recent acts of piracy that the Israeli government has committed on relief ships bound for what has essentially become the world's largest prison camp. Amongst the many items that Israel refuses entry to Gaza is simple old mail. While Canada Post has decided to suspend delivery to Gaza the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has other thoughts, and some of their members plan to sail with a Canadian relief ship to Gaza along with mail directed there. Sort of an update to the old saying;

"Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor dark of night nor armed soldiers shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

Here's the story from the Toronto Sun. >>>

CUPWCUPWCUPW
Gaza boat goes postal!
Postal Union backs Gaza boat, promises mail delivery

By Brian Lilley, Parliamentary Bureau

Last Updated: August 19, 2010 4:28pm
OTTAWA - Canada Post won’t deliver mail to the Gaza Strip any longer but the union representing the posties says they will.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says mail bound for Gaza will be delivered by their members aboard the Canadian boat for Gaza.

CUPW is one of many Canadian groups that have endorsed or are supporting an attempt to have a Canadian boat run the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

“It’s part of our campaign of boycott, divestment and sanction against the Israeli State to respect international law,” said CUPW president Denis Lemelin.

CUPW passed resolutions supporting the campaign, including one designating Israel an “apartheid state” in 2008.

“Cutting mail is adding more pressure to people,” said Lemelin, adding he’s backing the Gaza boat in the hope that it will break the blockade.

Israel and Egypt undertook a blockade of the Gaza strip in 2007.

Israel said it is continuing the blockade to ensure weapons do not enter the area. Hamas has used positions inside Gaza to launch rocket attacks on Israel, including a series of attacks earlier this month.

“Our national director will go to Palestine in November to see what’s going on,” Lemelin told QMI Agency.

CUPW has resisted attempts to loosen the monopoly that Canada Post holds on delivering mail in Canada or from Canada to international destinations.

Earlier this year the union launched a campaign to stop what they viewed as an attempt to allow competition in international mail delivery.

Yet when it comes to getting mail to the Gaza Strip, the union is calling on Canadians to send the mail via the Gaza boat.

“It’s different,” said Lemelin. “We are postal workers, we can help.”

Canada Post stops mail delivery in emergencies such as the Haiti earthquake or other natural disasters.

Mail delivery to Gaza was stopped after the man in charge of mail transfers was arrested by Israeli security forces. He has so far not been replaced by the local government.

The organizers of the Gaza boat hope to raise $300,000 to outfit a boat with supplies. On their website they say they will not allow Israel to stop them and declare that any attempt to board the ship will be an act of piracy that the Canadian government must protect them from.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon has said that any ships attempting to take aid to Gaza should accept safe passage to Israeli ports where the goods will be inspected and passed on. The organizers of the boat reject that idea.

Other supporters of the Gaza boat include groups such as Independent Jewish Voices, Mohawk Traditional Council, Educators for Peace and Justice, a group of Toronto-area school teachers.

CUPWCUPWCUPW

Here's the original press release from CUPW. Note the reference to the group organizing the Gaza boat in Canada.

CUPWCUPWCUPW

Ottawa, August 12, 2010

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers wants mail delivered to Gaza.

Following an announcement by Canada Post that Israel Post has suspended mail delivery to Gaza, the union is encouraging people who wish to send mail to Gaza to get their mail onto the Canadian boat bound for the blockaded Palestinian territory.

“As postal workers, we know very well that cutting off mail creates suffering and hardship for people, who are isolated from their loved ones,” said Denis Lemelin, National President of CUPW. “How many more abuses will the people of Gaza have to endure?”

Numerous organizations are working together to endorse a Canadian boat to Gaza in the autumn. Others, including Independent Jewish Voices, have supported the idea of getting mail onto the boat.

“We are heartened by the growing international response to Israel’s cruel treatment of the Palestinian people,” said Lemelin, whose union has been at the forefront of condemning human rights abuses in the occupied territories. “We stand in solidarity with all efforts to break the blockade and end the indignities imposed on the Palestinian people by the state of Israel.”

What should you do if you want to send a letter to Gaza? Lemelin suggests contacting organizers at the website http://canadaboatgaza.org/

CANADIAN LABOUR:
CUPW GOES FROM BOYCOTT TO ORGANIZE:



Last month the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) voted to end its almost 20 year old call for the public to boycott private postal outlets. If you are like 99.99% of the Canadian population your immediate question would be "what boycott ?". That says pretty much about the infinitesimal "success" of CUPW's campaign. Nowadays the actual Canada Post post office is a rare and endangered bird. To its credit CUPW has seen, even if only belatedly, that something just isn't working and given new conditions is even something of an absurdity . In that they are far superior to the average leftist organization.



The new reality is postal outlets in convenience stores and pharmacies, staffed by minimum wage workers, and CUPW sees an opportunity in this reality...to organize such low wage workers to better their condition. As an union with about 54,000 present members CUPW has resources for this even though the task is undoubtedly difficult for many reasons (small size of the workforce at each workplace, transience of employees, well practiced anti-union tactics of the chain stores,etc.). CUPW already has a small contingent of organized members (536) who are actually not connected to postal service at all, and in 2003 they managed to finalize their organization of about 6,000 rural and suburban mail carriers. This was difficult as said carriers were defined not as employees of Canada Post but as "contractors". It worked however.



One certainly wishes CUPW all the best in their new direction. It is certainly needed. One hopes that this also means drives to organize other workers in this sector such as couriers and other communications workers. Here's how CUPW put their new direction in their website.
CLCLCLCLCL
Private postal outlet boycott ends
– Campaign to organize private outlet workers begins


The National Executive Board (NEB) of CUPW unanimously voted in June to end the two-decade old boycott of private postal outlets and franchises.

The union believes this move is necessary for a variety of reasons.

Many communities do not have public post offices. They only have private outlets. It is very difficult for people to boycott private postal outlets and franchises when it is the only service they have.

Also, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for the union to organize workers at private outlets if we continue the boycott. These workers are not likely to want to join a union that wants to put them out of work.

The union's decision to end the boycott does not mean we support the privatization of postal services

But private postal outlets are a reality. And allowing the employees who work in these outlets to make less than us does not help us.

Organizing will help us

As you know, the union’s main job is to negotiate collective agreements for its members. Most members expect the union to negotiate better wages and working conditions. Most employers resist union efforts to make improvements. Canada Post, for example, constantly compares our members’ wages and working conditions to the less favourable wages and working conditions of similar workers.

During negotiations, management negotiators say “You don’t need an increase or a break. You’re already doing better than most workers.” Or they say, “We'd like to contract out because it’s cheaper.” But if we raise the wages and working conditions of workers who are employed at franchises and private postal outlets, we will be able to eliminate the comparisons that hurt us at the bargaining table and we will also take away Canada Post’s incentive to contract out.

In short, organizing is the right thing to do and it is also the best way to protect members.

CUPW is currently organizing franchise workers in Montreal and elsewhere.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

CONSERVATIVE PLANS FOR CANADA POST:

It's the dog days of summer, and Sneaky Stevie and his Conservative government hope to pass yet another of their "structural reforms" without input from the Canadian public nor even with ant information as to what they propose. Here is a news release from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers on what is happening.

........................

Strategic Review of Canada Post:‏

Did you know the federal government is conducting a Strategic Review of our post office? The Conservatives are making another attempt to deregulate Canada Post.

But this time it’s the summer’s best-kept secret. No public hearings, No national advertising campaign. No debate in parliament because it’s in recess and the deadline for public submissions is only three weeks away – Tuesday September 2nd. This is not good for democracy.

This Strategic Review could affect everyone in Canada, especially small businesses, people in rural and northern communities, and people on fixed incomes.

Deregulation of the Post Office would give big price breaks to the 200 big corporations the Conservatives see as the Post Office’s favoured customers.

It would give away the best source of postal income – big city mail service – to multinational companies, leaving Canada Post to deliver to everyone else at much higher rates.

This time around, the Conservatives are determined to succeed in getting the post office deregulated. Their previous attempts to deregulate or privatize Canada Post have been stopped in their tracks by outcries from the public.

This time the Conservatives are trying secrecy. They have also hand-picked the Strategic Review Committee and appointed a chairperson who is on record as calling for the deregulation of Canada Post.

It is up to all of us as ordinary Canadians to stop this attempt to convert the public post office into a delivery agency for big corporations.

Send a submission to: Canada Post Strategic Review, 330 Sparks Street (HCCR), Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N5. FAX 613-990-9033. Or email info@cpcsr-esscp.gc.ca.

Sign the on-line petition by following the link to: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/canada-post-strategic-review.html


Make a YouTube video. Contact your MP. Send a postcard to Stephen Harper.

Tell your family, your friends and neighbours, your business contacts what’s up with our public post office. Pass on this email to people who care across the country.

And do it before it’s too late. Do it before September 2nd.

You can check out cupw.ca/StrategicReview to get more information,
YouTube tips, a downloadable postcard, or ideas for submissions.

Canadian Union of Postal Workers Winnipeg Local
Strategic Review/Organizing Committee