Solidarity with Canadian Postal Workers!
December 21, 2024
For years, over 55,000 workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have faced stagnant wages, eroding workplace safety, and creeping precarity. These conditions have only worsened as Canada Post’s operations become increasingly automated and its parcel volumes soar, forcing workers to labor at an ever-accelerated pace while the compensation they receive barely keeps up with inflation.
When CUPW first demanded a 22% wage increase over four years (an amount that would do little more than maintain purchasing power in a climate of rising living costs), management balked. The union lowered its figure to 19%, including a cost-of-living allowance, but Canada Post countered with a paltry 11.5%. Workers have repeatedly been told that efficiency enhancements and new technology would improve their conditions. Instead, they endure heavier workloads, repetitive strain injuries, and compulsory overtime to meet parcel quotas. Meanwhile, promises of better pay and secure positions have rarely materialized. While their workplace dominated by short-term contracts, mechanized sorting lines, and 24/7 demands, postal workers are continually pressed to generate more profit from fewer permanent jobs.
Workers are also demanding enforceable safeguards against unsafe conditions and a real say in how new technologies are introduced. They require expanded health and family benefits, and they have been pushing for coverage of fertility treatments and gender-affirming care to ensure that the basic well-being of every worker is respected. They call for more paid medical leave, stronger short-term disability support, and, crucially, genuine job security, so that they cannot be discarded at the whim of shifting corporate strategies. These are not frivolous asks! While Canada Post seeks to “modernize,” it will do so by grinding more out of the workforce without ensuring their physical and emotional survival.
