Union to switch from overtime ban to refusing to deliver corporate flyers
I understand what this is supposed to accomplish but what if they just permanently stopped delivering flyers? Imagine the savings in multiple industries.
Anyway, companies relying on the government violating workers’ rights to avoid having to satisfy union demands is disgusting. I’m surprised CUPW hasn’t been on strike the whole time.
Yeah, paper flyers are absurdly wasteful. We as a society should really try to find a way to eliminate them. Unfortunately right now they make up a significant chunk of Canada Post’s revenue, thanks to a bunch of unfair competition in the parcel market, where they should be making their money.
Which is why this is going to be so effective as a strike action. The company’s income stream gets blown up while the essential service continues to deliver the stuff people actually want in their mailboxes.
If it wasn’t for all those flyers, I don’t think the organization would be able to survive longer term. Do you actually get mail anymore?! I don’t (other than junk), I can count on like one and a half hands how many times a year I receive stuff that I actually want. Most of it comes from the private companies like FedEx or Purolator as well, because no one seems confident to rely on Canada Post anymore.
You or I might not get a ton of mail, but there are still plenty of people who depend on the service. Not everyone has reliable internet access or wants to put everything online. But yes, lettermail is essentially a relic. Parcels are where the money is. Canada Post is still the cheapest and safest option (except during a labour dispute) when it comes to shipping parcels, not to mention the only option if you don’t live in a city.
The problem is with the private couriers – who aren’t legally mandated to sink money into lettermail or rural delivery, and who exploit the hell out of their workers – using that unfair advantage to capture more and more of the parcel market.
And the funniest part: Canada Post owns Purolator. They’ve been quietly doing an end run around CUPW’s bargaining power this whole time.
Hey I’m all for sticking it to the man, but I think the Canada Postal Workers Union better start thinking about bigger picture here. I’m all for benefits, fairness and whatever else, but I’m not sure the org as a whole could survive another strike. I’ve had it to here with Canada Post and their continual issues. Whoever is to blame, get it figured out, or you can seriously fuck off. Both sides honestly.
I’m not sure the org as a whole could survive another strike
There is an easy solution: pay them fairly and give them fair working conditions. That would guarantee that no strike happens.
The corporation has chosen to lose far more money than if they had just given them their reasonable demands. Blame the fat cats at the top, not the thousands of working class people trying to get their fair bit. The fact that it’s disruptive is all the more reason why they should just give them fair wages and solve the problem. But instead they don’t even show up to the bargaining table.
I’m not blaming anyone. I’m blaming two sides that can’t get this over the line. Someone has to figure it out somewhere. Union can keep pointing at the corporation (which may be valid), but then at some point the corp will fail, and then who wins?
Someone, somewhere, needs to compromise on something. This I think we can agree on.
If you are blaming workers and also the other side, you are blaming workers.
