Canada Post trucks sit at a delivery center in Vancouver in December 2024. Union and company representatives are expected to return to the bargaining table in the coming days. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
The tense standoff between Canada Post and its workers’ union continues, with no immediate resolution in sight. After months of stalled talks, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) announced Sunday that negotiations are set to resume in the coming days. Meanwhile, a national ban on overtime for postal workers remains firmly in place, raising concerns about mail delivery delays across the country.
On Sunday afternoon, CUPW stated that its negotiators had carefully reviewed Canada Post’s latest offer and submitted a detailed response during a meeting with the company and appointed mediators. However, just before 1 p.m. Eastern Time, the union learned that Canada Post had left the building to study the documents provided by the union. According to CUPW President Jan Simpson, the employer may take a few days before responding.
“We hope the corporation returns to the table quickly,” Simpson said in a statement, emphasizing that the overtime ban still applies nationwide despite ongoing talks.
Canada Post confirmed it had received the union's latest response and said it would take time to assess the proposals thoroughly.
The company had presented an updated offer last Wednesday, which included a proposed pay increase and a plan to hire more part-time workers. CUPW had asked for a two-week pause to examine the lengthy 700-page offer, but Canada Post rejected that request. As a result, the union said it was left with only a few days to analyze the detailed legal language.
Sunday's meeting marked the first negotiation session of the weekend. A mediator was present, tasked with guiding both parties toward a new collective agreement after months of impasse.
The last agreement between the two sides officially expired on Thursday. It had previously been extended when the federal government intervened during a strike that stretched into the holiday season last year. Earlier this week, CUPW had issued a 72-hour strike notice, but instead of walking off the job on Friday, the union imposed a ban on all overtime work while reviewing the employer’s proposal.
In a bulletin to its members, CUPW criticized the latest offer from Canada Post, stating that it falls short in several key areas, especially wages. Canada Post, however, defended its position, citing financial constraints.
A recent federal report painted a grim picture of the postal service’s finances. The government-appointed Industrial Inquiry Commission declared Canada Post to be effectively "bankrupt" and recommended sweeping reforms. Among those changes: phasing out daily door-to-door delivery and introducing a flexible "dynamic routing" system that could alter mail routes each day depending on volume.
While negotiations may continue behind the scenes in the coming days, Canadians should prepare for ongoing service disruptions as the overtime ban affects staffing and delivery speeds.
