Sisters, Brothers, and Friends,
As the year draws to a close, heartfelt thanks are extended to you for your strength, solidarity, and commitment to our union. This past year has not been easy, marked by significant challenges, tough negotiations, and ongoing pressures on our public postal service.
Members’ collective action and resilience continue to be the foundation of CUPW. Because of you, we have defended our rights, amplified our voices, and kept the values of fairness, equity, and public service at the forefront.
Negotiations with Canada Post are top of mind for everyone right now. While this process may be taking longer than we had hoped, we have to make sure our contract language is solid and accurately reflects the concepts we agreed to in the agreements in principle. Taking some extra time to get things right now will save us from dealing with unwanted issues in the years ahead.
Looking ahead to the coming year, there is much work to do. We will continue to fight for decent wages, safe working conditions, and a strong, expanded public postal service that meets the needs of our communities. As a recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) makes clear, our public postal service “needs investment, not retrenchment.” Drawing on data from the Universal Postal Union, the CCPA report shows that the world’s most successful post offices are often the most diversified post offices. In fact, aggressive cost-cutting measures, like post office closures, are counterproductive, leaving those that pursue them financially worse off than those that pursue diversification strategies.
Together, with our allies in communities across the country, we will keep pushing back against service cuts, the austerity agenda, and advocate for a future that respects postal workers and the important services we provide.
The lasting relevance of a strong public post office was brought home yet again this week when librarians raised their voices to protest the Carney Government’s proposed elimination of special postage rates for library materials from the Canada Post Corporation Act. Advocates also expressed their outrage at a legislative amendment eliminating free mailing of material for people who are blind or partially sighted. As the fight to defend our public post office continues, we all have a part to play in building relationships with the postal users who rely on our services and make our work meaningful.
May the new year bring renewed energy, hope, and continued solidarity.
In solidarity