Canada Post says the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has hardened its position in the latest round of contract negotiations.
The Crown corporation said it received counter-offers from CUPW on Aug. 20 in response to what it described as its “best and final” offer presented in May. Both sides had returned to the bargaining table today.
“Unfortunately, CUPW has either maintained or hardened its position on many items and added new demands, and the gap between the parties remains substantial,” Canada Post said in a statement Wednesday.
The company said several of the union’s proposals would raise its operational costs and described CUPW’s approach to weekend delivery as “unaffordable, problematic and complex to manage.”
Canada Post says it urged the union to revisit its latest offers to “align with the realities confronting the company,” pointing to mounting financial losses and the need for what it called urgent changes.
The union began a national strike on Nov. 15, 2024, after talks that started a year earlier failed to produce a deal. The federal government ordered postal workers back to the job a month later and extended existing contracts until May 2025.
CUPW issued another strike notice in May but instead opted for a national overtime ban as negotiations continued. Recent meetings scheduled for Aug. 22 and Aug. 25 were postponed.
CTVNews.ca reached out to CUPW to comment, but did not receive a response by the time the story was published.