Tomorrow, December 13, marks the one-year anniversary of former Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon’s Section 107 order that put our legal strike “on pause” for six months.

MacKinnon’s order called on the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to determine whether CUPW and Canada Post were likely to reach negotiated settlements before the new year. If the CIRB decided this was not likely, the Board was to order postal workers back to work. The CIRB held hearings over the weekend. By Sunday evening, the Board determined that contracts were not likely. As a result, the Board ordered postal workers in both bargaining units to “resume and continue their duties” at 8:00 am local time, on December 17, 2024, until May 22, 2025. As part of the return-work-order, we received a 5% retroactive wage increase from January 1, 2024 (RSMC) and February 1, 2024 (Urban).

MacKinnon’s unconstitutional attack on postal workers’ right to strike was just one of many the Liberal Government had launched over the course of the year. Before us, striking (or locked out) airplane mechanics, port workers, and rail workers were similarly hit with Section 107 back-to-work orders. After us, it was Air Canada flight attendants.

Section 107 is an affront to workers’ most basic rights to free and fair collective bargaining. The power to end a legal strike should not be at the whim of the Minister responsible for labour. Trampling workers’ Charter rights and the entire Canada Labour Code with the click of a button is no way to secure “industrial peace.”

Like back to work legislation, the Government’s repeated misuse of Section 107 is another tool used to tip the balance of power in employers’ favour. When employers know they can fall back on the Government for support, they have no reason to seriously negotiate.

In our own case, repeated government interventions have only delayed the bargaining process, pushed problems and issues to further rounds of bargaining and undermined postal workers’ trust in the government.

Bill C-247: Repeal Section 107 

That’s why we welcome the New Democratic Party’s private Member’s bill, Bill C-247, that would amend the Canada Labour Code and delete Section 107 from the Act.

To show your support, you can sign Canada Labour Congress President Bea Bruske’s petition in support of this bill, sponsored by Winnipeg Centre’s Leah Gazan: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-6979

To get the latest union news and information delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for e-Digest at: https://www.cupw.ca/en/cupw-edigest. 

In Solidarity,