First off is the Union statement
CUPW Issues 72-Hour Strike Notice: A Call for Fair Negotiation
Tuesday May 20 2025
2023-2027/251
No. 83 - AMENDED
On Monday, May 19, CUPW issued a 72-hour strike notice to Canada Post. This action was not taken lightly, but it was done for several reasons.
The collective agreements for the Urban Postal Operations and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers bargaining units, which were extended by the Government in December 2024, are set to expire Friday, May 23 at midnight.
CUPW negotiators met with Canada Post over several days at the end of April and early May, with the goal of resolving our bargaining dispute and achieving new collective agreements for both bargaining units.
Last week, Canada Post walked away from the bargaining table for the third time, telling the Union it would return with new comprehensive offers. A week has passed. With the expiry of our collective agreements drawing closer by the day, we are still waiting. The clock is ticking, and so far, Canada Post has yet to deliver.
The day after Canada Post walked away and paused bargaining, it fired another shot, by threatening to unilaterally change your working conditions and suspend employee benefits if new agreements aren’t reached. This aggressive move undermines good faith bargaining and the stability of our public postal service. It had to be met with strong resistance. Postal workers won’t be threatened or coerced into accepting offers that will gut our collective agreements and undermine good, stable jobs.
Our right to strike was taken away from us and put on “a time out” by former Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon’s orders and the Canada Industrial Relations Board in December 2024. By issuing this notice, we are simply announcing our intention to continue our legal strike that was put on pause by the CIRB.
The Work Continues
Although we have served notices, there is still time for negotiations to take place. We remain committed to achieving negotiated collective agreements. Your National Executive Board and Negotiating Committees urge Canada Post to return to the bargaining table with real offers that protect the health and well-being of postal workers, support the communities we serve, and ensure a strong and sustainable public postal service for all.
In solidarity,
Jan Simpson
National President
CUPW Defends the Public Post Office During OGGO Committee Meeting
Tuesday October 28 2025
2023-2027/352
No. 159
On Tuesday, October 28, CUPW participated in the second day of hearings of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) into the situation at Canada Post.
During our presentation, we explained how Minister Lightbound’s announcement of sweeping changes to Canada Post last month will gut the public post office, eliminate thousands of good, unionized jobs, and cause real hardship in communities across the country, and highlighted how none of these things need to happen to return the Corporation to sustainability.
In fact, most of the announced cuts will only drive more customers away.
Cuts Not the Answer
Using Canada Post’s own reports, we showed that the Corporation’s losses so far this year stem almost entirely from lower parcel volumes, not an outdated regulatory model. Canada Post has admitted that labour uncertainty is the biggest reason that parcels volumes have dropped.
We also demonstrated that the 2025 stamp price increase alone is expected to bring in $800 million in new revenue this year. Regular stamp price increases that reflect inflation and other input costs, and a modest rise in parcel deliveries, could bring Canada Post back to sustainability without cuts or closures. We also challenged the logic of ending to the door delivery, noting that competitors already deliver to the door.
We explained to the Committee that resolving the labour dispute and signing new collective agreements would do more to bring Canada Post back to sustainability than the announced cuts.
Conflict of Interest
We revealed a major conflict of interest that took many Committee members by surprise and prompted further questions: Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger and several other senior Canada Post officials also sit on Purolator’s Board of Directors. A Bloc Québécois member was visibly stunned when we shared this information.
Real Public Consultation Required
Finally, we reminded the Committee that in adopting the Kaplan Report’s recommendations, the Government interfered directly with collective bargaining. The report echoes Canada Post’s own plans with very little in depth analysis. It also largely ignored the recommendations put forward by postal workers, individuals, and municipalities. We emphasized that there must be a full public consultation through a mandate review, the Commission process was insufficient, and we must listen to what the public wants and needs its post office to be.
You can watch the recorded session on ParlVu: https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/2025102...
We expect Canada Post to testify in the coming days, though no meeting has been scheduled.
In solidarity,
Jan Simpson
National President
Negotiations Update: Meeting Scheduled for Thursday Morning
Wednesday October 29 2025
2023-2027/353
No. 160
CUPW’s lead negotiators for both postal bargaining units have scheduled a meeting with Canada Post for Thursday morning, October 30. Federal mediators will join to support the talks.
Our goal is to set an agenda for the coming days to help the parties find some common ground to advance negotiations.
Canada Post Must Reconsider its Latest Offers
The Union remains committed to achieving ratifiable collective agreements at the bargaining table. We’re calling on Canada Post to reconsider its October 3 global offers, which cannot form the basis of new deals.
With its latest offers, the Corporation only moved backward, bringing no improvements to the offers that postal workers had soundly rejected just weeks before during the government-forced vote. In fact, Canada Post only added new rollbacks, like threatening to take away our job security and to close corporate post offices. These are not the kind of moves that will help push negotiations forward.
Lightbound’s 45-Day Deadline Looms
The 45-day period in which Canada Post must respond to the Government’s announcement of service cuts is fast approaching. Repeated government interventions, like Lightbound’s announcement, have only emboldened Canada Post to take a harder line.
But postal workers aren’t backing down. Our public post office matters. Our jobs matter.
In solidarity,
Jan Simpson
National President
Negotiations Update: Further Talks Planned
Friday October 31 2025
2023-2027/354
No. 161
Yesterday, October 30, CUPW’s negotiators for both postal bargaining units met with Canada Post and the federal mediators for the first time since October 3.
Our goal was to re-start talks to find a way to advance negotiations.
The parties will have further discussions in the days to come.
In the meantime, our rotating strikes continue, and members in the Quebec Region continue their action by not processing and delivering unaddressed flyers (Neighbourhood Mail).
We all have a part to play in our fight for public services, good jobs and a sustainable public post office. The negotiators thank all members for their continued support.
In solidarity,
Jan Simpson
National President
Negotiations Update: Talks Continue
Monday November 3 2025
2023-2027/355
No 162
After meeting with Canada Post on October 30, CUPW negotiators returned to the bargaining table today, November 3.
With the support of federal mediators, CUPW negotiators are looking to find ways to overcome the disagreements between the parties and advance negotiations. Our goal remains to secure ratifiable collective agreements at the bargaining table.
Today, our rotating strike action continues. The Ontario Region (excluding the Metro Toronto and Central Regions) has now joined the Quebec Region in not processing or delivering unaddressed admail.
Members should make sure to reach out to their local executive for the latest information on strike actions.
As we continue our fight for strong public services, good jobs, and a sustainable, public post office, your support and solidarity mean everything.
In solidarity,
Jan Simpson
Présidente nationale
Federal Budget 2025
Wednesday November 5 2025
2023-2027/357
Prime Minister Mark Carney has tabled his first budget since his Liberal Party won a minority government in the April 2025 election. Carney had promised a “generational budget,” saying his government would take every action it could to reorient the country’s economy in light of the ongoing trade war launched by the United States. Carney has also highlighted his commitment to boost spending on the military, build new homes and protect cherished public services like universal health care.
At the same time, he announced that he had plans to cut thousands of jobs from the public service, even while praising workers for being at the heart of Canada’s economy.
Impact on Canada Post
There is one specific mention of Canada Post in the budget. The government plans to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act “to modernize and expedite the stamp rate-setting process by allowing Canada Post Corporation to set postage rates.”
CUPW has long supported improvements to the process for setting postage rates. In the Industrial Inquiry Commission, we demonstrated that the low stamp price was one of the main causes for the Corporation’s poor financial performance. We are seeing now that the 2025 rate increase is having a major positive impact on Canada Post’s bottom line, with $376 million in new revenue in the first six months alone. However, we must see the details of the government’s plan before we can comment on this proposal.
Under a new “Buy Canadian Policy,” Crown corporations, like Canada Post, will be required to purchase from Canadian suppliers when domestic suppliers are available.
Public Service Job Cuts
The budget will slash 40,000 jobs from the public service by 2029, almost 10% of the workforce. These are huge cuts that will hurt workers, their families, and the communities that depend on good public services. We should be ready to offer our support and solidarity to our fellow workers and their unions impacted by this plan.
What Comes Next?
There is a lot of uncertainty around this budget, with media reports saying the Liberal Government is “playing chicken” with the opposition.
As of now, we don’t know if the government will have the votes to pass this budget. Voting this budget down could trigger another election.
As more details become available, we’ll keep members updated.
In Solidarity,
Jan Simpson
National President
@flipistics wrote:
@widgetc wrote:An interesting resd
At this point, all I can say is that they'd better not make it a 4 year contract with 2+ of the years being retroactive to the last one. A one year reprieve with this nonsense beginning again right after cannot happen.
That is exactly how it will work.
Negotiations Update: Meetings with Federal Mediators
Friday November 7 2025
2023-2027/359
No. 163 - AMENDED
This week we continued our meetings in our effort to explore negotiated solutions that both parties can agree to with the assistance of the Federal mediators.
Our goal remains to get negotiated collective agreements that can be ratified by the membership.
45 Day Deadline Approaching
On September 25, Joel Lightbound, the Minister Responsible for Canada Post, announced devastating cuts to postal services and good jobs which will harm communities and businesses, especially in rural, remote and Indigenous areas as well as seniors and persons with disabilities who make up over 40 percent of the population. The Minister gave Canada Post 45 days to come up with a plan to implement the cuts. That 45-day deadline is almost up. But we still haven’t had a full, public and transparent mandate review to hear from all stakeholders.
Keep the Pressure On
As we fight for strong public services, good jobs, and a sustainable post office it’s more important than ever that we keep the pressure on decision-makers. Your voices make a real difference in shaping how MPs understand what’s at stake.
Stay informed: sign up for eDigest to get union news and updates delivered straight to your inbox: www.cupw.ca/en/cupw-edigest.
In solidarity,
Jan Simpson
National President
Negotiations Continue as Canada Post Gives Its Plan to Government
Monday November 10 2025
2023-2027/360
No. 164
Today, November 10, we met once again with Canada Post and the Federal mediators, continuing our conversations from last week. Since October 30, we’ve been exploring ways to bridge the gap between the parties.
CPC Submits its Plan Despite Lack of Public Consultation
Canada Post also announced today that it has submitted its plan to implement service cuts in response to Minister Lightbound’s September 25 announcement. At the time of writing, Canada Post said it will continue to work with the Government share the plan “once it is finalized and endorsed.” Canadians deserve a say in this plan before it is finalized. Once again, the real owners – the public – are being cut out of the process. The Union has also not seen or heard of any details of Canada Post’s plan.
That said, we know that service cutbacks aren’t the answer.
Financial Self Sustainability within Reach
With its recent stamp rate increase, Canada Post is already on the way to financial sustainability. Canada Post’s new $376 million in letter mail revenues in the first 6 months of 2025 is already more than what the Corporation says it will save yearly if it ends door-to-door delivery.
What’s needed now is more parcel revenues. With stable parcel revenues, Canada Post would have come close to breaking even.
As we wait for more details of Canada Post’s plan, let’s keep the pressure on our elected Members of Parliament. Let's make sure they know we’re fighting for strong public services, good jobs, and a sustainable post office.
In solidarity,
Jan Simpson
Présidente nationale
An update from Canada Post
As we approach the end of 2025, we are reflecting on a year that has been difficult. We know the ongoing labour uncertainty and rotating strike actions are continuing to impact your business – and that this is the second peak season where you must navigate these challenges.
We are committed to reaching new collective agreements and providing you and your customers the certainty you need. We are also focused on stabilizing the remaining impacts of our SAP update, which will improve your experience when doing business with us.
While it has not been easy and there is still significant work to be done, we are hopeful for the future. We are working towards transformation initiatives that will strengthen the postal service and enable us to better serve your business.
We value your business and are working to be the delivery partner you need us to be.
Canada Post submits its proposed transformation plan to the Government of Canada
On Friday, Canada Post proposed a comprehensive transformation plan to the Honourable Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement. The plan details the decisive action the Corporation is prepared to take to deliver the services Canadians need in a way that is financially sustainable.
On September 25, the government removed long-standing barriers to reform and directed Canada Post to implement concrete changes that respond to today’s rapidly changing environment and avoid becoming a recurring burden on taxpayers. These changes include converting the remaining households to community mailboxes, modernizing its network of post offices, amending service standards for letter mail and reducing overhead costs.
Canada Post’s proposed plan would also support the Minister’s direction to ensure postal services remain accessible to all Canadians, particularly those in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.
The government directed Canada Post to submit its plan for review within 45 days, a task that the organization completed on Friday.
Statement from Doug Ettinger, President and CEO, Canada Post:
"The comprehensive plan we have submitted responds to our challenges and modernizes the postal service to support today’s economy while serving all Canadians. While our situation requires that we act with urgency, we will be thoughtful and respectful in our approach and responsive to feedback. Canadians deserve a postal service that is strong, stable and focused on meeting their changing needs, and we are focused on delivering that."
We will continue to collaborate with the government on our plan, now that we have submitted our proposal. Canada Post looks forward to sharing the details of its transformation plan with customers, employees and all Canadians once it is finalized and endorsed.
What this means for your business
The changes around centralized delivery and the updating of our retail network will put us on a path back to financial stability. In turn, this will help our efforts to provide you with better service, including more competitive parcel pricing.
Our transformation will change who we are as a company, enabling a better operating model and stronger value propositions to better meet the needs of your business and the expectations of your customers.
We remain focused on earning your trust, confidence and business. And we are committed to serving your business the way you deserve to be served.
Join us for Canada Post’s Annual Public Meeting
André Hudon, Chair, Board of Directors of Canada Post invites you to attend Canada Post’s 20th Annual Public Meeting on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, by live webcast starting at 1 pm ET.
Joining him will be Doug Ettinger, President and CEO, Rindala El-Hage, Chief Financial Officer and François Couture, Chief People and Safety officer. They will provide an overview of the Corporation’s performance in 2024 and outline the steps being taken to transform the business and continue serving Canadians. Canada Post’s 2024 Annual Report is available here. You can register in advance for the webcast here.
Negotiations, Canada Post Annual Public Meeting and Third Quarter Report
Tuesday November 18 2025
2023-2027/362
No. 165
CUPW has continued to meet with Canada Post and the Federal mediators to further explore the potential for new collective agreements for both postal bargaining units.
Annual Public Meeting
Canada Post once again came with all its greatest hits at today’s public meeting – sticking to the same message it has been putting out for two years. Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger mentioned the transformation plan that Canada Post submitted to the Government last week, but it won’t be shared until it is final – again, no consultation with the public.
Ettinger did a sales job on the benefits of CMBs and mentioned the delivery accommodation program. While CPC claims it wants to improve and scale up the program, other than a new website, there was no mention of the current barriers to access. Ettinger claimed CMBs are more convenient, even as market research shows Canadians want parcels delivered to their door.
Ettinger also made a commitment to protecting rural, remote and Indigenous services and will treat each situation on a case-by-case basis. But we have not seen much in the way of meaningful consultation with the existing Postal Charter, and we are not sure that a decision to close a post office can be overturned.
CPC will be extending delivery standards to 3-7 business days to help allow for ground transport instead of air. Ettinger said most Canadians won’t notice this, but he offered no evidence to support this claim. Ettinger explicitly said the Corporation was not looking at doing alternate day delivery.
CPC wants to streamline the process for setting the stamp price – in Ettinger’s own words he’s, “happy to see… a proposal to deregulate the setting of postage rates.” Canada Post should not be allowed to set rates arbitrarily. As we have argued before, CUPW would much rather see a transparent formula that considers inflation and other costs related to operations, coupled with a five-year plan for increases. Previous Canada Post reviews have recommended similar measures.
Preview of Canada Post Q3 Report
During the APM, figures from the upcoming 2025 third quarter report were shared. Canada Post claims a year-to-date loss from operations of $1.042 billion with $535 million of that loss in the third quarter alone. Despite this bleak picture, there was little emphasis of the significant revenue generated by the 2025 postage price increase. We need to see what the impact of that will be when the full Q3 report is released on Friday, November 21. It is also very clear that Canada Post needs to get back and expand its share of the parcel market.
In solidarity,
Jan Simpson
National President
Have Your Say on the Situation at Canada Post
Wednesday November 19 2025
2023-2027/363
The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) is still examining the Situation at Canada Post. The next committee meeting on this topic is likely to be in early December, but nothing is firm at the time of writing. There is still time to have an impact on the findings and final report of this committee if you act now.
A number of witnesses, including CUPW, have already expressed their concerns with the Government’s decision to allow Canada Post to proceed with drastic service cuts including eliminating door-to-door delivery, closing corporate retail post offices, and changing delivery standards for mail.
Further, Canada Post submitted its plans to the Government on November 9, but the report on which these cuts were based – and the plan itself – were made without any effective public consultation or input. Canada Post’s plan has not even been shared with the main stakeholders of Canada Post – Canadians.
The resulting job loss from these cuts will be catastrophic for many small communities given that in many places working for the post office is the only good job that remains. Post office closures would mean that people may have to travel many more kilometers to get their mail and ship their parcels.
Abolishing door-to-door delivery and converting to community mailboxes (CMBs) will eliminate thousands of full-time letter carrier jobs. It will also shift the cost burden to municipalities as it is their responsibility to keep CMB areas free of snow and ice and provide adequate lighting – not to mention CMBs are subject to theft, vandalism and litter. CMBs also pose significant accessibility challenges for seniors and people with disabilities. Canada Post’s accommodation program is no replacement for regular door-to-door delivery and has extreme barriers to access. All of this will have an increasingly damaging environmental effect as more cars will be used to pick up and drop off mail.
The reality is we do not need these cuts for Canada Post to return to financial stability. The 2025 stamp price increase and a return to stable parcel volumes would result in a near break-even financial bottom line. In fact, the cuts will cost billions of dollars to implement, when instead that money could be spent on expanding services and generating new forms of revenue, as many Canadians have requested. We need to make sure the committee members know the truth.
Write the Committee
We're encouraging all members to email the committee a short, respectful message about what the post office means to you, why these cuts are wrong, why we need service expansion, a full, transparent public consultation, and the protection of our public post office.
You can email the committee at [email protected] and see the latest OGGO information on Situation at Canada Post.
In Solidarity,
Jody Hutton
3rd National Vice-President
