Canada Post warns of delays after union initiates strike action

By David Hartwig

Canada Post announced May 23 that customers may experience delays due to a nationwide overtime ban of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

The legal strike action means that union employees are called on to refuse to work more than eight hours in a day and refuse to work more than 40 hours in a week.

“At this time, there are no rotating strikes or national work stoppage,” Canada Post said. “The Corporation will keep Canadians and businesses informed if strike activity escalates and there are changes to postal operations.”

This nationwide overtime ban comes after existing collective agreements between Canada Post and Canadian Union of Postal Workers ended May 22.

These agreements were extended at the end of the last strike of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which lasted Nov. 15, 2024, to Dec. 17, 2024. The strike ended when the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered Canadian Union of Postal Workers-represented employees back to work (Linn’s, Jan. 13, 2025, page 12).

On May 15, one week before the agreements were set to expire, a report and recommendations to the Canadian government were presented by the Industrial Inquiry Commission, which was created to examine issues in the bargaining dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

In response, Canadian Union of Postal Workers president Jan Simpson said in a May 16 bulletin that the report “skews heavily in favour of Canada Post’s positions and recommendations,” and that the union disagrees with the “bulk” of the report’s recommendations.

Canada Post received strike notices from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers May 19. The notices indicated that the union planned to go on strike effective May 23.

“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,” Simpson said in a May 20 bulletin. “By issuing this notice, we are simply announcing our intention to continue our legal strike that was put on pause by the CIRB [Canada Industrial Relations Board].”

Canada Post said May 19 that it “will work to minimize service disruptions, but customers may experience delays,” if the union initiated a strike.

“In the event of a national labour disruption, mail and parcels will not be delivered and no new items will be accepted until the disruption is over,” Canada Post said. “All mail and parcels in our network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible once operations resume.”

Canada Post presented new offers to the union May 21, saying that the offers “go further on wage increases and would protect employees’ benefits and entitlements.” The Canadian Union of Postal Workers responded in a May 21 bulletin with several ways the offers fall short, including wages, a cost of living allowance, and benefits for new hires.

According to a May 22 bulletin from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canada Post refused an offer of a two-week truce for negotiations to continue before going on strike. The parties met through mediators on May 25, the third day of the strike.

“Further escalation in strike activity would have major impacts on employees, small businesses and the millions of Canadians who rely on the postal system – and deepen the company’s already serious financial situation,” Canada Post said May 23. “It is critical that both parties focus their energies on resolving issues to reach negotiated agreements.”

Canada Post provides details of its offers to the union online and provides negotiation updates online. The latest news from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers can be found online.

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