Canada Post workers have issued strike notice to start on Friday, May 23 at 12 a.m. local time.
On Monday, Canada Post said it was notified by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) that workers for both urban and RSMC (rural and suburban mail carriers) bargaining units issued strike notice.
Operations will continue as usual until then, but Canada Post warned that a labour disruption would affect the millions of Canadians and businesses that rely on the postal service.
“In the event CUPW initiates rotating strike activity, Canada Post intends to continue delivering in unaffected areas while working to reach negotiated agreements,” the organization said in a statement.
“Canada Post will work to minimize service disruptions, but customers may experience delays.”
A strike or lockout would mark the second time in under six months the postal service ground to a halt after 55,000 employees walked off the job for 32 days in November and December.
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.
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Any mail and parcels currently in the network will be secured and delivered once operations resume, Canada Post stated.
A work stoppage would affect millions of residents and businesses who typically receive more than two billion letters and roughly 300 million parcels a year via the service.
However, socio-economic cheques (SECs) will continue to be delivered and workers have agreed to ensure government financial assistance delivered by mail will reach seniors and other Canadians who rely on it.
Any shipments of live animals will also continue during a labour disruption, however, no new shipments will be accepted during the disruption.
On Friday, a report by an industrial inquiry commission called Canada Post “effectively insolvent” and stated that daily door-to-door letter mail delivery for individual addresses should be phased out.
Commissioner William Kaplan laid out seven recommendations as part of his report into the ongoing dispute.
“My recommendations are based on my conclusion that there is a way to preserve Canada Post as a vital national institution,” Kaplan wrote.
Kaplan said that the Crown corporations charter should be amended, saying it “cannot continue to require impossible-to-meet delivery standards,” but added while individual address delivery should be phased out, businesses should still receive deliveries daily.
He also said community mailboxes should be established “wherever practicable.”
Last year’s Canada Post strike shut down postal operations for more than a month during peak shipping season ahead of the winter holidays.
The 2024 work stoppage resulted in an estimated $1.6 billion in losses for small businesses, according to Merchant Growth, a small business financing company. Since then, FedEx and Purolator have raised their freight rates.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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