CUPW CALGARY LOCAL

President’s Bulletin
March 2007

On Thursday March 29th Urban Bargaining Unit Members of the Calgary Local will have the right to cast their ballots on two highly important questions.  The first is to accept or reject the tentative collective agreement between CUPW and Canada Post. The second is a strike vote for job action if the tentative agreement is rejected nationally.  The two questions while very different are crucial in the collective futures of our members and our Union.

Earlier this month the Calgary Local Executive Board unanimously voted to recommend that the membership reject the tentative agreement.  In its decision the Executive Board believed the agreement doesn’t provide enough for our members or their families.

In the area of group 1 staffing, members have been seeing a dramatic increase in workload while staffing numbers have not kept up.  This is having a negative effect on the health and safety of workers in many sections.  The National Union should have negotiated a mechanism that forces the employer to have sufficient regular employees to deal with the service requirements as well as to cover sick leave and vacation demands.  Without any gains in these area’s Group 1 workers will continue to see an increase in work with fewer people to shoulder the load.

As for Letter Carriers, they too will see their work live adversely impacted by this deal.  The increase in the weight and size of unaddressed admail will over-ride the slight increase in 1/3 a cent per piece for householders or the ability to request a cart.  If Canada Post remains determined to increase the amount of unaddressed admail it expects our members to carry then it must face the issue of overburdening.

With only modest gains in wages and benefits this tentative contract fails the test - more must be accomplished at the bargaining table.

The obvious and the most contentious stumbling block remains the CORPORATE TEAM INCENTIVE (CTI).  The acceptance of an incentive program in our collective agreement guts the very heart of our Union’s Constitution.  It also has some serious consequences for the membership as a whole.

Canada Post will unilaterally decide the criteria upon which the CTI will be based on. The Corporation reserves the right to reduce or suspend the bonus scheme year by year thus making the team incentive completely unreliable. The CTI is a sliding form of compensation and unlike set wage increases the employer can reduce your income without negotiating with your Union. 

Another disturbing aspect to the Incentive program is that temporary employees are not eligible thus splitting the union in a fundamental way, another form of divide and conquer.  The CTI is the Corporation’s number 1 demand.  Why would Canada Post risk a strike over CUPW members not accepting the employer’s incentive money?  I believe it is about Canada Post wanting to create a work culture where the company can bypass the Union and deal directly with the employee. 

On March 29th it is essential that we reject this tentative agreement and give the union a strong strike mandate.  By doing both we can hopefully return to the negotiating table and hammer out a positive collective agreement.  I firmly believe a NO vote on the deal and a YES vote for a strike mandate is the best result at this stage. 

Unfortunately the National Executive Board made a poor decision to accept the tentative agreement before holding a strike vote.  A move I believed weakened our negotiating position.  This is an opportunity for the membership to take control of the process.  A strike is a clear possibility.  However, taking a bad deal, which means fewer jobs and more work for the rest of us, is not acceptable. 
 

Yours In Solidarity
R. Scobel
Robert Scobel
President, CUPW-Calgary Local
 

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