By CBC News, cbc.ca, Updated: August 29, 2010 1:24 PM
Staffing decisions by Canada Post have resulted in unacceptable delays in mail delivery, the union representing letter carriers in British Columbia says.
Canada Post hasn’t been backfilling employees who become ill or take leave, Ken Mooney of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers told CBC News.
“The non-delivery has a ramification on the community, of course, because people depend on GST cheques and family allowance cheques and various other correspondence, and they depend on Canada Post for that service,” Mooney said.
Canada Post says unplanned absences of workers pose a challenge, but if a cheque is in the mail it will get through.
“Definitely if there are important items like that, we’re getting them out,” said spokeswoman Colleen Frick. “We’re taking the necessary measures to make sure that customer service is not jeopardized for important mail.”
However, the union says it has a growing list of grievances that suggest Canada Post has not been covering routes adequately and in fact has a policy of non-delivery.
Canada Post says there is no non-delivery policy. However, with the growing use of email, the overall volume of mail has dropped and the Crown corporation is trying to adjust the number of hours worked accordingly.
“From where the item is coming from there is either a two-, three- or four-day delivery standard, and we’re meeting that 96 per cent of the time — either meeting or exceeding that number,” Frick said.
The union’s Mooney says delayed delivery is more than an inconvenience. “Well, in fact, the Canada Post [Corporation] Act states — and it’s an act of legislation — that if you intentionally delay mail it may be an indictable offence resulting in up to five years of imprisonment.”
A list of affected locations will be posted next week.
No mail on sick days: Canada Post Union
Letter carriers in B.C. have filed a stack of grievances to protest Canada Post’s refusal to backfill them when they take time off work, according to their union.
Ken Mooney, regional grievance officer for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, says he has grievances from postal carriers who say their routes across B.C. were left uncovered for as many as three days.
“It has become quite apparent that Canada Post has rolled out a policy of non-delivery in locations throughout British Columbia including Vancouver, Victoria, Fraser Valley, Royal City, Terrace, Cranbrook, Trail, Quesnel, Prince Rupert, Castlegar, Coquitlam, Mission, Nanaimo, Courtenay and elsewhere,” he wrote in a letter to Canada’s management on Aug. 5.
“At each location, mail has not been delivered, grievances have been filed, and members of the public have not received the service to which they are entitled,” he wrote.
Mooney says the mail just piles up until they return. The new policy is hurting Canadians and may actually be illegal, he says.
“They are not covering the route, which is actually required by our collective agreement, but also by the service standard passed by the Conservative government in 2009,” he said.
“What it amounts to is delaying the mail, which according to the Canada Post Act is an indictable offence.”
The unions has approached management demanding to know if this is a new policy but received no response, he said.
“We’re worried this is some sort of pilot project for Canada Post that would be rolled out throughout Canada, and it would be an erosion of postal services.”
MP wants answers
Canada Post spokeswoman Colleen Frick told CBC News that mail volumes are down considerably, so hours worked are being matched to the lower volumes.
She did not comment on whether there is a new absentee policy in B.C.
New Democrat MP Alex Atamenenko said he has written to the head of Canada Post demanding answers, but is still waiting to hear back.
Atamenenko says people depend on the mail for their livelihood and suspending service is unacceptable.
“If I’m waiting for a cheque and it’s not coming because my letter carrier is sick, then it is totally unacceptable,” Atamenenko said.
A Letter from Alex Atamanenko, MP for BC Southern Interior
Dear Mr. Bacon:
It has come to my attention that Canada Post has instituted a policy in British Columbia that provides for non-delivery of mail when employees are absent from work. I have received reports that this change has affected the community of Castlegar. According to Mr. Ken Mooney, Regional Grievance Officer for CUPW-STTP, there have been at least 5 separate incidents of a similar nature in Cranbrook, in violation of the collective agreement, Canada Post Service Charter and the Canada Post Act.
In reference to your column to Canada Post employees entitled “Staying the Course”, you state that Canada Post is containing costs and making crucial improvements without sacrificing service. Yet, as Mr. Mooney points out to Mike Shearon, Divisional General Manager, in a letter dated August 5, 2010, the way in which this is being implemented points to a change in direction that directly opposes provisions in the collective agreement, which requires coverage of unstaffed letter carrier routes, as well as the above-mentioned service charter and the Canada Post Act.
According to Mr. Mooney, an enormous list of grievances have been filed as a result of this shift and yet, there does not appear to be an acknowledgement by Canada Post head office that this is taking place.
I am very concerned that Canada Post’s mandate for universal service will further be eroded if the new policy is rolled out throughout the rest of Canada.
Therefore, I respectfully urge you to reconsider what appears to be a change in both policy and practice to ensure that employee absences are covered by replacement staff. This way, Canadians will continue to enjoy the high quality of service from Canada Post they have received in the past.
Thank you, in advance, for your prompt attention to this serious issue.
Sincerely,
Alex Atamanenko, MP
BC Southern Interior
CC: Ken Mooney, Regional Grievance Officer for CUPW-STTP
All B.C. MPs
Chris Charlton, NDP Critic for Canada Post
Mike Shearon – Divisional Regional Manager for Canada Post
Since the Spring of 2010, all of the Locals in BC and across Canada have completed and forwarded our demands to National CUPW for review. We now have a list of our Demands that have been printed and published. Copies of our 2011 Demands will be made available at our upcoming 2 (two) scheduled Ratification Vote Meetings in the Royal City Local. There will be a National and/or Regional CUPW Officer that will be at our 2 Ratification Vote Meetings to answer any of our questions.
These 2 Ratification Vote Meetings will allow all of our CUPW members to then cast their votes on our list of Demands. You must also be a member in good standing (paided your one time $ 5.00 membership fee to our Local)
The 2 meetings will be held at the following separate locations in our Local. You can attend at either 1(one) of these meetings.
As we all approach towards January 31, 2011, our CUPW National Executive Board and our Bro. and National President, Denis Lemelin have forwarded the following message in regards to our preparations for the next round of bargaining.
August 19, 2010 - 18:00
Urban Postal Unit Negotiations (2011) / Bulletin
Urban Negotiations 2011/1
We’re ready for the ratification vote. The National Executive Board has unanimously adopted the Program of Demands. The Program has been sent to all locals and the vote will take place from August 21st to September 26th. Now is the time for members to get to know the program and express their democratic opinion. Please attend your local meetings and exercise your right to vote. It’s now up to you!
A SEASONED NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE
The National Executive Board has also chosen the members who will sit on the Negotiating Committee. Our National Constitution says the following on the composition of the Negotiating Committee:
“6.11 The National Executive Board shall appoint such members of the Negotiating Committee, taking into account criteria with regard to experience in preparation, hearing and arbitration of grievances and experience relating to any other matter regarding the negotiation of a collective agreement.”
The sisters and brothers who were chosen meet these criteria.
Sister Cathy Kennedy has been the National Union Representative assigned to grievances. She has worked at every level of the union and has been in the national union’s grievance department since 2005. This will be her fourth time as a member of the Negotiating Committee. She knows the workings of arbitration and is keenly aware of problems faced by members on the work floor.
Sister Asma Burney, of the Edmonton Local, will be on the Negotiating Committee for the first time. She has worked in Vancouver and Ottawa and now works at a sortation centre. As a chief steward, she has dealt with every type of situation that can occur on the work floor. Sister Burney is also known for her commitment to social justice.
Brother Doug Hacking is a union representative from the Metro-Toronto Region. This will also be his first time on the Negotiating Committee. In the past, he was directly involved in developing various parcels projects in Ontario. He was also a chief steward for Toronto South area letter carriers and is known for his expertise in work measurement systems.
For Brother Sylvain Lapointe, Grievance Officer for the Metro-Montreal Region, this will be his third time as a member of the Negotiating Committee. With extensive union experience, Brother Lapointe has served as a union steward on the workfloor and President of the Montreal Local, and has done both formal and regular arbitration work.
These four members will join National Grievance Officer Philippe Arbour and myself, to complete the Negotiating Committee.
WE WILL WIN THIS TOGETHER
We have everything we need to win these negotiations: a Program of Demands for the future, a seasoned Negotiating Committee and members who understand the stakes and the challenges of this coming round of bargaining.
Let’s all get involved in our local meetings and send a clear message to Canada Post that we want a MODERN POST POWERED BY PEOPLE.
The struggle continues.
In solidarity,
Denis Lemelin
National President and Chief Negotiator
August 29, 2010
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Staffing decisions by Canada Post have resulted in unacceptable delays in mail delivery, the union representing letter carriers in British Columbia says.
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