Saying Goodbye to 2020 and Wishing You All A Happy & Better New Year!

Monday December 21 2020

As we approach a new year, it is timely to reflect on the past year, look to the future, and wish you a happy and healthy New Year.

Looking Back

Of course, the largest looming memory of 2020 has been the virus and the ensuing pandemic that caused much of the country to shut down except for frontline and essential services. But it is not all that happened.

In February, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled that Foodora couriers, whom CUPW had organized, were dependent contractors. This decision was precedent setting, granting the workers the freedom to unionize. When Foodora announced they were leaving Canada, amid a global pandemic, CUPW negotiated a financial settlement for these workers.

As May arrived, the world witnessed the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, which reignited the call to end systemic racism and resulted in an outpouring of solidarity. Change is also needed at home, where Black people, as well as Indigenous people, face violence and death at the hands of the police at higher rates than others.

We finally received Arbitrator MacPherson’s decisions on both the RSMC and Urban Operations collective agreements in June. These awards did not address the problems faced by postal workers, but they did contain wage increases and some improvements. We also negotiated new contracts for some of our private sector bargaining units, including T-Force Final Mile in Ottawa and Eazy Express in Burlington and continue to fight for our PSBU members across the country.

Throughout the year, CUPW continued to argue for a sustainable postal service that fights climate change and meets the needs of people and communities.