Kamloops postal workers to start voting on new five-year contract on May 19

But that sentiment doesn’t mean CUPW members will vote “yes” on the contract that is set to remain in effect through to Jan. 31, 2029. They’re also casting ballots on another strike mandate, in case they reject this contract which was reached after about two years of sometimes tense negotiations.

“I have been a no for a long time,” Arseneau said. “I reserve the right to change my opinion if more things come to light, but as of right now, I’m recommending our members locally vote however they want.”

“I hope they get informed on the items and make as good a decision as they can for themselves, their lives, their family.”

This vote comes amid reforms like the phasing out of door-to-door delivery in favour of community mailboxes, and the closing of some entire post offices. It’s all part of an effort to try and save the crown corporation money, which reported a record loss of $1.57 billion last year.

“The severity of the corporation’s financial situation underscores the urgency to transform and meet the modern needs of the country,” a statement from Canada Post said.

“Building on the federal government’s decision to lift long-standing policy and regulatory restrictions, Canada Post is proceeding with transformative measures to return the company to financial sustainability and renew the postal service to meet the needs of Canadians and Canadian businesses in today’s economy.”

There is also the potential of job losses amid a declining mail volumes and rising costs. Canada Post expects to lose up to 30,000 employees to retirement or voluntary departure over the next decade, and Arseneau said that “fear” of a job loss could also influence the vote.

“It scares people,” he said. “And that’s not a good thing. That’s not something we want to happen with our membership at all. We want to promote more healthy, full-time positions instead of less.”

“They want to bring in more part-timers during the weekends and also during the week, and that will start to deteriorate the full-time workforce. Then in 2029, are they going to try and push more part-timers in and move more full-timers out? That’s what I suspect and that is why I’m voting no.”

Canada Post has also accumulated $5 billion in deficits over the last couple of years, and Ottawa has warned that regular bailouts are not sustainable. It also said Canada Post needs a clear path to restore long-term stability.

“They’re essentially engaging in a race to the bottom where they’re basically going to try and compete on an unfair playing field with these international competitions, especially Amazon,” Barry Eidlin, a sociologist at McGill University told Global News.

Arseneau says the delayed vote for CUPW members in Kamloops is a good thing, as he notes they’ll be in a better place to make a more informed decision when the time comes.

“The tentative agreement is 800 pages and there is a lot of information to go through, so every extra day gives members more time to learn more about it,” he said. “It also gives more time for government policy to evolve and for more things to come to light, which could affect people’s decisions as well.”

by Victor Kaisar

Kamloops postal workers to start voting on new five-year contract on May 19

Our Community