At 12:01 AM on Friday, November 15th, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) were officially on strike, affecting postal delivery services across the country.
Drumheller is also included in the job action and a number of mail carriers in and around the Drumheller Valley were set up across from the Drumheller Post Office on Friday in solidarity. A number of people were showing their support with honks as they drove by the group.
In an official release from the CUPW, they share that there has not been much progress in negotiations with the Federal Government. “After a year of bargaining with little progress, postal workers made the difficult decision to strike. Canada Post had the opportunity to prevent this strike, but it has refused to negotiate real solutions to the issues postal workers face every day. Instead, Canada Post left us no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members exposed to layoffs.”
The CUPW feels that they are making reasonable demands for their workers. “Our demands are reasonable: fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, and the expansion of services at the public post office. Postal workers are proud to serve their communities, and we want to do the job we love. A strike is a last resort. We still believe we can achieve negotiated collective agreements, but Canada Post must be willing to resolve our new and outstanding issues.”
For those expecting to receive Government of Canada cheques, the local postal workers have shared that they will voluntarily deliver said cheques, even though the strike remains, as long as Canada Post will allow them to do so.
The Province of Alberta has shared that essential mail between Alberta residents and the Province will continue. Starting Tuesday, Nov. 19, mail can be accepted from Albertans at designated Alberta government offices across the province to ensure it reaches the proper destination. No stamps are required. The full list of designated buildings is available on Alberta.ca.
Albertans who receive mail from the provincial government will receive a notification by email or phone indicating where and when they can pick-up/drop-off their mail. Alberta’s government will never ask for personal information over the phone or for anyone to click on a link in an email. Non-critical mail will be held by the originating department until Canada Post mail service resumes.
-With excerpts from a release from the Province of Alberta and a release from CUPW-
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