Why is Canada Post on Strike Again?

Photo Credit: Mikayla Grimes/The Brock Press

On Sept. 25, Canada Post workers went on strike after Minister of Transformation, Joël Lightbound, announced that Canada Post would be ending home delivery and cutting back costs by using community mailboxes instead of addresses. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) initiated the strike to fight for its workers’ rights in the face of these financial cutbacks. Until Oct. 11, at 6 AM, they were on a nationwide strike before switching to a rotating strike in different regions.

According to a statement by the CUPW, the union asks for fair wages, better working conditions, more full-time jobs, work-life balance, and fair treatment for the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) who often receive less pay. In a meeting on Sept. 19, the CUPW also proposed that Canada Post could provide more services to the public that could also increase revenue. Nevertheless, on Sept. 25, the federal government instructed Canada Post to adopt recommendations that would result in fewer door-to-door deliveries, the closure of many small-town post offices, fewer delivery days, and higher stamp prices.

The new announcement angered the CUPW. In addition to the service cut, the government also removed the rural moratorium, which had previously protected small-town post offices from closure. This enabled them to remove 493 urban and suburban boat offices that were previously protected by the CUPW agreement. The CUPW shared that the government ignored proposals for expanding services and avoided questions about potential job losses. The union argued that it would hurt public service, cause major job losses, and fail to meet Canadians' needs for door-to-door delivery.

In a statement from the CUPW on Sept. 29, they stated the three rights that they were standing up for. First was the right to public consultation, which the government ignored when announcing service cuts before holding public consultations. Second was the right to good public services that are reliable and affordable. Last was the right to free and fair collective bargaining without government interference, which was broken when their legal strike was paused and a forced vote was imposed.

The CUPW has been rallying in Ottawa in front of the Prime Minister’s office and in front of workers’ respective MPs’ offices across the country.

On Oct. 3, Canada Post announced a new offer that removed job security for some workers. They introduced a “workforce adjustment zone” of 60 kilometres, forcing workers to travel long distances to keep their jobs rather than lose them. However, they also offered a wage increase of 13.59 per cent over four years, health benefits, pension plans, up to seven weeks of vacation, and cost-of-living adjustments. The offer does not include a signing bonus. Employees affected by the transformation will receive full pay, while others will receive a six-month notice, consultation, voluntary departure incentives, seniority protections, and recall rights for two years. The company also offered flexible positions, including part-time roles with benefits. 

The CUPW shared that the contract terms are similar to the ones from May 2025 and believes that Canada Post is not taking the negotiation seriously.

Canada Post shared in an Oct. 3 news release that it wanted to modernize the postal service while keeping it financially stable. The statement shared that the government also directed Canada Post to change delivery standards, expand community mailboxes, and protect services in rural and Indigenous communities.

A meeting on Oct. 8 between the union and the Minister was focused on the CUPW’s response to the September 25 Announcement and Canada Post’s October 3 offer. 

CUPW raised issues with Canada Post regarding the growing number of unnecessary supervising positions added in the past five years, while the company has been cutting front-line maintenance, sorting, and delivery staff. The union emphasized that Canada Post is spending more on supervision even though there are fewer workers to oversee. The union demanded a full public review of Canada Post’s mandate, which the government said it would consider. CUPW concluded that the only way to end the dispute is for Canada Post to present fair, negotiable collective agreements.