Negotiations updates

CUPW negotiations: Update on discussions and process

May 14, 2024

Canada Post continues to negotiate with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) to renew our collective agreements with CUPW’s two bargaining units: Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers, and CUPW-Urban. We remain committed to the bargaining process and our goal is to work collaboratively with CUPW to reach negotiated agreements. We are also committed to keeping you informed throughout the negotiations process.

The parties have agreed to a negotiations approach designed to facilitate open and transparent discussions with a view to achieving negotiated agreements. We have met many times and we’re continuing to talk. Discussions so far have been productive and respectful. The next phase involves more in-depth discussions of issues on the table, with the goal of reaching negotiated agreements. As we’re negotiating, operations continue as usual and you can count on us to deliver.

The negotiations process

To renew the collective agreements, the parties must follow a specific process defined by the Canada Labour Code:

• Under the Code, we keep negotiating until we either reach an agreement or an impasse. If there’s an impasse, either party can inform the Minister of Labour with a notice of dispute.
• The notice of dispute is normally followed by a conciliation period, with a neutral third party working to mediate an agreement. Conciliation typically lasts 60 days and can be longer if the parties agree (there is currently no indication of an impasse or that conciliation will be necessary).
• If there’s still no agreement, the conciliation period is followed by a 21-day cooling-off period.
• It’s only after this cooling-off period that the parties would be in a position to strike or lock out.
• From the moment an impasse is declared, there would be approximately three months before a strike or lockout could happen.

We are still early in the negotiations process and there remains much ground to cover. Discussions are productive and our goal is to reach negotiated agreements.