Contractors will continue to deliver parcels to Fort McMurray doorsteps. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says an arbitrator denied its grievance with the Crown Corporation.
“Unfortunately, there was nothing substantial in our collective agreement stating that Canada Post could not change the function within the classification of letter carrier, therefore opening the door to parcel delivery privatization,” states CUPW President Chellae Rehbein.
The decision comes as Canada Post finishes its transition to community mailboxes in Fort McMurray. It’s one of the first Canadian cities to make the switch. Rehbein says the boxes, and plans to install parcel lockers next to them, will only make things more difficult for workers.
“As far as the new CMB routes are concerned on the Urban Operations side, letter carriers are struggling to keep up as 50 per cent of the positions were cut by Canada Post. Many routes are being manned by 2 plus carriers daily and several routes are not being completed,” she says.
As a response to the decision and worries among workers, the local union has been staging coffee break rallies at 9:30 a.m. everyday this week, outside the Canada Post office on Riedel Street.
