With Christmas less than 20 days away and Canada Post's strike now going into its 4th week, I think it's rather noteworthy that CP and CUPW are still "too far apart" in coming to a deal. It's noteworthy on account of CUPW quickly loosing their only real leverage point which is Christmas.

For anyone too bogged down with all the previous updates over the last 3 weeks, here are the subjects still being disputed:

Wage increases

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents 55,000 Canada Post workers, said at the start of the strike that wage increases must be kept in line with inflation, with cost-of-living adjustment payments rolled into the basic wage rate.

The union initially called for a cumulative wage hike of 24 per cent over four years. CUPW negotiator Jim Gallant said that figure has moved since the start of negotiations, but declined to comment on the union's latest proposal.

Weekend delivery (AKA: "HIRING GIG WORKERS"):

The Crown corporation says it would staff weekend delivery shifts with a mix of new permanent part-time positions and some full-time, which would "create flexibility while not adding significant long-term fixed costs."

But the union characterizes Canada Post's proposals as "attacks on full-time work," accusing the Crown corporation of wanting to increase the part-time mix to more than 50 per cent of the workforce. It says it is concerned some part-timers could be scheduled for as few as eight hours per week and wouldn’t be eligible for benefits until they reach 1,000 hours.

"Canada Post has every ability today to deliver parcels on the weekend, inside our collective agreement at straight time," Gallant said in an interview.

"We think it can be done with full-timers … We're just saying, 'Instead of hiring 10 part-timers, you can hire three full time."

Job security and retirement:

The union has highlighted a number of its demands for better job security, including a request for "improved protections against technological change." Gallant said Canada Post is "always looking for new technology" that could threaten workers' duties.

"This loading and unloading of trucks by robots is one that they're really, really looking at (and) forklifts that drive themselves through a plant," he said.

"We're always afraid."

When it comes to retirement, CUPW says Canada Post wants new workers to accept a defined contribution pension plan, even though its defined benefit pension plan is overfunded by 140 per cent.

"All workers deserve the right to retire with dignity, and for us, that means postal workers — present and future — maintain their defined benefit pension plan," Simpson said.

Rural service

The union has said it wants job security rights for rural and suburban mail carriers in line with those granted to urban postal workers. It has outlined a number of issues affecting its Rural Suburban Mail Carrier bargaining unit, saying it wants an hourly rate system with appropriate time values, union involvement and "safeguards against (Canada Post's) unilateral change."

The union says Canada Post must maximize and maintain eight-hour routes for rural workers, grant improved rights for on-call relief employees, and uphold paid meal and rest period rights.

It says the Crown corporation must also ensure the bargaining unit's involvement in service expansion projects. Earlier this week, Simpson called on Canada Post to commit to working with the union "to expand services at the post office including postal banking and electric vehicle charging stations."

Safer working conditions:

The union has demanded the full elimination of Canada Post's "separate sort from delivery" system, which entails certain employees spending the entirety of their shifts sorting mail for letter carriers to go out and deliver — as opposed to carriers performing both tasks.

It says this system overburdens carriers, who as a result spend more time outdoors and potentially exposed to extreme weather events.

"Postal workers suffer the second highest rate of disabling injury among workers under federal jurisdiction, behind only the road transportation sector," Simpson said. "Growing neighbourhood mail volumes and changing work methods like separate sort-from-delivery are only making things worse."

The union has also proposed increases to short-term disability program payments and injury on duty payments, along with more paid medical days.

Personally, after seeing and reading these points, this makes me pissed that this is the shit that's screwing over literally every single fucking Canadian. Why weren't any of these things negotiated for during the last 2 mail strikes (except for maybe the wages)? It's not like robots unloading and loading things sent out for delivery is new fucking technology. Who literally gives a shit if part-time workers only get 8 hours/week? They are PART TIME FOR A REASON. But hey, I guess I'd be freaking out too if my company wanted to hire a bunch of disposable part timers because that might mean I'd actually have to do my job (missed out for delivery notices anyone.)

So no. CUPW no longer has my support.