Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers in northern Alberta, Canada Wildcatted on Monday September 24th. Mail delivery was cut off in Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Nisku, Edson, Hinton and Delton Depot in Edmonton.
Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers in northern Alberta, Canada Wildcatted on Monday September 24th. Mail delivery was cut off in Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Nisku, Edson, Hinton and Delton Depot in Edmonton. The strike action was in response to Canada Post offering a select group of employees at two depots in Alberta a 35% raise while bypassing the vast majority of Rural and Suburban Workers. The intention of this raise was to bypass the negotiating committee for RSMC's and is another blatant attempt by Canada Post trying to break the union.
The workers walked off the job in the early hours of September 24th and all went for coffee, saying they would not return until the issue was addressed. Labour relations, at the end of the day, promised that they would return to the bargaining table in good faith, just a half hour before the end of the day, leaving the mail largely unsorted and undelivered until the following day.
These workers were only recently organised by CUPW and are in the middle of their first contract. The contract was very controversial as it signed away the right to strike for eight years starting in 2004, with periodic negotiation without the right to strike every two years, the second opening of negotiations are due to start next year. The Edmonton Local of CUPW has responded with support by sending officers to the picket lines and promising to support these workers in their actions.
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