Canada Post receives strike notice; workers plan Friday walkout

The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 19, 2025 4:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Canada Post says it has received a onslaught notice from the national representing immoderate 55,000 postal workers, with operations poised to unopen down by the extremity of the week — for the 2nd clip successful six months.

The national informed absorption that employees program to deed the picket enactment starting Friday greeting astatine midnight, the Crown corp said.

A enactment stoppage would impact millions of residents and businesses who typically person much than 2 cardinal letters and astir 300 cardinal parcels a twelvemonth via the service.

No caller items would beryllium accepted until the onslaught ends, portion those already successful the strategy would beryllium "secured" but not delivered, Canada Post said. Social assistance cheques and unrecorded animals people the 2 exceptions, with transportation of some continuing — though nary caller animals would beryllium fto done — it added.

A 32-day onslaught during highest shipping play up of the vacation season last November and December near millions of letters and parcels successful limbo and a monolithic backlog to benignant through.

Canada Post says the disruption would deepen the company's sedate fiscal concern and that some sides should absorption connected hammering retired a deal.

"It's disappointing. It's conscionable going to summation the level of interest for our employees, tiny businesses, charities, radical who are counting connected Canada Post," spokesperson Jon Hamilton said successful a telephone interrogation connected Monday afternoon.

"Large customers person already been moving their items retired of our system, knowing that May 22 was coming," helium added, referring to the expiration of a brace of corporate agreements that had been extended until this Thursday.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said Monday it issued the 72-hour onslaught announcement "in portion to respond to the employer's caller denotation that it whitethorn unilaterally alteration moving conditions and suspend worker benefits."

The national noted that the past enactment stoppage ended aft the national authorities stepped successful with a ministerial directive, resulting successful a labour committee ruling that summoned the parties backmost to negotiations.

"There is inactive clip to instrumentality to the bargaining table," the national stated, stressing its extremity remains caller contracts, including for the 23,000 message carriers.

'Canada Post is facing an existential crisis'

The labour impasse comes amid broader questions astir the aboriginal of Canada Post, which notched an $845-million operating nonaccomplishment successful 2023.

On Friday, a federally commissioned study connected the 158-year-old instauration highlighted its flagging concern exemplary and recommended foundational changes, including phasing retired regular door-to-door missive message transportation for idiosyncratic residences portion maintaining it for businesses.

The 162-page insubstantial by William Kaplan, who headed the commission, stated that moratoriums connected agrarian station bureau closures and assemblage mailbox conversions should beryllium lifted arsenic well.

WATCH | Report recommends Canada Post signifier retired regular door-to-door deliveries:

"Canada Post is facing an existential crisis," helium wrote.

"My recommendations are based connected my decision that determination is simply a mode to sphere Canada Post arsenic a captious nationalist institution. I person designed them to respond to the contiguous problem: to apprehension and past reverse the increasing fiscal losses by putting into spot the indispensable structural changes some wrong and extracurricular the corporate agreements."

The national mostly rejected the report's findings.

"What we person seen truthful acold has near america disappointed — but not surprised," spokesperson Sian Griffiths said successful an email.

"The union, set councillors, municipalities, planetary organizations — and the nationalist — took the clip to probe and nonstop successful thorough submissions successful our support. All were dismissed successful the report. Instead, the study simply regurgitates Canada Post's proposals and positions," she said.