Grievance Officer Report
As of today, the Local has filed 1010 grievances under the 2022 Collective Agreements. 961 under the Urban Collective Agreement (519 Group 1, 437 Group 2, 5 Groups 3 & 4) and 49 under the RSMC Collective Agreement. We have been able to resolve 240 Urban and 12 RSMC.
Of the grievances filed, 190 were regarding suspensions given to our members, 132 regarding disciplinary letters placed on a members personal file, and 47 were filed as a result of our members having been discharged (26 related to disciplinary acts, 12 temp. discharges, 9 releases for incapacity). In addition, there were also 28 grievances related to members having been bullied/harassed by management, 13 regarding improper health and safety investigations, 150 grievances filed relating to improperly offered overtime, and 54 regarding shop stewards and/or the union having been hindered from properly investigating grievances.
If you see management violating the contract it is important to file grievances. This is our opportunity to hold the employer accountable for violating our rights on the job. Whenever we let the employer violate our contract without challenging them, we are weakening our contract for all members. It sends a message to the boss that we will not
enforce the contract. When we file grievances, we let employers know that we take the contract seriously and we will make them take it seriously, too. Sometimes, just knowing union members will enforce their rights acts as a deterrent, and management will think twice before violating the contract.
Arbitration Update:
At the end of January, the Union received a decision for our National Policy Grievance
N00‐20‐R0001 regarding overtime pay for RSMCs who work on a Stats being paid a higher rate of pay. Unfortunately, the arbitrator dismissed the grievance, taking the position that all Stat work, is voluntary and not “required” by CPC. The Arbitrator stated “On the facts before me, I find that RSMCs volunteer for the assignment on the designated
holiday. They often do not work on their regular route. They deliver packages to POCs to help CPC with their objective of keeping up with the package backlog. Further, RSMCs can sign up for work on a designated holiday and they are allowed to cancel or leave their assignment without finishing the deliveries with no adverse consequences.
The NPG also addressed the issue of PCI’s not being counted on stats, but this was also
dismissed, the arbitrator saying “It would be strange to find CPC’s compensation approach to parcel delivery on a designated holiday unreasonable considering Arbitrator MacPherson’s interest arbitration decision. Weekend parcel delivery and parcel delivery on a designated holiday are very similar in nature and should not have a different
compensation treatment. I find that CPC is acting reasonably in its designated holiday compensation approach when it does not count, tabulate and annualize PCIs delivered.” If anybody wishes to read the decision please email me and I will send it to you.
So, what does this mean for RSMCs? It means that there is no benefit for RSMC’s to volunteer to work on weekends, or stats, until we have achieved an hourly rate at the bargaining table. RSMC’s are still not being paid equally to their Urban counterparts, and there is no point to having article 16.03 in the RSMC CA if there is never a reason for CPC
to “require” work on a stat holiday. RSMCs and letter carriers do the same work, so RSMCs should receive the same provisions as Urban members. Joining the bargaining units into one is our best way to fight back against Canada Post’s divide and conquer tactics and achieve full equality for RSMCs. We need to mobilize around these issues and send a strong message to Canada Post that we have had enough of these double standards.
Speaking of negotiations, both contracts have now expired (but remain in effect). Our negotiating committee is working hard to push our demands forward and we should start preparing for a possible strike or lockout in the future by setting some money aside and getting our finances in order. Talk to your friends, your family, and your neighbours about our issues. Tell them what we’re fighting for – fair wages, job security, better services, benefits, and the threat of automation. Negotiating a good contract requires using the leverage of a strong and supportive membership. The employer has never given us anything. We have fought for and won each of the rights we have today. Management’s response at the table will be based on whether it believes the Union speaks on behalf of an informed membership that is willing to leverage its power, if necessary. We are lucky enough to be in a union, so I encourage you to be active in it. Attend meetings, participate in rallies, sign-up for educationals, take part in local labor councils, subscribe to emails alerts and updates, read union publications, and show up as needed. Show the employer you are paying attention to the issues and support our negotiating committee – no matter how big or small – makes a difference as we push for a fair contract.
In solidarity,
Cheryllynn Saramaga-Martai