CUPW and CPC Management: Very Different Visions for the Future

If anyone wants to see the difference between CPC management and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, they need to look no further than their respective submissions to the Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review.

 

CUPW: positive and service oriented

The Union’s brief contains 25 positive recommendations regarding the exclusive privilege, financial issues such as rates and dividends, and services to the public. We chose not to use the process as a forum to attack management because we wanted to focus attention on recommendations which are necessary to safeguard the future of postal workers. Concerning services to the public, we proposed an expansion of parcel services and expanded door to door delivery. Concerning retail services, we called for expansion of the hours and range of services offered at rural post offices to include banking, insurance, financial services and government services where these are not currently available in the community.  We recommended improvement of postal services on aboriginal reserves. We also called for CPC to conduct an environmental audit of its operations to reduce its carbon footprint.

 

CPC blames employees, unions, politicians, government officials, customers, contractors and arbitrators

Unlike the union, CPC makes no proposals for improvements of postal services. Instead, it argues for a new definition of the moratorium on rural post office closures allowing it to close more of them.

Much of their submission is an attempt to shift the blame for problems to anyone other than CPC management. The CPC submission makes it very clear that the current management has not reconciled itself to the fact that Canada Post is a public institution created to serve the public interest. The CPC submission complains there is an “internal management culture of risk aversion”. The cause, according to the submission is the fact that unions, politicians, government officials, customers and even contractors lobby the government. The submission also complains that arbitrators have overturned actions by management that were violations of the collective agreement.

 

CPC attacks postal workers and CUPW

CPC’s greatest attack is reserved for the postal workers who have struggled so hard for the expansion and improvement of services to the public. The CPC brief states: ” The CUPW fights very publicly against any change or potential change in the way in which we deliver service – it wants the postal service to remain the same as it was 40 years ago.”

The person who wrote this obviously knows nothing about CUPW, our history and our 53 year struggle to change and improve the post office. We have been called many things by CPC management but this is the first time they have ever accused us of supporting the status quo.

 

CPC attacks our collective agreement

Management does not like 3^rd party arbitrators ruling against them when they violate our agreement, but they want government to appoint a 3^rd party to recommend which rights and protections should be eliminated from our collective agreement so that CPC can make more profits.

In their submission management complains about the seniority provisions, the protections concerning technological change, the grievance process, and the fact that arbitrators regularly find that they are violating the collective agreement.  They applaud other postal administrations for reducing full-time positions by using more part-time and contract employees.

 

CPC hypocrisy

In its submission, management is so determined to attack postal workers that it even contradicts previous statements made by CPC President Moya Greene.

The CPC submission says our collective agreement is complex, rigid and constraining and “has no view to the customer, service or quality”. This is exactly the opposite of what Moya Greene said in April 2007 when she stated: “This negotiated agreement exemplifies the strong commitment of Canada Post and its thousands of employees across the country to ensuring our customers and all Canadians continue to receive the highest possible level of service."

I recommend that all members read the submissions of both CUPW and CPC and judge for yourself which organization has the best vision for the future.