Postal Growth Or Rot?

Canada Post managers talk a lot about growing the postal service these days, but their green thumb is not evident. One example of this phenomenon is Canada Post’s creation of a new Senior Vice-President position to lead “the design and development of the vision, framework and planning activities that will drive the strategic agenda of Canada Post towards sustainable growth and profitability, including all related corporate development activities”. (emphasis added) This position was recently filled by Phil Ventura.

This same Phil Ventura worked on the privatization of Canadian National Railways. He will report directly to Canada Post President Moya Greene, who was a central figure in the privatization of our railways and the deregulation of our airline industry.

This latest appointment is just another reminder that CUPW is currently fighting an uphill battle with our campaign to preserve, improve and grow our network of public post offices. But thanks to our members and allies, we are making headway.

To date, over 800 municipal councils across Canada and Quebec have debated and responded favourably to the union’s position to:
1. stop the closure of the mail sorting plant in Quebec City and proposed closures in other locations;
2. consult with the public, postal unions and other major stakeholders to develop a uniform and democratic process for making changes to Canada Post’s network;
3. maintain, expand and improve our public postal network.

A Public Postal Service Vital To Communities

Here are just a few sample excerpts from correspondence received from the municipal councils.

Sexsmith, Alberta – “Postal service is still key to connecting communities, which enhances their viability and municipal sustainability. Post offices are essential to the municipalities, as they play a key role in the social and economic life by providing jobs and the infrastructure that healthy communities need to grow.”

Oliver, B.C. – “Our public postal network connects communities throughout the world, allowing us to overcome differences and distances. We therefore strongly urge the Federal Government to reconsider any closures of postal plants and outlets so that our small communities may continue to thrive and survive!”

Kensington, P.E.I. – “In Kensington, and other small communities in Prince Edward Island and across Canada, the Post Office serves an important function, extending beyond that of just receiving and sending mail. It is at the Post Office where residents will stop and chat with each other for a moment. Its bulletin board serves and is a source of community information. Employees are familiar with most residents and often provide information to tourists passing through an area, and there are other functions. What may seem trivial to those who live in the larger urban areas is a vital part of life in smaller communities.”

Public Campaign Irks Canada Post

Canada Post claims that our public campaign “does not promote Canada Post’s image and reputation and is not the way to go about ensuring the future of our company”. In other words, they wish to ignore the concerns of over 130,000 petitioners, almost a thousand municipalities and thousands of Canada Post employees.

Apparently, Canada Post has not yet acknowledged that sending the public’s mail for a joyride from Québec City to Montréal and back again to Québec City isn’t exactly the best way to improve Canada Post’s image and reputation.

What You Can Do

Talk to your local executive member or shop steward to see how you can help stop plant and post office closures, privatization and deregulation. Wearing a button, signing a petition, writing a letter to the editor, talking to your friends and neighbours about protecting public postal service are just some of the things you can do to help.