Postal workers ratify contract

Deal is CUPW’s first agreement with temporary agency

Postal workers in the Canadian Postal Import Program (CPIP) ratified their first collective agreement as members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).

The deal marks CUPW’s first collective agreement with a temporary employment agency.

“As far as we know it may be the first under federal or provincial labour legislation,” said CUPW national union representative Cathy Kennedy in a statement.

CUPW began negotiations with Adecco — a temp agency contracted by Canada Post to process incoming international parcels — in 2012.

Negotiations lasted for more than a year, during which time Adecco created the subsidiary SQR to act as the employer for the bargaining unit. The union and employer were in the formal conciliation process when an agreement with CUPW was reached in October 2014.

The deal — which covers CPIP members working in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver — includes wage increases of almost 20 per cent for most members, a seniority-based bidding schedule, the creation of health and safety committees and increased protection from unfair discipline.

“For too long, our new members were not protected by any collective agreement,” Kennedy said. “We continue our push to organize the rest of the post and logistics sector in Canada, which will benefit us all as we grow.”

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