Saying they have met about 100 times but are getting nowhere, the head of the union local that represents postal carriers in Windsor hopes a strike vote will break the stalemate.
"There were a lot of issues left from 2012 and 2016 that were put off, and we're hoping that this basically gets everything kick-started as we have a strike deadline of September 26," Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 630 President Phil Lyons told BlackburnNews.com.
The vote will be held Thursday at the Unifor 444/200 Hall on Turner Rd. in Windsor. There are three sessions for urban carriers at 7:30am, 1:30pm and 6:30pm. Members of the local who work out of Belle River have a vote at 5pm.
The local represents about 480 members in Windsor, Tecumseh and Lakeshore.
Postal carriers in the south end of Essex County are represented by another local.
New community mailboxes. (Photo courtesy Canada Post)
Lyons says no one wants to walk off the job.
"We've got great momentum going with the parcel industry, and things are really looking up for the company and our members, and we just don't want to compromise that," he said.
Concerns in past years of a decline in letter delivery appear to have levelled out, Lyons said.
He also said says the members gave up sick time in 2012, and hope to gain some of those benefits back. Pension benefits and the sustainability of other benefits for retirees are also sticking points in talks, along with efforts to make Canada Post more environmentally responsible, and warding off attempts to privatize the Crown Corporation.
"For the life of me, being a numbers guy, I just don't get it. We've turned a profit every year. We provide a great service to Canadians," explained Lyons. "So, we're always fighting to keep us as a public service."
- With files from Paul Pedro.
