Postal Workers To Refuse To Work Overtime In BC And Yukon Tomorrow

For Immediate Release

OTTAWA - Job action in the form of a refusal of overtime will begin in the province of British Columbia and in the Yukon on Tuesday morning if no settlement can be reached, according to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

“Don’t panic. We’ll still be delivering the mail,” Mike Palecek, national president of the CUPW, wants Yukon and BC residents to know.

The refusal of overtime will rotate to different provinces and territories one day at a time, and is expected to cause minimal disruption to mail service. It’s a major negotiations issue for the union, which has been demanding that Canada Post staff its workforce properly and build routes that match scheduled hours, instead of overburdening workers and making them stay on the job longer.  Postal workers can be forced back and severely disciplined for refusing overtime.

The union wants Canada Post to create more jobs instead of relying on overtime.

“Nobody should be forced to stay at work once they’ve done their hours. We all deserve to see our families and have lives outside our workplaces,” said Palecek.

In response to the mild rotating job action, Canada Post has reacted by saying it will cut maternity and adoption benefits and impose other cuts to benefits across the country.

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For more information: CUPW Communications - media@cupw-sttp.org, (613) 882-2742