Negotiations updates

This letter is to update you on the ongoing arbitration process between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

On May 9th, the Minister of Labour granted an extension to the arbitration process at the request of the arbitrator. The arbitrator now has until the end of the year to deliver two new collective agreements.

We realize this extension probably raises some questions for you, so we’ll provide as much information as we possibly can.

Please know that there can be no legal work disruption during the arbitration process or during the life of the new collective agreements.

The arbitration process concludes when the arbitrator releases her decision, imposing a binding settlement that forms the basis of new collective agreements for CUPW-Urban and CUPW-RSMC.

So it continues to remain business as usual in our mail processing and delivery operations for the foreseeable future.

We understand the labour disruption was extremely hard on our customers and we are absolutely committed to rebuilding their trust and investing in the future.

This will allow us to provide better service to our customers, help them grow their business and ensure our operations reflect their priorities.

For example, we have an approved investment plan that will see us investing over $4B over the next five years, including a significant investment this year, to increase parcel capacity, invest in new equipment, improve our IT infrastructure and modernize the online experience for consumers.

These investments include building a new parcel sorting plant in the GTA to add parcel capacity and handle the growth in online shopping, and upgrades to other facilities and equipment across the country. We will have much more detail to share in the coming weeks to demonstrate how we are addressing issues and planning for the future.

We are also taking important steps to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. We know this matters to Canadians, so we’ll quickly share a few examples.

We’re designing new buildings to reduce our carbon footprint and requiring our vendors to provide hybrid and zero-emission options for all new vehicle purchases. In 2019, we’ll purchase 500 hybrid vehicles to add to our fleet.

We understand these investments won’t reverse the impact of the labour disruption. But we want to demonstrate what we’re doing to help our customers now and in the future.

Thank you for your patience throughout this process. We will continue to keep you informed of developments.