|
|
|
CUPW 2011
Links to CPC Householder Values and Walks by
FSA
|
Story From Pickering Ajax News Advertiser Re: Pickering
Nov 27, 2008 - 02:56 PM PICKERING -- The flow of mail out of the Canada Post office in Pickering slowed to a stop for several hours Thursday morning. Union of Postal and Communications Employees (UPCE), which represents about 2,300 members who work primarily in administrative and clerical positions, held a rotating picket at the Pickering postal station on Kingston Road at Brock Road. Steve Sherritt, a picket captain, said the members arrived around 5 a.m. Thursday. The key issue in the dispute is sick leave, said both Mr. Sherritt and John Caines, a spokesman for Canada Post. Currently, UPCE members earn sick-leave credits, which they can bank and use to cover long-term sick leave. The company, Mr. Sherritt said, wants to change that system with a "short-term disability system" that would be administered by a private insurance company. After 15 weeks, an employee would have to apply for Employment Insurance benefits, "which we think is very unfair to taxpayers," Mr. Sherritt said. A worker can bank up to 15 days a year and that total can increase over the year, Mr. Caines said, adding there's no monetary value to the days, so a worker can't accrue them and then cash them in at retirement. The current system favours long-term employees, Mr. Caines said, and the company's offer provides "protection for all people. The current plan discriminates against new employees." The new plan would provide sick-leave benefits for 30 weeks, when long-term disability kicks in, Mr. Caines said. "Negotiations, to the best of my knowledge, have broken off. We're anxious to get back to the table," Mr. Sherritt said. "They're not talking any more on the major issues." Negotiations broke off early this month and none are planned, Mr. Caines said. "There's no negotiations. The union broke off the talks." The last four-year contract ended in October, the company issued its final offer on Nov. 20 and "it was rejected without taking it to the members," he said. The company's final offer also includes wage increases over a four-year term, "job security for all employees" and indexed pensions. "It's something we think should be brought to the members for a vote," Mr. Caines said. The union wants the public to be aware "their money is being used to pay for our sick-time needlessly. We want to let them know it's not postal workers asking for more," Mr. Sherritt said. "We're not GM. We're profitable," he said. "Their ultimate motive is privatization. To a certain extent, they're using the current economic downturn to get the public to not even consider our point of view." Mr. Caines dismissed the privatization argument. "We have no control over if Canada Post is privatized or not," he said. "It's up to the government."
|
