Vancouver Island's postal workers have joined the more than 55,000 who walked off the job three weeks ago amid a national workersB次元官网网址� strike.

The strike has halted mail delivery across the country leading up to the holiday season. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says it came to the decision to strike after B次元官网网址渁 year of bargaining with little progress.B次元官网网址�

Mieka Guerin, president of the CUPW local in Port Alberni, said on Dec. 5, 2024 that postal workers would prefer to be working over the holiday season.

"It is hard for us not to be working," she said. "It's Christmas B次元官网网址� we want to be out there serving the public. But we've been fighting with Canada Post for 15 years about all the same issues. We're fighting for our health and safety, our benefits and our pension. Just like any job, you have to fight for your health and safety, unfortunately."

Postal workers officially began striking on Nov. 15 after the union and Canada Post failed to reach a deal for a new collective agreement. But Guerin says some of the issues they are striking over date back to 2011. The two parties have disagreed about issues like wages, benefits, working conditions, protections against new technology and the expansion of Canada Post's services.

Rotating strikes in 2011 ended when the labour minister at the time, Lisa Raitt, tabled back-to-work legislation. More rotating strikes took place in October 2018, and Canada Post workers were again legislated back to work.

In 2020, after COVID-19 was declared, Guerin says postal workers agreed to postpone negotiations and work throughout the pandemic in a show of good faith.

"But [Canada Post] has not come to the table with anything new," she said. "They are not bargaining in good faith."

This most recent strike is nationwide, rather than a rotating strike (with employees picketing on different days in different locations). When the union issued a 72-hour strike notice on Nov. 13, Canada Post responded with a lockout notice B次元官网网址� stating that they would lock postal workers out of their jobs if an agreement could not be reached. Guerin says Canada Post also warned it would be cutting off benefits for union members.

"The reason we took action is because Canada Post was cutting us off of everything," she said.

While Canada Post and the union have agreed to continue delivering government benefit cheques during the labour disruption, Guerin says Port Alberni union members will be donating the honorariums they receive for this work to charity. During the strike, Port Alberni postal workers have also stepped up to carry SantaB次元官网网址檚 mail at no cost to the public, using their own vehicles to deliver Santa's replies to people's houses.

"We know this is difficult for people," Guerin said. "As workers, we also have packages stuck in the mail. We sympathize with people, but the support from the community has been overwhelming during this time."

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns is one of the people who stopped by the picket line last month to show his support for the "posties" in Port Alberni.

"We owe so much to our postal workers," Johns said in social media post. "It was their union that organized and secured 17 weeks of maternity leave in 1981, creating a precedent that would spread across Canada. Now, we will stand with them in their fight for safe working conditions and a long-term sustainable Canada Post."

As of Thursday, Dec. 5, the strike was still ongoing. Canada Post said it was reviewing new counter-proposals submitted by the union, while the union has stated itB次元官网网址檚 ready to get back to federal mediation.

Guerin said community members are more than welcome to drop by the picket line at the Canada Post office on Johnston Road if they have any questions or concerns.

"We have no problem answering questions," she said.