Mail delivery across Canada is in limbo after the national postal workers’ union walked off the job on Thursday following the announcement of “massive changes” to Canada Post.
The strike comes after Joël Lightbound, the minister responsible for Canada Post, detailed a number of modifications to the national postal service, including the end of door-to-door mail service, termination of the rural moratorium on post office closures, and more.
Financial concerns were a major motivator for the announced changes: Canada Post has lost more than 5 billion Canadian dollars since 2018 due to a reduction in demand for letter mail service.
“The bottom line is this: Canada Post is effectively insolvent,” Lightbound said at a press conference Thursday. “It provides an essential service to Canadians, and in particular to rural, remote and Indigenous communities, and Canadians are rightfully attached to it and want it saved. However, repeated bailouts from the federal government are not the solution.”
The union—which represents around 55,000 employees—is striking to “fight back” against the changes, which it says would lead to a reduction in the workforce.
“Instead of supporting good, stable jobs and protecting universal mail service for all Canadians, the Government has chosen to side with Canada Post’s corporate plan—a plan that the Union has long warned was designed to erode services, undermine workers, and pave the way for privatization,” the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said in an emailed statement to TIME. “This strike is about more than just workers’ rights. It’s about defending a public service that communities across this country rely on every single day.”
Here’s what to know.
Why is the strike happening?
The CUPW is striking in response to the Canadian government’s adoption of recommendations made by a commission in May that called for the closure of rural post offices, a reduction in the requirement to deliver mail 5 days a week, and the turn over of many addresses to community mailboxes. The latter would impact 4 million households who currently get mail delivered to their doorstep.
Under the measures announced by Lightbound, who cited the evolving reliance on postal services, Canada Post would also be able to raise the price of stamps more frequently.
“The Minister emphasized the importance to serve all Canadians, but these recommendations will only undermine public service. We have no details on how any of them will be implemented,” the union said in a Thursday press release.
How long will the strike last?
It is unclear how long the strike will last.
The CUPW has been in contract negotiations with the Canada Post for around two years. Tensions between postal workers and Canada’s federal government have been on the rise in the past year amid the dispute. Workers similarly went on strike last November, over issues such as job security, wage increases, and paid meal and rest period rights. That strike ended in December, after more than a month.
Since returning to work, the union has taken other actions in an effort to pressure Canada Post back to the bargaining table. In May, CUPW enacted an overtime ban—which has since been overturned. This September, workers stopped delivering flyers.
Union members voted down what Canada Post had characterized as its “final” contract offer in early August. Last week, Canada Post said it would be sending a new offer to the CUPW to advance negotiations, according to the Canadian Press.
The post What to Know About the Canada Post Workers’ Nationwide Strike appeared first on TIME.
