Mail service in Olds and district could be disrupted as of July 2 if Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers mail carriers can't agree on a new contract.
At that point, the union would be in a legal position to strike, or the employer (Canada Post) may decide to lock out its employees, preventing them from working.
However, if either one of those things occurs, reports say key mail like child tax benefits, old age security pension and Canada Pension Plan benefits will still be delivered one way or another, Canada Post says.
The Crown corporation says payments made by direct deposit are not expected to be affected if a walkout or lockout happens.
However, mail that doesn't fall into those categories may well not move.
“In the event of a full labour disruption, Canada Post will not operate. Mail and parcels will not be delivered, and no new items will be accepted,” a Canada Post statement on the matter says.
Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have been negotiating since late 2015 to hammer out a new contact.
A formal conciliation period ended on June 10, 2016. Both sides are now in a 21-day “cooling off period” which expires July 2.
Barbara Lilly is president of CUPW Local 818, which represents 264 postal workers in an area stretching as far south as the Carstairs-Cremona area, as far north as Lacombe, east to Stettler and west to Rocky Mountain House.
“We're hoping there may be an extension because Canada Post has been open to talks,” Lilly says.
It's unclear what will happen in Bowden, Lilly says, because it's represented by a different union, the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association (CPAA).
“We do have a rural/suburban mail carrier there. But they'll remain open if it should come to a lockout or a strike (because) they're a different union,” she said during an interview with the Albertan.
Lilly was asked if there's a possibility workers there might not cross picket lines and therefore disrupt service anyway.
“I don't have an answer on that yet. I can't speak for that union. I believe that they'll be staying open to continue selling products,” she said.
She was asked if they'll be delivering any mail.
“If it's a lockout, they would deliver to the boxes for as long as the mail holds out. When they lock us out of a work area, that means pretty much everything shuts down. They can't bring in outside workers to do our work,” Lilly said.
Reports say Canada Post wants several changes including:
Changing job security so it applies only to employees with 10 or more years of continuous employment. Currently that kicks in after five years.
Changes to the pension plan.
A pay freeze for temporary workers.
Eliminating the paid meal period for employees.
Canada Post says it needs the changes to make itself more flexible. It notes Canadians are sending fewer pieces of traditional mail than they did before, which is hurting the Crown corporation's income.
Lilly said the union wants to keep what it has, and perhaps gain back what it lost in previous contracts.
“When they went to the table, Canada Post wasn't willing to look at any of our demands,” Lilly said. They had an agenda to do cutbacks, rollbacks, cutbacks on benefits, job security, seniority rights, basically the usual.
“We're not asking for a lot, over and above what we've got. We just want to try and get back what we've lost,” she added.
