On the same day that 55,000 postal workers entered their fourth week of a strike to defend their standards and catch up with the cost of living, the big Canadian banks announced that bonuses for their top managers rose 12% over the previous year.
The bankers count their salaries in the millions, not thousands, of dollars, and the bonuses are on top of those inflated salaries. There is one standard of treatment for the wealthiest money traders in this country, and a very different standard for working people who deliver our mail through all kinds of weather.
In this coming week, CUPW members will still be on the picket lines and in their communities trying to get a clear message to the federal government. We all want our mail for the holiday season, and it’s time that every member of Parliament sends the same message to the Prime Minister.
Take action now and tell Canada Post to settle a fair contract! Here’s what you can do:
1) Tell your Member of Parliament and Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger that you support CUPW in negotiations, that the post office cannot cut its way to growth, and that it must agree to solutions that benefit everyone – including workers.
2) Take a few minutes to visit a postal worker picket line to show your personal solidarity with these folks who work hard in your community to deliver an important public service. Even better, take a picture and post it on social media tagged with @cupw and @canadians.org.
3) Find out about CUPW’s vision for a better Canada Post. Check out the union’s Delivering Community Power plan.
John Cartwright
John Cartwright was elected Chairperson of the Council of Canadians at the Annual Members Meeting held in June 2019. He is the Past President of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, representing 200,000 union members who work in every sector of the economy.
