Canada Post strike continues as workers in Montreal hope to get new contract before Christmas
Posted December 10, 2024 4:32 pm.
Last Updated December 10, 2024 5:15 pm.
Canada Post workers have been on strike for 26 days, with no end in sight.
Lorraine Muller, a letter carrier at Canada Post, has been striking in front of the building where she worked in NDG and she’s upset that she won’t be returning to work there once the strike is over.
“There was a real team spirit, it trickled up and it trickled down. So, there was something really special about the work environment here,” said Muller.
“This is kind of a last hurrah for us. We all get to see each other kind of one last time and hang out, before we’re all sent off to separate offices,” said Erik Bourré, Letter Carrier at Canada Post. “Some of us will still see each other, but not (everyone). When you work with people for 15 years, 30 years, it’s like losing family.”
Many other letter carriers are disappointed they need to continue to strike and pause their work.
“It was a traditional mail delivery service that my great grandfather would have done, after the First World War,” said Adrian, letter carrier at Canada Post. “He came here and ended up being a letter carrier as well. So, I thought it was really neat to be able to walk through those steps that my family had, you know, and many others.”
“When you work a certain route for years, you get to know the people on that route,” added Bourré. “You get to know the retirees, the people who collect their benefits. They rely on us and, there’s something sweet about that. Those little interactions every day, that’s what I love.”
“It’s a crime that it’s closing,” said Adrian.
On Monday, the union sent its latest list of proposals that included salary increases and job protections, but the Crown Corporation said they don’t bring the two sides any closer together.
The dispute has grounded millions of deliveries.
“We lose 80 per cent of the people we train because it’s a very, very hard job. It’s very demanding physically. You’re slipping on the ice, falling downstairs, dogs biting you. I mean, there are 40 minus, neither sleet nor snow,” said Muller.
“Our maximum wage is $63,000 a year. We’re not people who are making $150,000 a year and trying to bleed a corporation that’s going bankrupt. That’s not the reality of the picture here. We are trying to catch back up to what inflation has taken from us.”
“We’re hoping that this really does not last until Christmas,” added Bourré. “We really don’t want that. I can tell you almost exclusively everyone I work with just wants to get back to work. Because we’re missing out on our regular paychecks too.”
