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Canada Post restarts operations, manages delays from rolling strikes

Contract talks with mail carriers remain stalled

Eric Kulisch
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Canada Post mail trucks are parked in a large yard in Mississauga, Ontario, as seen on Dec. 8, 2024. (Photo: Shutterstock/Erman Gunes)
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Key Takeaways:

  • Canada Post has resumed national operations after a strike but warns of delivery delays due to ongoing localized rotating strikes by unionized workers.
  • The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) continues its campaign for a new contract, rejecting Canada Post's latest offer due to concerns about job losses and rolled-back benefits.
  • The protracted labor dispute, which has lasted nearly two years, has created significant uncertainty for Canadians and businesses, impacting Canada Post's parcel volumes and revenues.
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(UPDATED: 5:55 p.m. ET)

Canada Post has resumed operations across the country following a national strike by mail carriers, but cautioned customers on Tuesday to expect delays with mail and parcel delivery as  unionized workers continue localized labor actions.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers late last week said it would shift to rotating strikes in its continuing campaign to get a new contract for delivery personnel.

CUPW workers have walked off the job in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, British Columbia, and in St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador, according to Canada Post. Rotating strike activity has ended in Timmins, Ontario. Mail and parcels will not be delivered or picked up in areas where strikes are occurring. 

CUPW says it won’t announce strike locations, dates, times nor locations in advance.

“Our decision to move to rotating strikes also reflects our commitment to the public, charities, businesses, and our members. Rotating strikes may slightly delay the mail and parcels, but they keep them moving. They also reduce hardship on postal workers, while maintaining pressure on Canada Post and the government to get back to bargaining,” CUPW National President Jan Simpson said in a statement.

Canada Post said acceptance of commercial mail and parcels will start on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the postal operator said it hasn’t received a response to its latest contract offer. CUPW has publicly indicated dissatisfaction with the proposal, saying it rolls back some promised benefits and that planned operating changes will result in thousands of job losses.

“Only new collective agreements will provide the certainty Canadians require to confidently use the postal system. The need to align the business to the current needs of the country, to reduce the dependency on taxpayer dollars, grows more urgent each day that this strike continues,” the national post said in a statement. 

Labor talks have dragged on for nearly two years. Late last year, CUPW went on strike for 32 days before the government ordered members back to work while a commission studied the reasons behind Canada Post’s financial struggles and recommended changes to its business model. In the spring, mail carriers refused to work overtime before recently switching tactics to boycotting delivery of bulk mail. When the government instructed Canada Post late last month to move ahead with streamlining efforts the union went on strike.

The volatile labor situation has caused huge uncertainty for households and businesses. Many e-commerce shippers have switched to using private sector delivery companies, adding to the decline in Canada Post parcel volumes and revenues.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com