I have two packages stuck in the abyss of the Canada Post strike currently disrupting my lovely country.
The long and the short of it is that Canada Post has lost crazy money over the last few years. Before anyone rah rahs on their poorly run business, keep in mind it’s not a for profit company. It’s a public service company that has to do some very expensive things like get stuff to Nunavut.
This matters because like CN Rail, these companies are going to bleed money. The net benefit of the service they provide will compensate whatever number they lose. From what I understand Canada Post has already lost revenue on 8 million packages being shipped since the strike began, they do a lot for us.
Money that is going to for profit competitors that have no desire to make sure Canadians have reliable service everywhere.
Only where it’s profitable.
That being said, there is a strike and here’s some thoughts I have.
My uncle does work for the post office but that has no bearing on my feelings.
Canada Post employees should be hurting the economy to make a point
I’ve seen local business owners very upset about the money they are losing.
I’m upset too. I have a package of something I spent 300$ on waiting in the limbo of the strike. Then I’m also a low priority person as stuff like passports will get priority when the mail goes through. I kinda wish my radar speeding ticket had been shipped a week later.
The point is to make us upset so we can feel pain along with the employees. As much as people don’t like being inconvenienced, that’s why people protest. To inconvenience you, the regular degular, so you can be like me and write to Canada Post and be like do better.
Any form of protest action is ineffective unless it causes pain to people. If they chose to strike in the dead season, then the strike would last longer and there would be far less pressure to negotiate knowing the busy season is coming. By striking now, Canada Post has permanently lost clients to their competitors. No matter what happens a percentage of people will never return.
Plus they are bleeding money in their worst season. Probably money that we’ll all pay for in the long run. But real talk, maybe the employees have a point.
Canada Post isn’t making the best offer.
Canada Post made a very bad offer to their workers
The employees are asking for 24% over 4 years.
Assuming they make 24$ an hour right now, we can assume this will mean they get about 500$ every two weeks on a full time schedule once the 4 years are done. That is approximate math based on Quebec taxes. High key, making that extra bread is a very big blessing.
Now Canada Post decided to offer them back 11.5% after 4 years with extra paid time off. More paid time off is good for fighting burnout but something that’s even better is more money. Based on my math, that 11.5% is closer to 250$ every two weeks. This is more akin to an inflation match every year than a meaningful raise.
When you play the % raise game you need to keep in mind the first 2.1-2.5% each year of that raise is straight inflation matching with our recent numbers. For many of us that inflation index feels like it’s off. When you keep in mind that the 11.5% is after 4 years, it’s more like they are getting 2.75% a year.
It’s not exactly that because of how percentage growth works, but it’s just a way to help you visualize how trash the offer is. It’s clearly more than they have now but it’s more or less going to leave them with the same struggle they have now.
Life isn’t about to get cheaper for anyone even if Trudeau is cutting GST for groceries.
The longer this strike goes on, the more money everyone is going to lose
One way or another Canada Post will need to give its employees more money.
We know this because they are already offering salary increases and guarantees on benefits. They are going through wild transitions and playing with people’s lives. Apparently Canada Post stripped away benefits to make sure that if people striked they would not be paid when employees teased a strike. This led to the full strike.
Now we are here and it’s literally Black Friday week. There is going to be so much online shopping that goes down this week that it may be more cost effective to just give the employees what they want. The bigger issue with this strike is that it’s going to erode trust with all of us.
Already Canada Post has been taking longer to deliver stuff. Now if the terms of the strike don’t end on solid grounds, there’s just going to be a risk of future strikes once service resumes. Because there is a chance service resumes with a BS compromise because Canada Post bleeds out the employees long enough.
All of it feels weird and in truth I really care a lot more about my packages than the issue. But here we are with a whole article because I wanted to know when it would end. Never doubt the power of selfishness to drive action.All we can do is hope they pay the mailpeople more so I can get my stuff.
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
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