By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative/Penticton Herald
There wasn鈥檛 any Christmas holiday spirit on the picket line in Penticton Monday morning as striking Canada Post workers voiced their displeasure and anger at being forced back to work on Tuesday.
With the first big snow dump of winter falling to the ground, the striking workers were deeply disappointed their month-long strike was coming to an end after the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered a return-to-work decision over the weekend.
This complied with a demand on Thursday by federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon, who directed the board to order 55,000 striking workers back to work if a deal could not be reached.
The Crown corporation said Sunday afternoon that employees would be back on the job Tuesday after CIRB ruled there had been an impasse in bargaining.
Debbie Attrill, president of Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 796 in Penticton, said the membership is frustrated, angry and incredulous that they鈥檙e being forced to return to work without a negotiated settlement.
鈥淲e are very disheartened and angry,鈥� said Attrill, who was joined by more than a dozen union members on Monday at the Canada Post outlet located on Industrial Avenue W. in Penticton. 鈥淲e just found out about the Industrial Labour Board decision this morning. We didn鈥檛 know exactly what that meant because no one has seen the final written notice.
鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 a violation of our rights. We鈥檙e being forced to go back to work against our will and that鈥檚 not right. There hasn鈥檛 been any kind of negotiated settlement and they鈥檙e making us do what we don鈥檛 want to do without going back to (negotiations).鈥�
The suggestion the government was ordering unionized workers back to try and salvage goodwill from Canadians who are upset the strike with the Christmas holidays only days away isn鈥檛 legitimate, said Attrill.
鈥淐hristmas season is basically over,鈥� she said. 鈥淩eally, what are we going to be able to do in the next few days to change things? It鈥檚 just an excuse to force us back to work.鈥�
The 100 members of Local 796 who have been without a paycheque for five weeks are almost unanimously upset and angry they鈥檙e being forced to return to work without a negotiated new contract, she said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e all been out here on the picket line for five weeks without a paycheque and there鈥檚 no guarantees they鈥檙e going to make an agreement in the next little bit,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a really good chance we鈥檙e going to have to go through this all over again.
鈥淓veryone on the picket line feels a little bit differently, but for the most part, I think there鈥檚 a lot of collective anger.鈥�
This is her third time on strike after 17 years of service with Canada Post and it鈥檚 infuriating she鈥檚 never returned to work after the federal government sat down and negotiated a fair contract, said Attrill.
鈥淭he first two times we were locked out and now this forcing us back,鈥� she said.
The union鈥檚 demands are not unreasonable as they want a fair wage, decent pension and pay increases that at least match the growing cost of inflation, said Attrill.
鈥淚t breaks my heart, when I have people (fellow union members) coming to me telling me 鈥業 really need dental work, but I just can鈥檛 use my benefits because I just can鈥檛 pay my rent鈥�, 鈥業 need food and what I have left is just not covering that,鈥濃�� she said. 鈥淲e need a livable wage. If you look at the wages of other people in our industry, they make far more than we do.鈥�
Even more maddening is that senior managers make outlandish wages and Canada Post remains a top-heavy organization with far too many managers, while front-line staff struggle to make ends meet, she said.
Doug Ettinger, president and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Post, makes big bucks, while front-line workers who have more and more demands put on them with each passing year struggle to get by, she said.
鈥淲e鈥檒l never really know what he makes,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut we do know he gets $450,000 as a base wage, plus his benefits, plus he also sits on the board for Purolator, so he also gets paid from them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know the exact amount, but it鈥檚 a lot.
鈥淥n top of that, we have 20 vice presidents. What company with 55,000 employees, needs 20 vice presidents? It鈥檚 ridiculous. We鈥檙e so top-heavy, it鈥檚 ridiculous.鈥�
From being in contact with other CUPW local presidents, it鈥檚 been confirmed there is one supervisor for every 10 front-line workers at Canada Post, she said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 just ridiculous,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his office right here beside us used to be managed by one man and his secretary and we had twice as many employees at that time than we do now.
鈥淲e had way more routes, because mail volume was way up, and now we have four, full-time supervisors. It鈥檚 ridiculous.鈥�
The blame for the current labour situation can be shared by the federal government, but mostly by Ettinger and senior management at Canada Post, who refuse to bargain in good faith, she said.
鈥淢ost of the blame lies with Mr. Ettinger as we do fall under his leadership and what he鈥檚 done to the employees, the people that I work with and represent, is disgusting,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he federal government is also to blame. This is supposed to be a free country and we have constitutional rights such as the right to strike, yet again they鈥檝e ordered us back to work.鈥�
Joining a union, paying union dues and then having your right to strike taken away and being forced back to work by the government is not right, said Attrill.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e taking away our right to fight for what we believe in and what we think is right,鈥� she said.
Being forced back to work is not going to create a good atmosphere for her union brothers and sisters, especially after not earning any pay for five weeks on the picket line, she said.
鈥淩ight now, we鈥檙e just sort of taking the temperature of the members,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to just hear what each of them feels about what鈥檚 happened and what they think we should do.
鈥淯ltimately, that鈥檚 what a union is. It鈥檚 about everybody sticking together and making decisions that are best for all of us.鈥�
The 55,000 union members deserve pay hikes that allow them to live a decent quality of life and this labour dispute won鈥檛 be resolved until Canada Post leadership makes a fair offer, said Attrill.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just asking for pay increases that keep up with the price of living, at a bare minimum,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been continually going backwards. Through Covid, we took a deal thinking we would get the right to actually get a negotiated collective agreement this time.
鈥淪o we extended the contract for three years and agreed to two per cent the first two years and last year we got nothing, so we鈥檝e had four per cent over three years and the cost of living has gone up significantly over that time. We don鈥檛 want to go backwards any more.鈥�
Union members do feel bad about the interruption of service due to the labour dispute a month before Christmas, but the timing isn鈥檛 the union鈥檚 fault, she said.
鈥淎t the same time, we hope people realize our workers have families and have to eat too and that鈥檚 12 months of the year. We have rent to pay, food to buy, car insurance just like everyone else.鈥�
